Caribbean Citizenship by Investment: 2026 Comparison of All Five Programmes

The Eastern Caribbean programmes share a template: a single application through a licensed agent, independent due-diligence checks, an interview, and citizenship by registration or naturalisation without a residence stage. Dual citizenship is allowed in all five. In 2024 the five governments agreed a common minimum investment of US$200,000, applied from the end of June 2024, and in September 2025 they signed (Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica and St Kitts and Nevis on 18 September, Saint Lucia on 22 September and Grenada on 23 September) the agreement creating the Eastern Caribbean Citizenship by Investment Regulatory Authority (ECCIRA) to standardise vetting, agent licensing and presence rules^[29].

Within that template, the differences that matter to an investor are price per family size, how long the unit really takes, which passport opens which doors, and how exposed each country is to US and EU action. In short:

• St Kitts and Nevis (since 1984) is the most expensive and the best-documented, with UK visa-free access and no US proclamation. See our St Kitts and Nevis citizenship programme.
• Dominica is the cheapest for a single applicant but has lost UK visa-free access (since July 2023) and is under US visa restrictions. See our guide to Dominica economic citizenship.
• Antigua and Barbuda is the best value for large families, but processing is slow and US visas are restricted. See our Antigua and Barbuda passport programme page.
• Grenada is the only one whose citizens can use the US E-2 treaty investor visa, and it has visa-free China access. See our page on Grenada investor citizenship.
• Saint Lucia offers the only refundable government bond route, but the UK now requires visas and decisions take over a year in practice. See our Saint Lucia CIP guide.

For a single applicant, Dominica is cheapest by a wide margin (about US$210,500), followed by Grenada (about US$244,000) and Antigua (about US$248,800). St Kitts costs about US$50,000 more than Dominica (about US$52,250 more once its mandatory biometric fee is included)^{[6][11][8][3]}.

For a family of four, the gap almost disappears. Grenada (about US$257,000), Saint Lucia (about US$258,000) and Antigua (about US$264,700) are all slightly cheaper than Dominica and St Kitts (about US$268,500 each, or about US$275,600 for St Kitts with biometric fees), because Dominica's donation steps up from US$200,000 to US$250,000 as soon as one dependant is added^[6][16]. Children's ages move these totals: Antigua charges no due diligence below age 12, while St Kitts, Dominica and Saint Lucia start charging at 16 and Grenada at 17.

For real estate, Dominica is again cheapest, but the comparison should be made on sunk cost: the government fee, the transaction costs and the expected discount on resale after the 3–7-year hold. Developer-priced CBI units rarely resell at the purchase price. For most buyers the donation route is cheaper unless they genuinely want the property. Saint Lucia's bonds are the only route where the principal (US$300,000) comes back, after five years and without interest; the sunk cost for a single applicant is about US$60,000 plus the forgone return^[16].

If price is the only criterion, our ranking of the cheapest citizenship-by-investment programmes includes Pacific and African options below US$150,000.

On current evidence, Grenada and St Kitts and Nevis are the most predictable, and St Kitts is the only one with a statutory decision window (120–180 days after the file is acknowledged)^[3]. Dominica is usually quick once a file is accepted. Antigua and Saint Lucia are the slow ones in 2026: industry data put Antigua at an average of about 14.2 months (Q4 2025), with reported cases from 10 to 18 months, and Saint Lucia's decisions at roughly 15–18 months, even though Saint Lucia's CIU still quotes about 90 days^[36][19][17]. If you need a passport before a fixed date, or before any EU cut-off, treat speed as a deciding factor.

The ECCIRA framework sets a common floor: 30 days of physical presence in aggregate during the first five years after citizenship, with family members able to pool days but each person spending at least 5 days in the country in the first 12 months. Antigua says it already applies this rule administratively. Grenada's Bill, the most detailed text published, adds a mandatory integration programme and a first passport valid for only five years, renewable for ten years once presence is verified. Failure to comply without reasonable excuse can lead to revocation^[13].

Because ECCIRA is not yet operational and the five states have agreed to start together, nobody can give a firm date. Grenada's Bill also allows the rules to be applied to pending applications at the Minister's discretion^[13][14]. Plan on spending about a week a year in the country you choose, and keep travel records from day one.

