Antigua and Barbuda is a country in the Caribbean sea with 100,000 inhabitants.

As soon as you step foot on the island, the citizenship by investment program announces its presence with promotion signs. There are many reasons why foreigners from different parts of the world choose to acquire an Antigua passport and to adopt this amazing island as their second (or first) country.

The citizenship by investment program is a program through which any person can acquire citizenship of a country by investing, this can be real estate, government bonds, setting up a company, or a donation to the national fund. Antigua and Barbuda is one of the countries to offer such a great option and its program has been available since 2013 and it was such a success that, in 2017, the program accounted for a 5th of the country’s GDP. The citizenship by investment programs help these small nations attract foreign investment in order to develop their economies and infrastructure.

The investor, on the other hand, is also benefited from acquiring this passport. The Antigua passport offers visa free travel to 140 countries including important commercial and financial centers like Schengen area, the UK, Singapore, and Hong Kong. In order to acquire citizenship in Antigua and Barbuda, you can do it with the most common options, which are real estate investment and a national donation.

For real estate investment you need to purchase a property of at least 200,000 USD and for the donation option, you need to deposit a minimum of 130,000 USD. However, these being the two most common options, Antigua offers a third one: investing between 400,000USD and 1.5 million in an approved business venture.

Once you acquire your passport, the minimum stay requirement in Antigua is 5 days during the first 5 years. This is extremely comfortable if you wish to maintain citizenship but live elsewhere. But why not live in the Caribbean?

The Caribbean offers a unique laidback lifestyle, warm weather year-round, amazing landscapes, entertaining options such as snorkeling, diving, fishing, and a peaceful environment.

Local people are very relaxed and friendly, they have a great attitude towards foreigners and an easy-going approach to life. This is undoubtedly a great place where to lead a relaxed life and leave out the stress of the big metropolis.

Why to invest in Antigua and Barbuda?

Like a stunning Caribbean country, Antigua and Barbuda has a developed touristic sector. Antigua, being a tropical paradise, attracts a million cruise passengers and half a million stay-over tourists a year mostly from the UK, the United States and Canada. It has 365 spectacular white sanded beaches.

Its capital, St John’s, was founded in 1660 by the English colonizers and was a prosperous center due to the success of the sugar production. Now, the city shows the charms of its colonial past to all tourists, visitors, and locals.

In St John´s market, for example, you can get a variety of products from souvenirs to exotic fruits.

Hemingway, the great writer, during the 30´s used to hang out in St John´s as a stop during his boat trips. His favorite restaurant, now called Hemingways, is still a hot spot in the city and receives visitors, literature lovers, and adventurous sails men every day.

The program

From all the Caribbean programs, Antigua and Barbuda is the best choice for a family, as it offers an interesting package. You can acquire citizenship for you, your spouse and two children with a donation of 100,000 USD (+ 30,000 USD fees). It is the only Caribbean country that offers this. Like we pointed out before, Antigua offers visa free access to very important financial regions like the UK, the Schengen area, Hong Kong and Singapore.

However, unlike Grenada or Saint Kits and Nevis, Antigua does not offer visa free to China nor Russia. You do get visa free access to most of Central America and South America (except from Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay). So, if you are not particularly interested in these countries and you want to apply with your family, then Antigua may be the right choice for you to establish your second citizenship. Antigua is one of the few countries with CBI that offers visa free travel to South Africa and Belarus.

The Antigua program is managed by the CIU (citizenship by investment unit). The response to each application usually takes 90 days, assuming all the documents have been sent on time and in due form. However, during the last years, the CIU´s staff has become more efficient and there have been cases where an application takes only 60 days or sometimes 45 days to be approved. In general, once the applicant has submitted all the information and the corresponding supporting documentation, the CIU is ready to give a quick response.

This will, of course, depend on the case. Antigua and Barbuda takes very good care of its reputation therefore it conducts all the necessary due diligence processes. If the person has lived in different countries due to, for example, business activities, or if the person has businesses in different countries, the process will probably take longer. This is because the due diligence process must be conducted separately in each one of these jurisdictions. This may be not very appealing, but it´s important to consider that you will be citizen of a reputable country.

In order to be eligible for the Antigua and Barbuda program, the main applicant should be at least 18 years old with no criminal record and must be in good health. In the same application it is possible to add the spouse and children up to 26 years of age (after 18 the children should not be married in order to apply). It is also possible to add parents older than 65 years. Citizens of certain countries, like Sudan or Somalia, cannot apply to this program. You can find the whole list of restricted countries in our comparison section by clicking here.

The main applicant is not required to be in the country before or during the application, but he must spend at least five days in the country during the first five years of citizenship.

Advantages of Antigua and Barbuda program

● Travel visa-free to 140 countries, including EU countries, the UK, Ireland, the Caribbean, and most Commonwealth countries.

● No taxes on income, your existing holdings, or inheritance.

● The time it takes for applications to be considered is 5 months.

● Only visit Antigua and Barbuda once, after 5 years.

● Apply with your family (children up to 26 years and parents from 65 years old).

● Citizenship is transferable to newborn children.

The program in a nutshell

Contribution to the government fund

Official authority:

National Development Fund (NDF)

Investor:

100,000 $ + 30,000 $ for the main applicant

Family up to 4 persons:

100,000 $ + 30,000 $ for the main applicant

+ 0 $ for the spouse + two additional dependents

Family with more than 5 qualifying dependents:

150,000 $

+ 15,000 $ for each additional dependent.

Real estate investment

Minimum investment:

200,000 $

Required period of real estate ownership:

5 years

Legal services - 35,000 $

State fees:

Family up to 4 persons: 50,000 $

Dependents: 15,000 $ for each additional dependent

Advantages and disadvantages of each option

Contribution to the government fund

Advantages: Simple transaction

Drawbacks: the contribution is non-refundable

Real estate investment

Advantages:

● Tangible assets

● Return on investment in the form of dividends

● Return on investment in the form of resale

● Physical connection to the country

Drawbacks

● Greater initial costs

Antigua and Barbuda, important facts

Capital: St. John’s

Area: 442 sq.km.

Population: 100,000

GDP: US $1.627 billion

Language: English

Year of independence from Great Britain: 1981

For today´s businesspeople, a second passport is a key aspect in a plan B strategy, that is the reason why it is step 1 in our Forever Free package. If you want to apply with your family, then Antigua and Barbuda offers the best option for second citizenship in the Caribbean.

Apply now