CBI Passport Renewal 2026: Fees, Timelines and Biometrics for the Five Caribbean Programmes and Vanuatu

CBI passport renewal in 2026 is a routine consular procedure for citizens of St Kitts and Nevis, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St Lucia and Vanuatu: your citizenship is permanent and only the travel document expires. Government fees start at EC$150 for an adult Dominica passport, and St Kitts and Nevis requires biometric enrolment by 31 July 2027.

This guide from Mirabello Consultancy covers fees, timelines, biometrics, expired and lost passports, and renewing from abroad. Every figure was checked against the Mirabello Immigration Intelligence data backbone and the official government or consular source in October 2026; where the two did not agree, we left the figure out.

What is a CBI passport renewal?

A CBI passport renewal is the reissue of the travel document held by someone who became a citizen through a Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programme. A renewal does not reopen your citizenship, repeat due diligence on your original investment or require a new contribution: you apply for a fresh passport through the passport authority or a consular mission, like any other citizen.

The distinction matters because many holders assume that an expired passport means lost citizenship. It does not. Citizenship granted under the St Kitts and Nevis Citizenship by Investment Programme, the Antigua and Barbuda Citizenship by Investment Programme, the Dominica Citizenship by Investment Programme, the Grenada Citizenship by Investment Programme, the St Lucia Citizenship by Investment Programme and the Vanuatu Development Support Programme is held for life, subject only to the revocation grounds in each country's citizenship law. The passport is simply the document that proves it at a border.

CBI citizens are treated differently in a few places: St Kitts and Nevis charges citizens by investment a separate London fee and runs mandatory biometric enrolment, and Antigua and Barbuda checks its five-day presence condition.

The six programmes in brief

• What is St Kitts and Nevis CBI? The oldest citizenship by investment programme in the world, run by the Citizenship by Investment Unit (CIU) in Basseterre, now combined with a national biometric passport programme.
• What is Antigua and Barbuda CBI? A family-friendly programme whose citizens must spend five days in the country within the first five years, a condition checked when they renew.
• What is Dominica CBI? A long-established programme run by the Citizenship by Investment Unit in Roseau, with the lowest government passport fees of the six.
• What is Grenada CBI? The only Caribbean programme whose citizens can access the US E-2 Treaty Investor visa, which makes a valid Grenadian passport particularly important.
• What is St Lucia CBI? A programme whose passports moved from five to ten years' validity for adults on 5 August 2025.
• What is Vanuatu CBI? A Pacific programme outside the Eastern Caribbean framework; renewal requires in-person biometric capture.

For a side-by-side view of the programmes themselves (investment routes, family rules and mobility), see our comparison of all five Caribbean citizenship by investment programmes and the citizenship by investment programmes hub.

How much does CBI passport renewal cost in 2026?

CBI passport renewal costs between EC$150 (Dominica, adult, in-country) and GBP 277 (Grenada, adult, via the London High Commission) in government fees, depending on the country and where you apply. St Kitts and Nevis citizens by investment pay GBP 200 in London, and their separate biometric enrolment costs USD 2,500 for the main adult.

Two practical points explain most of the confusion in older articles. First, Eastern Caribbean governments set domestic fees in East Caribbean dollars (EC$, pegged at roughly 2.70 to the US dollar), and several websites have printed EC$ figures as if they were US dollars, roughly tripling them. Second, consulates and high commissions charge their own schedules in local currency, which are higher than the domestic fee. Always compare like with like: the fee at the office where you will actually lodge the application.

On top of the government fee, budget for document certification, courier costs and, if you use one, a professional service fee. For St Kitts and Nevis citizens by investment, the biometric enrolment fee is a separate and larger line item, explained below. Our country pages carry the detail for each: St Kitts and Nevis passport renewal, Antigua and Barbuda passport renewal, Dominica passport renewal, Grenada passport renewal, St Lucia passport renewal and Vanuatu passport renewal.

Which CBI passport is the lowest-cost to renew?

