In terms of land area, St Kitts is the world’s eighth smallest country. It has African, British, Carib, and French elements in its culture. It’s a fantastic place to own a second property in the Caribbean because it has decent flight connections to Europe and North America.
Several countries, including St. Kitts and Nevis, have enacted citizenship programs that allow citizens to obtain citizenship in exchange for a financial commitment and/or a direct contribution to the country’s development.
The Citizenship by Investment Program in St. Kitts and Nevis is the world’s oldest of its kind. It was founded in 1984 and provides citizenship and a passport to qualifying applicants through gift or real estate investment. The government needs either a $150,000 payment to the Sustainable Growth Fund (SGF) or a $400,000 real estate investment (which can be reduced to $200,000 for connected investors), plus government and due diligence expenses.
The Citizenship Act of 1984, Part II, 3 (5), and Saint Christopher and Nevis Citizenship by Investment Regulations of 2011 provide the legal framework for citizenship by investment. These provisions allow the government to run a program in which citizens are awarded to people who meet certain requirements defined by the cabinet.
Citizenship by Descent in Saint Kitts and Nevis
For people whose parents and grandparents were born and raised on the islands.
Citizenship by Marriage
For those seeking to marry someone who is already a citizen of St. Kitts and Nevis.
Citizenship by Investment
The Citizenship by Investment Program in St. Kitts and Nevis requires candidates to make a large financial gift to the government. In exchange, the applicants and their families are granted full citizenship through a rigorous application process that includes extensive background investigations.
Requirements
Candidates must be at least 18 years old, satisfy the application criteria, and select from the following options:
– A non-refundable deposit of USD 150,000 for a single candidate and USD 195,000 for a family of up to four members to the Sustainable Growth Fund. Each sibling receives USD 20,000, with an additional USD 10,000 for each subsequent family member (other than a spouse or sibling).
– Purchase of real estate from an approved real estate development with a minimum value of USD 200,000 (resalable after seven years) or USD 400,000 (resalable after five years).
Benefits of Saint Kitts and Nevis passport
When you become a citizen of St. Kitts and Nevis through the citizenship program, you and your family gain full citizenship for life, which can be passed down to the generations.
- A passport from St. Kitts and Nevis permits visa-free or visa-on-arrival travel to 157 countries, including Hong Kong, Russia, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the Schengen Area of Europe.
- Future generations will be able to get citizenship through descent.
- Applicants can include a spouse, children under the age of 31, parents, grandparents over the age of 55, and unmarried dependent siblings under the age of 31 who are not parents, as well as add dependents after they have been given citizenship.
- St. Kitts and Nevis is a Commonwealth member, giving its inhabitants access to certain benefits in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries.
- With decent flight access to Europe and North America, St. Kitts and Nevis is an appealing location for purchasing a second house.
- The country allows dual citizenship.
- There is no minimum stay required.
All applications are processed by the Citizenship by Investment Unit (CIU) of Saint Kitts and Nevis. There is also an expedited application process with a processing period of 45 to 60 days. The CIU thoroughly evaluates the application and, in exceptional cases, may request that the candidate attend an interview.
The CIU undertakes extensive due diligence investigations and will reject an application if the applicant makes a false statement or fails to give any important information. The applicant must fill out the required government forms on his or her own, which can only be obtained from a licensed service provider. The documentary criteria for the program are easy, as are the processes.
Most bidders will visit the islands before settling on a real estate purchase, although this is not a prerequisite for the application process, which takes three to four months. from the time the application is submitted to the CIU for approval. Because the time frame for the real estate option varies based on the development, it is critical to select a real estate project that effectively supports the citizenship application.