Schengen is the one benefit all six passports share, and it is the one the EU is now threatening (see below). The UK is the clearest dividing line: Dominica and Saint Lucia are on the UK visa national list, while St Kitts, Antigua and Grenada need only an electronic travel authorisation^[23][18].

China splits the group along diplomatic lines. Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica and Grenada have mutual visa-exemption agreements covering ordinary passports, allowing stays of up to 30 days. St Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia and St Vincent recognise Taiwan and are not on China's list^[24].

The United States requires a visa from all six. The proclamation of 16 December 2025 suspended new B-1/B-2, F, M and J visas and immigrant visas for nationals of Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica from 1 January 2026, explicitly citing "citizenship by investment without residency". Dual nationals travelling on a non-designated passport and holders of visas issued earlier are exempt, and the restrictions are reviewed every 180 days^[20]. New visitor visas that are still issued to Antiguans and Dominicans carry shortened validity^[37]. Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica have also been on the US visa-bond list since 21 January 2026, and Grenada since 2 April 2026; under the permanent rule published on 3 August 2026, a B-1/B-2 applicant may have to post a bond of US$10,000, 15,000 or 20,000. St Kitts and Nevis and Saint Lucia were not on the list as of August 2026^[38][39][40]. Separately, all six countries were among the 75 nationalities whose immigrant visas the State Department paused from 21 January 2026. A federal court vacated that pause on 21 August 2026 in CLINIC v. Rubio, and the Department says it is no longer in effect; the government appealed to the Second Circuit on 10 September 2026, but the ruling stands unless stayed. For Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica, the ruling does not lift the proclamation's separate suspension of immigrant visas^[21][22]. For a full ranking, see which investment passport is strongest.

Grenada is the only one of the six with a US treaty of commerce that qualifies its nationals for the US E-2 treaty investor visa, which lets the holder run a substantial US business they have invested in, renewably, with a spouse who can work. It is often the main reason investors pick Grenada over cheaper options.

There is a catch. Since December 2022, US law says a person who acquired treaty nationality through a financial investment must have been domiciled in the treaty country for at least three continuous years before applying for E-2 status^[30]. In practice a Grenadian investor citizen who has never lived there cannot use the E-2 straight away. Budget for a genuine three-year move to Grenada first, or treat the E-2 as a long-term option rather than a fast route to the US. The E-2 does not lead to a green card.

For a couple with two young children, the five programmes land within about US$11,500 of each other (about US$18,600 once St Kitts' mandatory biometric fees are counted), so family rules rather than price should decide. For larger or multi-generational families, Antigua and Barbuda is the standout: the US$230,000 NDF donation does not rise with family size, only the processing fee does, and the UWI Fund caps a family of six at US$260,000 including processing^[8]. Saint Lucia's bond route is also flat at US$300,000 for any family size, so for six or more people its sunk cost can undercut the donation route. Antigua and Grenada both accept unmarried siblings (Saint Lucia only those under 18); Grenada charges US$75,000 for each sibling beyond the base family of four^[9][15].

St Kitts has the narrowest limit for adult children: SRO 1 of 2026 widened it from 18–25-year-olds in full-time education to unmarried, substantially supported children aged 18–29, still a year short of the 30 used elsewhere. It charges US$50,000 for each dependant aged 18+ beyond the fourth person^[2].

St Vincent and the Grenadines is the only independent OECS member without a citizenship-by-investment programme. Prime Minister Godwin Friday, whose New Democratic Party won the November 2025 election, announced in December 2025 that the country would launch one in 2026^[34]. His February 2026 Budget Address set a mid-2026 target and described the main features: proceeds ring-fenced in a new St Vincent and the Grenadines Investment Fund, continuous due diligence for the life of the citizenship, multi-layered background checks and a residency requirement. "We will not compete on volume. We will not compromise on standards," he said^[33].

What the official record shows on 2 October 2026:

• The Prime Minister's Office citizenship page lists "Citizenship by Investment Coming Soon" and says requirements "will be made available shortly"^[31].
• The Gazette of 21 July 2026 lists "Citizenship by Investment Programmes" among the Prime Minister's portfolio subjects, but the Acts assented to in that issue do not include a citizenship-by-investment law^[32].
• Industry monitors report that no enabling Bill had reached the House of Assembly by September 2026, so the mid-2026 target has been missed^[35].