Dominica is the lowest-cost CBI passport to renew, with an official government fee of EC$150 for an adult and EC$75 for a child under 16 at the Passport Office in Roseau. St Kitts and Nevis is the most expensive in 2026, because every citizen by investment must also complete biometric enrolment at USD 2,500 for the main adult.

The fee matters most for large families, where each person pays separately. A family of four renewing Dominican passports in Roseau pays EC$450 in government fees (two adults at EC$150 and two children at EC$75), before courier and service costs.

How long does CBI passport renewal take?

CBI passport renewal typically takes from about two weeks to several weeks, depending on the country and the office handling the application. Dominica's normal processing time is two weeks in Roseau, St Lucia's in-country standard is 15 working days, and Vanuatu's normal service takes up to 21 days, with an urgent service of up to 3 days.

Consular applications usually take longer than in-country ones, because the file is sent to the capital for printing. For St Kitts and Nevis, Antigua and Barbuda and Grenada we have not published a single processing time, because the official channels and our data backbone did not give matching figures; ask the mission you will use for its current turnaround.

Two faster options exist where the official source confirms them. Dominica can process a passport within two to three working days in an emergency, and Vanuatu offers an express service at VT 20,000 and an urgent service at VT 25,000. The safest approach for everyone else is simple: start the renewal at least six months before expiry, because many countries refuse entry on a passport with less than six months' validity left.

Do I need to travel to the Caribbean to renew my CBI passport?

No Caribbean CBI citizen needs to travel to the Caribbean to renew a passport in 2026: St Kitts and Nevis, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada and St Lucia all accept renewals through embassies, high commissions, consulates or authorised agents. Vanuatu is the exception to fully remote renewal, because fingerprints, photograph and signature must be captured in person.

Remote renewal has limits worth knowing. St Kitts and Nevis biometric enrolment is in person, although it can be done at overseas centres. Antigua and Barbuda does not require a new visit to renew, but you must already have completed its five-day presence condition. Vanuatu biometrics can be captured at collection points outside Vanuatu, so you do not need to fly to Port Vila, but you do need to attend in person.

What are the St Kitts and Nevis biometric enrolment rules in 2026?

St Kitts and Nevis launched mandatory biometric enrolment on 14 April 2026 for every citizen who obtained citizenship through its CBI programme, including dependants and children. The deadline is 31 July 2027. Fees are USD 2,500 for the main adult, USD 2,000 for a second adult and USD 1,300 per child under 16, covering enrolment and the passport upgrade.

The Citizenship by Investment Unit sets out the practical rules on its official biometrics page:

• Consequence: after 31 July 2027 only biometric-enabled passports will be accepted for travel. Citizenship is unaffected, but you cannot travel on a St Kitts and Nevis passport until you have enrolled.
• Early enrolment reduction: government fees are 10% lower for new appointments booked and completed between 20 July and 31 December 2026, so the main adult fee falls from USD 2,500 to USD 2,250 in that window.
• Authorised Agent: every citizen must appoint an Authorised Agent, and enrolment is booked through the official government platform.
• Where: enrolment centres operate in St Kitts, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong, Singapore, Istanbul, London, Ottawa, Toronto, Washington D.C., Lagos, Jeddah and Iraq, with further locations to follow. A private VIP service in London carries an extra USD 500 fee.
• Your passport: you present it at the appointment for identification only; it is not surrendered. From 1 September 2026, citizens who enrol move directly into passport production.
• Later renewals: biometric data is captured once for the lifetime of the document, with no separate biometric fee at renewal.

For a family of four (two adults and two children under 16), the standard biometric fees come to USD 7,100, or USD 6,390 with the 10% early enrolment reduction if every appointment is booked and completed by 31 December 2026. The standard passport renewal process continues alongside the programme in the interim, but most families will find it sensible to combine renewal and enrolment into a single step before the deadline.

Do the other Caribbean programmes require biometrics for renewal?

Outside St Kitts and Nevis, no Caribbean CBI programme runs a separate mandatory biometric enrolment programme for renewals in 2026. Grenada and St Lucia already issue biometric e-passports through their normal process, and Dominica and Antigua and Barbuda renew through their standard passport procedures without a separate enrolment fee.

