Caribbean citizenship by investment in 2026: the five programmes compared

The headline numbers

Minimum contributions to each state’s donation fund:

• Dominica: US$200,000, the lowest entry point of the five.
• Antigua and Barbuda: US$230,000 to the National Development Fund, covering a family of up to four; a University of the West Indies option at US$260,000 suits families of six or more and includes a year of tuition.
• Grenada: US$235,000 to the National Transformation Fund, also covering a family of up to four.
• St Lucia: US$240,000 to the National Economic Fund, with a US$300,000 non-interest government bond alternative (five-year hold).
• St Kitts and Nevis: US$250,000 Sustainable Island State Contribution, the premium-priced original.

Every programme also runs a real estate route, typically US$200,000 to US$325,000 in approved developments with five to seven-year holding periods, examined in our guide to the cheapest routes.

What the passports do

All five deliver strong global mobility (roughly 140 to 150+ destinations), including the Schengen area and, for most, the UK. Two distinctions matter:

• Grenada is the only programme whose citizens can apply for the US E-2 investor visa, and it holds a rare 30-day visa-waiver agreement with China. Both come with caveats we unpack in our Grenada guide.
• Dominica lost UK visa-free access in 2023, a reminder that travel privileges are policy, not property. The wider European picture, including ETIAS, is covered in our travel access guide.

Family coverage

All five include spouses and children, with varying age limits for dependent adult children and provisions for parents. The differences show at the edges: Antigua is usually the value pick for larger families (its price covers four, and the UWI route suits six-plus), while sibling provisions exist in several programmes with conditions. Antigua is also the only programme with a physical presence requirement: five days in the country within the first five years of citizenship.

Process and timelines

All five programmes now run enhanced due diligence and mandatory interviews for applicants aged 16 and over, introduced as part of the region-wide strengthening agreed with international partners. Realistic end-to-end timelines run four to nine months depending on programme and file complexity; Grenada has been running at around four to six months for clean files. The full journey, from document collection to oath, is set out in our process guide.

Which programme for which family

• Best value for a single applicant or couple: Dominica, on pure price.
• Best for families of four or more: Antigua and Barbuda.
• Best for US or China business ambitions: Grenada, with eyes open about the E-2 rules.
• The blue-chip choice: St Kitts and Nevis, the longest-running programme (since 1984) with the region’s strongest brand, examined in our St Kitts guide.
• The structured-investment alternative: St Lucia, whose bond option returns capital after five years.

The right answer depends on family size, travel patterns and what job the passport is doing in your wider plan. That conversation is what we do.

This article is for general information only and does not constitute legal, tax or investment advice. Programme rules and prices change; always confirm current requirements before committing.