No minimum investment, fee or presence rule has been published, so any figure you see quoted (often "about US$200,000") is speculation. St Vincent was not one of the five recipients of the EU's June 2026 letters because it has no programme, but a new scheme would fall under the same EU mechanism from day one. Follow progress on our St Vincent and the Grenadines programme tracker and in our roundup of new citizenship-by-investment programmes.

European Union

Regulation (EU) 2025/2441, in force since 30 December 2025, allows the EU to suspend visa-free travel for a country that runs an investor citizenship scheme granting citizenship for pre-set payments without a genuine link. A suspension starts at 12 months by implementing act and could be extended by a further 24 months through a delegated act, and it would apply to all holders of that passport, not only investor citizens^[26]. On 25 June 2026 Commissioner Magnus Brunner wrote to the five governments asking for a phase-out by 1 June 2028, with interim safeguards such as excluding EU-sanctioned persons expected by September 2026. The letters have not been published, and their content is known from government statements^[27]. The leaders met in Roseau on 10 July 2026 and in New York on 24 September 2026; on 27 September they asked for more time and raised a 2.5–3-year transition, possible caps on applications and nationality exclusions, with technical talks expected in October^[28].

Antigua initially rejected a "unilateral phase-out", and no government has announced a closure date. No visa waiver has been suspended, and nothing announced affects citizenship already granted. Our tracker of the EU deadline for Caribbean investor passports follows each step.

United States

Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica are under partial entry restrictions from 1 January 2026; St Kitts, Grenada and Saint Lucia are not^[20]. The proclamation names CBI without residency as the reason, which is why every government is now tightening presence rules. The 180-day reviews have not lifted the restrictions so far.

What it means for buyers

• Treat Schengen access as valuable but not guaranteed beyond 2028. If it is your only reason to buy, wait for the outcome of the talks or look at a European residence route instead.
• If you go ahead, applying earlier rather than later matters: a negotiated phase-out is likely to come with a cut-off for new applications, not for existing citizens.
• Expect higher costs, stricter vetting and real presence obligations before the programmes become cheaper or easier.

No single programme is best for everyone. Matched to the most common goals:

• Lowest outlay, single applicant: Dominica, at about US$210,500 in government charges, if you already hold a passport that gets you into the US and the UK. Details in our Dominica CBI cost guide.
• Large or multi-generational family: Antigua and Barbuda (flat NDF donation, UWI cap for six, parents 55+ and siblings), provided you can wait 10–18 months, can spend 30 days there over five years and do not need US visas on the Antiguan passport. See our Antigua NDF and UWI fund breakdown.
• US business ambitions: Grenada, the only route to E-2 eligibility, if you are willing to live there for three continuous years first; note that Grenadian visitor-visa applicants may face a US visa bond. It also adds China visa-free. See our Grenada NTF and E-2 guide.
• UK access and lowest political risk: St Kitts and Nevis, which keeps UK visa-free access, is outside the US proclamation and the US visa-bond list, and has gazetted fees and statutory timelines, at a premium. See our St Kitts SISC and real estate guide.
• Want the capital back: Saint Lucia's US$300,000 National Action Bonds, if you can accept slow processing and no UK visa-free access. See our Saint Lucia bonds and NEF guide.

Look elsewhere if you want the right to live in the EU (no Caribbean passport gives that; compare citizenship by investment and residency programmes), or if you need a passport free of EU and US policy risk. Outside the Caribbean, Vanuatu's citizenship programme is cheaper but has already lost Schengen visa-free access, and Turkish citizenship through real estate costs more but rests on a large economy. Our overview of every citizenship-by-investment programme lists the rest.

These three are the most frequently compared. St Kitts and Nevis costs about US$50,000 more than Dominica for a single applicant but roughly the same for a family of four, and it is the only one of the three with UK visa-free access and no US proclamation or visa-bond listing. Dominica wins on single-applicant price and speed, and it adds China visa-free, but its passport is now the weakest of the three for the US and UK. Antigua and Barbuda sits between them on price, wins clearly for families of five or more, and offers China visa-free and UK ETA access, but it is the slowest of the three and shares Dominica's US restrictions^{[3][6][8][20][23]}.

A simple rule: if UK or US travel on the new passport matters, choose St Kitts. If you are a single person with good travel documents already, Dominica. If you are bringing parents or adult children, Antigua.

The process is similar in all five countries; only fees and timings differ.