Regional mandatory biometrics are part of the reform package proposed for the Eastern Caribbean Citizenship by Investment Regulatory Authority (ECCIRA), which is not yet in force; see the next section. Vanuatu, which is not part of that framework, already requires in-person biometric capture as part of every passport application.

How does ECCIRA affect CBI passport renewal?

ECCIRA does not affect CBI passport renewal today. The Eastern Caribbean Citizenship by Investment Regulatory Authority was created by an agreement signed in September 2025, established in December 2025 with its office in Grenada, and is not yet operating. The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank expects it to begin operating later in 2026; no start date has been announced.

The measures most often attached to ECCIRA are proposals, not law: a 30-day physical presence requirement within the first five years (with at least five days in the first year), an initial five-year passport upgraded to ten years, and mandatory regional biometrics. None of these applies to your renewal now, and the date originally targeted, April 2026, has passed without implementation. The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank is the most reliable public source on its progress.

What is in force are national rules: Antigua and Barbuda's five days within the first five years, and the St Kitts and Nevis biometric enrolment described above. Grenada, Dominica and St Lucia have no presence requirement. For the full regulatory picture, read ECCIRA explained and our country-by-country guide to Caribbean CBI rules in force in 2026.

What is the Antigua and Barbuda five-day rule at renewal?

Antigua and Barbuda requires citizens by investment to spend a total of five days in the country within the first five years after obtaining citizenship, and compliance is checked when they renew. The rule is in force today. A bill proposing 30 days was tabled in July 2026 but is not law, so the five-day condition remains the one that applies.

Keep the evidence of your visit: entry and exit stamps, boarding passes and hotel records. If you have not yet completed the five days, plan the trip well before your first renewal. Once the condition is met, the renewal itself can be lodged remotely through a mission abroad or a licensed agent. The Antigua and Barbuda High Commission in London charges GBP 50 for an adult renewal and GBP 25 for a child under 16.

How do passport validity periods compare in 2026?

Passport validity for CBI citizens varies by country and has changed recently. St Lucia moved adult passports from five to ten years' validity on 5 August 2025 with no fee increase, and Grenada issues ten-year passports to adults aged 18 and over and five-year passports to children, under its fee schedule effective 1 July 2024.

For St Kitts and Nevis, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica and Vanuatu, check the expiry date printed in your own passport rather than relying on a general rule. Antigua and Barbuda's Department of Immigration issues ten-year adult passports to citizens in general, but documents issued to citizens by investment have historically carried different terms, and our data backbone and the official sources did not give a single matching answer. Children's passports across the region are generally shorter-dated than adults', which is why families renew more often than individuals.

What documents do I need to renew a CBI passport?

Most CBI passport renewals need a completed application form, recent passport photographs to the country's specification, your current or expired passport, and proof of citizenship such as your certificate of registration or naturalisation. Add a birth certificate where requested, and a marriage certificate, deed poll or court order if your name has changed.

Antigua and Barbuda applicants should add evidence of the five-day visit. A typical checklist:

1. Completed and signed renewal form for the specific country.
2. Passport photographs meeting that country's size and background rules.
3. Current or expired passport.
4. Certificate of citizenship, registration or naturalisation.
5. Birth certificate (with certified English translation if needed).
6. Name change documents, where relevant, certified and legalised as required.
7. For children: both parents' consent and, where asked, a recommender's signature.

How do I renew a CBI passport with a name change?

A name change is handled at renewal by submitting the legal evidence of the new name alongside your application, usually a marriage certificate, a decree absolute for reverting to a maiden name, a deed poll or a court order. Foreign-language documents need a certified English translation, and most authorities expect certified or apostilled copies.

Keep the name on your residence permits, bank accounts and tax records consistent with the new passport.

What happens if my CBI passport has expired?

An expired CBI passport can be renewed in the normal way in all six countries; expiry does not cancel your citizenship or create a penalty for late renewal in the standard procedures we have reviewed. You submit the expired passport with your application and follow the same steps as a routine renewal.

