Saint Kitts and Nevis’ Citizenship by Investment Program

Established in 1984, the citizenship by investment program of Saint Kitts and Nevisis the longest-established economic citizenship program in the whole world.Full citizenship is granted to investors within just six months by the country. The program facilitates for the grant of citizenship to applicants by either investing in government-approved real estate or by donating to the Sugar Industry Diversification Foundation.

Part II, Section 3 (5) of the Citizenship Act, 1984 of the Saint Christopher and Nevis Citizenship By Investment Regulations contains regulations regarding citizenship-by-investment in Saint Kitts & Nevis. These provisions laid therein allow the government to operate a program under which citizenship is granted to persons who qualify under criteria set by cabinet decision.Saint Kitts and Nevis citizenship-by-investment program is one of the best economic citizenship programs.

Eligibility criteria

The following are the conditions for qualification tothe citizenship by investment program of Saint Kitts and Nevis:-

1. Holding of a valid passport is a must.
2. The applicant should not have any criminal record against him or her.
3. A medical examination must be completed by the applicant.
4. The applicant must mandatorily make the appropriate investment in either a government-approved real estate development or through a donation to Sugar Industry Diversification Foundation.
5. It is obligatory on the part of the applicant to furnish documents supporting the source and the origin of the declared funds for investment.
6. As for the dependents, children up to the age of 30, who have a dependency relationship with parents are considered. Besides, the spouse or the parents or the grandparents of the principal applicant may qualify as dependents if they are over 55 years of age, live with the principal applicant and are able to prove their financial dependency on the principal applicant.

Options for investment

• Investment in real estate

Under this investment option, it is mandatory for the applicant to purchase a government-approved share in real estate in Saint Kitts or Nevis as either:-

1. A full unit worth the value of US$400,000/- which can be sold after 5 years.
2. A share unit worth the value of US$200,000/- which can be sold after 7 years.

The Government fees to be paid by the applicant is:-

1. For the main applicant – US $ 35,000/-
2. For spouse – US $ 20,000/-
3. For any dependent (irrespective of his or her age) – US $ 10,000 /-

The due diligence and background check fees are as follows:-

1. For the main applicant – US$7,500/-
2. For spouse and each dependent over 16 years of age – US$4,000/-

• Sustainable Growth Fund (SGF)

Under this investment option, the applicant can make a non-refundable monetary contribution to the Sustainable Growth Fund (SGF) of Saint Kitts & Nevis. Depending on the size of the family of the applicant, the contribution that has to be made is:-

1. For an applicant who is single – US$150,000/-
2. For an applicant with a family of up to 4 people – US$195,000/-
3. For each additional dependent (irrespective of his or her age) – US $10,000/-

The due diligence and background check fees are as follows:-

1. For the main applicant – US$7,500/-
2. For spouse and each dependent over 16 years of age – US$4,000/-

 Benefits of the program

• It takes just 6 months for an applicant to obtain citizenship.
• The applicant gets the citizenship of a British Commonwealth country.
• Dual citizenship permitted, no need for the applicant to denounce other citizenship.
• No interview.
• No physical residence requirements on the part of the applicant either during or after the application procedure.
• Worldwide income is exempt from tax.
• The option for investment in real estate allows investors to collect income from their property.
• The applicant and his family enjoy full citizenship for life. Moreover, the citizenship can be passed on to future generations by descent.
• The applicant can avail visa-free travel to over 150 countries which include nations of Americas such as Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Dominica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, St. Lucia, St. Vincent &The Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela, nations of Africa such asBotswana, Cape Verde, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Senegal, Seychelles, Somalia, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
• There are provisions for E Visa to nations such as Australia, Bahrain, Gabon, Georgia, India, Sri Lanka, to Asian nations such as Armenia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Laos, Lebanon, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Nepal, Palestinian Territories, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Tajikistan, and Thailand, to nations of Oceania such as Fiji, Kiribati, Micronesia, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu, to nations of Europe such as Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and Vatican.