Citizenship by Investment

Antigua and Barbuda’s Citizenship by Investment Program (CIP) is the latest program of this kind in the Caribbean. It was established following parliamentary assent to the Antigua and Barbuda Citizenship by Investment Act, 2013.

The Regulations regarding Citizenship by Investment in Antigua and Barbuda are contained in Section 6 of the Citizenship by Investment Act, 2013.

These provisions allow the government to operate a program under which citizenship is granted to persons who qualify under criteria set by parliamentary decision.

The CIP requires a person to make a significant economic contribution to the country. In exchange, and subject to stringent application procedures, including thorough background checks, the applicants and their families are granted citizenship.

To qualify for citizenship, the primary applicant must be over 18 years of age, meet the application requirements and select one of the following three investment options:

• National Development Fund
• Real Estate
• Business Investment

Applicants will be required to confirm one of the above investment options. Thereafter it is required as part of the regulatory process to conduct an initial inquiry on each applicant. Following this, a more comprehensive government application form is completed and supporting documents obtained to submit to the approving body, Citizenship by Investment Unit (CIU) for processing.

On submission of the fully completed application form, with all supporting documentation to the CIU, the applicant is required to pay the full government Due Diligence fees along with 10% of the government Processing fees which are non-refundable. Within 90 days of the submission of an application, the CIU will notify the Agent in writing on behalf of the applicant that the application has been approved, denied or delayed for whatever reason.

National Development Fund (NDF)

The NDF is a non-profit foundation established for the purpose of, inter alia, supporting enterprises develop significant innovations through the provision of long term committed share capital, public/private partnerships, specific governmental projects and from time to time, charitable investments in non-profit organisations which deliver services in healthcare, education, environmental management, youth development or the promotion of sport and culture.

Acquisition of citizenship under the National Development Fund (NDF) requires a one-time contribution to the development fund. Applications under this option are required to make a contribution of US$100,000.00 if the application is for a single person or a family of up to four persons or US$125,000.00 if the application is for a family of five persons or more.

Upon submission of your application you will be asked to pay the due diligence fees and 10% of the government processing fee. Upon receipt of a letter of approval you will be asked to pay the balance of the government processing fee and your contribution which will be paid separately to the Citizenship by Investment Unit (CIU) escrow account within a 30 day period.

Once received, a certificate of registration will be issued for both the primary applicant and their family members which will require submission to the Antigua and Barbuda Passport Office with their application and accompanying documentation for the Antigua and Barbuda passport to be issued.

Real Estate Investment

To qualify for citizenship under the real estate option, the government requires applicants to make an investment in designated, officially approved real estate with a value of at least US$ 400,000 plus the payment of government processing fees and due diligence fees.

Until 31st October 2018, Two (2) applications from related parties can make a joint investment, with each applicant investing a minimum of US $200,000 in order to qualify. All processing fees (US$50,000.00 for the Real estate) and due diligence fees remain unchanged.

In addition, two or more applicants who have executed a binding sale and purchase agreement may apply jointly for citizenship by investment provided that each applicant contributes the minimum investment of US$ 400,000.

Beneficial ownership of real estate is permissible through a non-profit company provided that the company has issued all of its authorized shares to the applicant(s), is established and is in good standing under the laws of Antigua and Barbuda, is not an exempt or offshore entity and submits irrefutable evidence as to its beneficial ownership, which evidence shall be certified by the Registrar of Companies.

As the application procedure under this option involves the purchase of real estate, this can lengthen the processing time depending on the chosen property. The real estate cannot be re-sold until 5 years after the purchase, unless purchasing an alternate officially approved real estate property in Antigua and Barbuda.

An application for citizenship by investment under the real estate investment option can be submitted to the Citizenship by Investment Unit (CIU) when a binding purchase and sale agreement has been signed with the developer of an approved project, which will be subject to the granting of the citizenship application.

Upon submission of your application you will be asked to pay the due diligence fees and 10% of the government processing fee. On receipt of a letter of approval you will be asked to pay the balance of the government processing fee and all sums due to the developer under the sale and purchase agreement to enable title to be registered in your name and allow for implementation of the proposed real estate investment in accordance with the guidelines established by the Citizenship by Investment Unit (CIU).

Once received, a certificate of registration will be issued for both the primary applicant and their family members which will need to be submitted to the Antigua and Barbuda Passport Office with their application and accompanying documentation for the Antigua and Barbuda passport to be issued.

For the Real Estate option, applicants will have 30 days from approval notification to complete full payment to vendor along with all required disbursements to enable Title to be registered in the applicant’s name.

Approved Projects

Approved Areas

Regulation 6 of the [Citizenship by Investment Act 2013] sets out the process by which real estate projects are approved for investment by applicants to the CIP. The Government will from time to time identify approved development areas (R6.1). It will then approve specific projects within these areas. Approved projects are then eligible for investment by applicants to the Citizenship by Investment Program (R6.2).

The list are approved areas for investment are:

Antigua

• Fort James to Blue Waters
• Pillar Rock to Five Islands
• Pearns Point to Johnson’s Point
• Falmouth Harbour to Galleon Bay
• Willoughby Bay to Half Moon Bay
• Nonsuch bay area
• Guiana Island and its environs
• Crabbs Peninsula to Indian Point
• Blackman’s Estate (Blackman’s Point)

Barbuda

• Low Bay to Palmetto Point
• Coco Point

Approved Areas (Map)

Click here for the map and list of approved Real Estate Areas

Business Investment

The Citizenship by Investment Unit (CIU) shall after consultation with the Antigua and Barbuda Investment Authority (ABIA) approve businesses, whether existing or proposed, for the purposes of investment in business under the Citizenship by Investment Program.

The two business investment options are:

• Where a person proposes to make an investment in an approved business of at least US$ 1,500,000 on their own behalf.
• At least two persons propose to make a joint investment in such an approved business totaling at least US$ 5,000,000, and each of those persons individually propose to contribute at least US$400,000 to the joint investment an application or application for Citizenship by Investment may be submitted on his, her or their behalf through an agent.

Any potential applicant(s) under this investment option is/are advised to make contact with the ABIA to discuss their proposal.

Once approval of the business investment has been given, the CIU will consider applications for citizenship. The application process is similar to that of the NDF, namely, upon submission of your application you will be asked to pay the due diligence fees and 10% of the government processing fees. Upon receipt of a letter of approval you will be asked to pay the balance of the government processing fees and your business investment amount within a 30 day period. Due to the potential varied nature of such investments any escrow agreement will be negotiated between the parties yet transfer of the investment sums must be made within a 30 day period from issuance of an approval letter.

Once received, a certificate of registration will be issued for both the primary applicant and their family members which will be submitted to the Antigua and Barbuda Passport Office with their application and accompanying documentation for the Antigua and Barbuda passport to be issued.

The passport is issued for a period of 5 years. Approved applicants are required to spend a minimum of 5 full days, over a 5 year period in Antigua and Barbuda in order for a passport to be renewed.