The five Caribbean CBI programs — St. Kitts and Nevis, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, and Saint Lucia — let qualifying applicants obtain a second passport in 4–8 months without setting foot on the islands (Antigua requires a 5-day visit within the first 5 years). After the March 2024 regional MoU, all five share a $200,000 floor and tightened due-diligence standards.
Who this is for: Frequent travellers, holders of restrictive passports, or anyone needing optionality fast.
Investment routes
Single applicant. Sustainable Island State Contribution.
Family of 4. National Development Fund.
Cheapest single-applicant route.
Only Caribbean CBI with US E-2 treaty access.
Government bond route, refundable on schedule.
Deep dive
The 2024 regional reset
Following EU and US pressure on transparency, the five programs signed an MoU setting a minimum donation of $200,000 (single applicant), effective 1 July 2024, with enhanced due diligence, mandatory interviews, and real-estate floors of roughly $200,000–$325,000 depending on the island. This ended a decade-long race-to-the-bottom on pricing.
How to choose between them
St. Kitts has the longest-running program (1984) and strongest brand for banking. Antigua is cheapest for families of 4. Dominica is cheapest for single applicants. Grenada is uniquely attractive for US-bound investors via the E-2 treaty (Grenadian citizens can apply for US investor visas). St. Lucia offers a government-bond route with a defined refund schedule.
Visa-free risk: the EU and UK
All five passports currently retain EU Schengen visa-free access, and no suspension has been activated. But the risk has hardened. After the Court of Justice of the EU struck down Malta's investor-citizenship scheme on 29 April 2025, the European Commission's 8th Report under the Visa Suspension Mechanism (December 2025) stated that operating a CBI scheme constitutes, in itself, a ground for suspending a country's visa-free status — a tougher line than the earlier focus on 'genuine links.' Separately, the EU's ETIAS system (expected late 2026) will require these passport holders to obtain pre-travel authorisation even while visa-free, the UK already requires an ETA, and a reported US memo flagged several of the islands for added scrutiny. Treat visa-free EU access as valuable today but explicitly under review, not permanent.
The five programs compared: which fits which buyer
Since the OECS set a US$200,000 donation floor on 1 July 2024, the five Caribbean CBI programs cost broadly the same — $200,000 to $250,000 on the donation route — so the choice is about fit, not price. Dominica is the cheapest for a single applicant at $200,000. Antigua & Barbuda is structured around a family of up to four for one contribution, which usually makes it the best value for a couple with children even though its single figure ($230,000) is higher than Dominica's. Grenada ($235,000) is the only one of the five with a US E-2 treaty, letting Grenadian citizens apply for the US investor visa — a genuine route to living in the US, though not a green card. St Lucia ($240,000) offers the most route flexibility, including a bond option. St Kitts & Nevis ($250,000) is the original programme and typically the fastest. The honest way to choose is to price your actual household across all five and weight the program-specific edge you need, rather than chasing the lowest single-applicant headline.
The visa-free risk, ETIAS, and why the value could change
A Caribbean passport's headline benefit is visa-free travel to roughly 140–150 destinations, including the Schengen Area and the UK — and that benefit is under more pressure in 2026 than ever before. The European Commission has stated, in its visa-suspension-mechanism reporting, that operating a citizenship-by-investment scheme is in itself grounds to suspend visa-free access, applying the same logic the CJEU used against Malta's citizenship scheme. None of the five has lost Schengen access as of mid-2026, but the political signal is explicit. On top of that, ETIAS — the EU's pre-travel authorisation — is expected to go live in late 2026 and will add a screening step before Schengen travel, and the UK's ETA already applies. Neither ends visa-free access, but both add friction and scrutiny. The practical takeaway: the durable value of Caribbean CBI is a lifelong, heritable second citizenship that no one can revoke for non-use, plus program-specific advantages like Grenada's E-2. The visa-free list is the part most exposed to political change, so it should be treated as a benefit that may narrow, not a permanent guarantee — and any sales pitch resting mainly on European travel deserves scepticism.
The honest tradeoffs
- + Direct citizenship — no residency requirement
- + Visa-free travel to 140–150 countries
- + Grenada gives access to the US E-2 investor visa
- + Fast: passport often in 4–6 months
- − All five programs raised minimums to $200k+ in 2024 by regional MoU
- − Enhanced due diligence — Russians, Belarusians, Iranians excluded
- − EU visa-free status under review (UK already requires ETA)
Frequently asked
Do I need to live in the Caribbean?+
Almost no — only Antigua has a real visit requirement.
- •St. Kitts, Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia: zero days.
- •Antigua: 5 days within the first 5 years (a single short trip is enough).
- •Most applicants never visit before taking the oath, which can be done at the local embassy/consulate.
Which Caribbean passport is best?+
Depends on what you actually want it to do.
- •St. Kitts and Nevis: oldest program (1984), strongest brand for banking.
- •Antigua and Barbuda: cheapest for families of 4.
- •Dominica: cheapest single-applicant route.
- •Grenada: only Caribbean CBI with US E-2 treaty access.
- •St. Lucia: government-bond route plus straightforward real-estate option.
Can I keep my current citizenship?+
Yes — all five Caribbean programs allow dual citizenship.
- •No requirement to renounce.
- •But your home country may not allow dual citizenship — check separately (India, China, Norway, Japan all restrict it).
- •Some employers and regulated professions also impose disclosure obligations.
How long does the actual passport take?+
Plan for 4–8 months end to end.
- 01Pre-application due diligence: 2–4 weeks.
- 02File application + government due diligence: 3–5 months.
- 03Approval-in-principle, then payment of contribution.
- 04Oath of allegiance, then passport printing: 4–8 weeks.
- •Add weeks if your file triggers enhanced due diligence.