The practical risk of an expired passport is travel, not status. You cannot use it to cross a border, and you may need another nationality's passport to travel to the office where you apply. For St Kitts and Nevis citizens, note that after 31 July 2027 a non-biometric passport will not be accepted for travel even if its printed expiry date has not passed.

What should I do if my CBI passport is lost or stolen?

If a CBI passport is lost or stolen, report it to the local police immediately, obtain a written police report, and notify the nearest embassy or high commission of your country of citizenship. You then apply for a replacement with a sworn affidavit or written statement of the circumstances, and pay a replacement fee higher than the renewal fee.

Replacement fees confirmed by official sources include EC$500 for Dominica in Roseau, and GBP 100 for an adult and GBP 50 for a child at the Antigua and Barbuda High Commission in London. Replacements take longer than routine renewals because the authorities verify that the lost document has been cancelled. If you need to travel urgently, ask the mission about an emergency travel document while the replacement is processed.

How do I renew a Caribbean CBI passport from the UK, the UAE or India?

Caribbean CBI citizens living abroad renew through their country's nearest embassy, high commission or consulate, or through an authorised agent who lodges the file with the passport office. London hosts high commissions for all five Caribbean CBI countries, and St Kitts and Nevis also enrols biometrics in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong and Singapore.

• From the UK: St Kitts and Nevis, Antigua and Barbuda and Grenada all publish their London fees, shown in the table above. If you will travel to the UK on your Caribbean passport, remember that Dominica and St Lucia passport holders need a UK visit visa (since 19 July 2023 and 5 March 2026 respectively), as do Vanuatu passport holders (since 19 July 2023); St Kitts and Nevis, Antigua and Barbuda and Grenada citizens visit visa-free with an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA).
• From the UAE and the Gulf: St Kitts and Nevis biometric enrolment is available in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Jeddah, and Vanuatu biometrics can be captured in Dubai. For the other countries, files are usually lodged through an authorised agent and couriered to the capital.
• From India and South Asia: diplomatic coverage is thinner, so renewals usually run through an agent or a mission in a third country. Allow extra time for courier transit and for any document legalisation.

How does Vanuatu passport renewal differ from the Caribbean?

Vanuatu passport renewal differs from the Caribbean in two ways: biometrics must be captured in person for every application, and Vanuatu is not part of the Eastern Caribbean ECCIRA framework. The Department of Immigration and Passport Services charges VT 10,000 for normal processing of up to 21 days and VT 25,000 for urgent processing of up to 3 days.

Child passports carry lower, age-based fees, published on the Department of Immigration and Passport Services fee schedule. Biometric collection points outside Vanuatu, including Hong Kong and Dubai, allow overseas citizens to renew without travelling to Port Vila. When weighing whether to keep renewing, consider mobility too: Vanuatu passport holders now need a visa for the Schengen Area, following the EU's suspension of its visa waiver, and for the UK.

For a wider view of how the programmes compare on cost and speed, see our guides to the most cost-effective and fastest second passports in 2026 and the best citizenship by investment programmes of 2026, ranked.

Should I use an agent or renew my CBI passport myself?

Renewing your CBI passport yourself is practical when you live near your country's embassy, have a simple single-person file and no deadlines. An agent is worth the fee for families, for St Kitts and Nevis biometric enrolment (where an Authorised Agent is mandatory), for lost or stolen passports, name changes, and for citizens living far from any mission.

Check that any agent is authorised by the relevant government unit and issues official receipts. A good adviser also keeps a renewal calendar for the whole family, because children's passports and adults' passports rarely expire in the same year.

Mirabello Consultancy handles renewals for all six programmes from Zurich, Dubai and Hong Kong SAR, in 11 languages.

How do I plan family CBI passport renewals?

Family CBI passport renewals are planned person by person, because every family member, including each child, submits an individual application and pays an individual fee; none of the six countries offers a family rate on ordinary renewals. St Kitts and Nevis biometric enrolment is the exception, with a tiered fee for a second adult.

Build a simple table of every family member, their passport expiry date and their next action. Children's passports are usually valid for five years, so a family with two children can face renewals in three different years. Children turning 16 or 18 move to adult fees and, in Grenada and St Lucia, to ten-year adult passports.