Antigua and Barbuda

Antigua and Barbuda Citizenship by Investment- There a lot of things that makes Antigua and Barbuda to be great places to be at, variety of beaches and to top it off, pleasant and sunny weather throughout the year. You can have a place here, of your own that you can call home, just by simply applying to the Antigua and Barbuda Citizenship by Investment programme. This program was established in the year 2013 and under this you’ll be granted a citizenship but you’ll have to make a monetary contribution to this heavenly Caribbean country.

Benefits that come with Antigua and Barbuda citizenship- The Antigua and Barbuda citizenship by investment programme has a lot to offer, and some of those things are listed below:

Citizenship for life

Having an Antigua and Barbuda citizenship will enable you to live and work in the country to earn your living freely without any restrictions, on top of that you’ll have all the basic community privileges like right to vote, right to hold an Antigua and Barbuda passport and free healthcare services too.

Privilege to have dual citizenship

In many different countries there are restrictions when it comes to dual citizenship and you have to relinquish your original nationality to become their rightful citizen. Here at Antigua and Barbuda you can have dual citizenship implying that you can become an Antigua and Barbuda citizen without having to relinquish your original nationality.

Ability to pass on citizenship

As citizen of Antigua and Barbuda, you’ll have an additional privilege that will allow you to pass your citizenship rights on to future generations of yours. This will give them the same benefits that you were able to enjoying, making sure their future is safe and sound.

Visa-free travel to over 150 countries and territories

An Antigua and Barbuda passport enables the holder to travel visa-free to over 150 countries all around the world. Some of the major countries comes under those 150 countries, for example UK, Singapore, Germany etc.

Investment Options-

There are a total of four options available through with citizenship by investment is available in Antigua and Barbuda. It should be noted that the due diligence and government processing charges applicable to all of the four available options.

THE NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT FUND

Many different government developmental projects, public-private corporations, and other than these, some other charitable investments that are done in Antigua and Barbuda are financed by the Non-Profit national development Fund. So, the people who are applying for the citizenship here are supposed to contribute a fixed amount, which varies according to the number of dependants.

REAL ESTATE

After obtaining a recommendation from the Antigua and Barbuda Investment Authority (ABIA) qualifying real estate plans must be permitted by The Cabinet. The investment can be done individually or in a partnership, and the applicant must hold onto the real estate investment for a minimum of 5 years.

Minimum Investment            –            USD 200,000

BUSINESS INVESTMENT

An investment can also be done in a business that has already been approved by The Cabinet of Antigua and Barbuda, there is an option to invest individually or along with a partner.

Independent investment- USD 1,500,000

Joint investment-USD 400,000 (with a total investment of USD 5,000,000)

UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES FUND

The institute’s fourth landed campus in Antigua and Barbuda is financed by the University of the West Indies Fund. Families that have a minimum of 6 members are able to avail this, and it also enables one member of the family to enjoy the privilege of a year of tuition-only scholarship at the university.

Family of six members:      USD 150,000 (including government processing fees for a family of six)

Processing fees

All the Antigua and Barbuda citizenship by investment options involves the following processing fees:

Family of 4 or less-                     USD 30,000

Any additional dependent-       USD 15,000

Antigua and Barbuda Passport-

What are the benefits of an Antigua and Barbuda passport?

Passports that are issued by the authorities of Antigua and Barbuda to its citizens for international travels are CARICOM passports. In order to ensure high level of safety and security, along with that to ensure hassle-free cross-border procedures proper biometric documents are made. Antigua and Barbuda passport holders enjoy the privileges of visa-on-arrival to around 150 territories and countries across all world continents.

How long are Antigua and Barbuda passports valid for?

When the passport of Antigua and Barbuda is issued to the name of a citizen for the first time it stays valid for 5 years. This is done to keep in check that the economic citizen has fulfilled some of the basic requirements like, the travel requirement to complete the oath of allegiance and the five-day residence condition.

The validity time period of the renewed passport depends on the age of the applicant, whether the person is 16 or older than 16. The validity increases to 10 years if the person is 16 or over and, in any case, if the person is aged less than 16, then the validity remains 5 years.

What is the Antigua and Barbuda passport application process?

The application process for an Antigua and Barbuda’s passport is a completely different process from that of a citizenship by investment process. The authorities require to be presented with various documents that are essential for the process, the requirement of the documents varies according to the type of application, whether it is a first-time application, first time renewal or a later renewal. a certified copy of the applicant’s Certificate of Registration remains constant throughout all the cases. This certificate is a document that the economic citizen receives at the end of the citizenship by investment process.

Each time a person wants to renew their Antigua and Barbuda passport, they must present their old passport for ex: in case of renewal of their expired passport.

One must send a proper request to the Citizenship by Investment Unit through his or her Licensed Agent in order to initiate their first-time renewal of their passport. After that all the renewal applications can directly submitted to the passport office. On the other hand, submissions can be made at an Antigua and Barbuda High Commission, Embassy, or Consulate.

The Antigua and Barbuda Citizenship by Investment Application Process

There are a few steps involved in the process of applying for the Antigua and Barbuda’s citizenship by investment:

1: Application and ensuring fulfilment of all the necessary documents

Making it sure that all the necessary requirements are met and the application is complete, to increase the chances to the maximum for the application to get accepted.

2: Submission of citizenship application

After thoroughly going through the application and ensuring that every requirement is met, it’ll be sent to the Antigua and Barbuda’s Citizenship by Investment Unit (CIU).

3: Government processing and due diligence checks

Your application will be overviewed by the Government of Antigua and Barbuda and they will further perform due diligence checks, this will include checking for criminal records, if the applicant had any and evaluating if the applicant has the required ability to provide funds.

4: Approval in principle.

After the successful approval of your application in principle, you’ll receive a letter informing you that the CIU has granted your request for the citizenship.

5: Make the necessary investment

After all the steps mentioned on top are done, you’ll be required to submit all the necessary documents, pay the required fees and make the investments that are necessary.

6: Citizenship certificate issued.

After the successful completion of all the steps mentions above, you’ll finally receive the certificate of citizenship, and you’ll finally become an official citizen of Antigua and Barbuda.

7: Passport application.

Using that certificate, you’ll be able to apply for the passport of Antigua and Barbuda, and enjoy the privileges that comes along with the passport, and get visa-on-arrival to almost 150 countries and territories.