Obtaining citizenship by investment in Antigua and Barbuda. Service offer

Antigua and Barbuda is a small state located on islands with the same name and the island of Redonda, which are part of the Lesser Antilles, in the Caribbean Sea. The country gained its independence from the United Kingdom in 1981. It is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the UN, the Caribbean Community, and the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States. The basis of the economy is tourism (60% of GDP).

• Official language – English;
• Population – 91 300;
• Area – 440 sq. km;
• Currency – East Caribbean dollar EC $ (US $1 = EC $2.70).

The legal basis of the citizenship by investment program of Antigua and Barbuda is the Citizenship by Investment Act, 2013 (in 2016, the act was amended) and the Citizenship by Investment Regulations 2014.

• be over 18 years old;
• invest in the country’s economy by choosing one of the suggested investment options of the program;
• meet the program requirements.

Application will be rejected in the following cases:

• if the applicant provided false information in the application;
• if the applicant has criminal records;
• if the applicant is under criminal investigation;
• if the applicant is a carrier of certain infectious diseases or has serious health problems;
• if the applicant is a potential threat to the state security of Antigua and Barbuda or any other country;
• if the applicant is involved in activity that can harm the reputation of Antigua and Barbuda;
• if the applicant has received visa refusals from countries that Antigua and Barbuda has visa-free entry agreements with, if after a refusal the visa still was not obtained.

Investments must be made within 30 days of the day of notification of the licensed agent of making the decision to grant citizenship to the applicant.

The applicant can choose one of the following options:

1. Non-refundable contribution (donation)

The size of contribution depends on the number of people included in the application.

Before 26 July 2024:

• if the application is filed only for one (main) applicant or a family consisting of at most four people – 100 000 US dollars;
• for a family consisting of 5 or more people – 125 000 US dollars.

After 26 July 2024:

• if the application is filed only for one (main) applicant or a family consisting of at most four people – 230 000 US dollars;
• for a family consisting of 5 or more people – 245 000 US dollars.

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Government fee for application review:

• if the application is filed only for one (main) applicant or a family consisting of at most four people – 30 000 US dollars;
• if the application is filed for a family consisting of 5 or more people – 30 000 US dollars + 15 000 US dollars for each additional family member starting with the fifth one.

2. Investment in real estate

Real estate must remain in ownership during 5 years after the date of purchase.

Before 26 July 2024: from 200 000 US dollars.

After 26 July 2024: from 325 000 US dollars.

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Government fee for application review:

• if the application is filed only for one (main) applicant or a family consisting of at most four people – 30 000 US dollars;
• if the application is filed for a family consisting of 5 or more people – 30 000 US dollars + 15 000 US dollars for each additional family member starting with the fifth one.

3. Non-refundable contribution (donation) to the University of West Indies Fund

The application must contain at least 6 people.

Before 26 July 2024:

• for a family of 6 people – 150 000 US dollars;
• for a family of 7 or more people – 150 000 US dollars + government review fee of 15 000 US dollars for each additional family member.

After 26 July 2024:

• from 300 000 US dollars.

4. Investment in business projects approved by the Investment Authority

• from 1 500 000 US dollars;
• in the case of collective investment by a group of at least two persons, the total investment amount must be at least 5 000 000 US dollars, and each applicant must invest in this joint project at least 400 000 US dollars.

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Government fee for application review:

• if the application is filed only for one (main) applicant or a family consisting of at most four people – 30 000 US dollars;
• if the application is filed for a family consisting of 5 or more people – 30 000 US dollars + 15 000 US dollars for each additional family member starting with the fifth one.

• Due diligence fee:
  • the main applicant – 7 500 US dollars;
  • spouse – 7 500 US dollars;
  • child aged 0-11 years – no fee is charged;
  • child aged 12-17 years – 2 000 US dollars;
  • family member over 18 years old – 4 000 US dollars.
• Passport fee – 300 US dollars (each).

• spouse;
• child of the main applicant or their spouse under 18 years of age;
• child of the main applicant or their spouse aged 18 to 26 years who is fully supported by the main applicant and learns in person in a higher education institution;
• parents or grandparents of the main applicant or their spouse over 65 years of age who live with the main applicant and are fully supported by them.

• prescribed applications and forms, including the following:
  • citizenship application containing personal data of the applicant, information on education and professional experience for the last 10 years, the current employment, sources of funds, approximate value of assets, etc. (shall be filled out for each applicant);
  • photograph and signature certificate (shall be filled out for each applicant);
  • prescribed medical certificate (from each applicant) (all people aged 12 years or older must provide an HIV test certificate; the certificate is valid for 3 months);
  • investment confirmation form according to the program requirements (filled out by the main applicant);
  • agent appointment form (filled out by the main applicant);
• certified color copy of valid passport(s) (from each applicant);
• certified color copy of valid ID card (from each applicant);
• 8 passport-sized color photographs (from each applicant);
• certified copy of birth certificate (from each applicant); original birth certificate must be provided to issue the passport;
• no-criminal-record certificate from all countries where the applicant has lived for over 6 months during the last 10 years and from all countries of citizenship; the certificate is valid for 6 months (from each applicant over 18 years of age);
• certified copy of military ID card (if applicable);
• certified copy of certificate of change of name (if applicable);
• any other documents necessary to prove or explain information contained in the citizenship application;
• if the applicant has chosen the option of real estate investment, a set of real estate documents shall also be provided;
• bank reference letter (for the main applicant);
• professional reference letter (for example, from a lawyer, notary, certified accountant, etc.) (for the main applicant);
• employment confirmation letter or corporate documents;
• 2 documents proving the permanent residence address (for example, a certified copy of a utility bill, or a lease contract, or a title certificate) (for the main applicant);
• certified copy of marriage certificate (if the spouse is included in the application);
• certified copy of divorce certificate (if applicable);
• declaration by the main applicant of financial dependency of a family member (for each family member over 18 years old included in the application, including the spouse);
• certificate from university or college (for each child aged 18 to 25 years included in the application);
• document proving residential address (for children aged 18 to 25 years who do not live with parents).

Review of an application, from the filing to the notification of the result, takes 3 months. In the case of real estate investment, application review may take somewhat longer depending on the real estate.

1. The applicant applies to an authorized representative who, in turn, contacts a licensed agent in Antigua and Barbuda who is responsible for filing the application and supporting documents and further interaction with the Citizenship by Investment Unit. The applicant may not apply by themselves.

When filing an application, the applicant must pay 10% of the government fee for application review and fully pay the due diligence fee.

2. Due diligence is conducted both in relation to the main applicant and in relation to all family members over 11 years old. Even though this program does not require an interview, the Citizenship by Investment Unit reserves the right to call the applicant for a personal interview.

3. Within 3 months the Unit notifies the licensed agent of the decision on the application: whether the application has been approved, rejected or referred for additional review.

Within 30 days of the day of notification of positive decision, the applicant must pay the remaining part (90%) of the government fee for application review, pay the passport fee and invest according to the chosen option.

4. As soon as the citizenship registration certificate has been issued, the licensed agent applies for passport.

5. One can swear an oath of allegiance and obtain a passport in the country itself, an embassy or a consulate.

A passport is issued for 5 years. When replacing a passport with a new one, compliance with the requirement to stay in the country for 5 days in total within 5 years after obtaining citizenship will be checked. Otherwise citizenship will be cancelled.

If the application has been rejected, the applicant may within 30 days file an appeal for review of the application.

[1] The service fees are effective as of August 2024.

[2] Excluding VAT.