Antigua and Barbuda

The Antigua and Barbuda Citizenship by Investment Programme grants full citizenship and a passport to investors and their families in exchange for a qualifying contribution or investment, without any requirement to reside in the country beforehand. It is administered by the national Citizenship by Investment Unit (CIU) and, since December 2025, regulated regionally by ECCIRA, and it is one of the most family-friendly routes in the Caribbean because its flagship contribution price does not rise for a family of up to four.

There are four qualifying routes, and the differences between them matter more than the headline figures suggest. The National Development Fund (NDF) is a non-refundable donation of US$230,000 that covers a single applicant, a couple or a family of up to four at the same flat price; a family of five or more pays the same US$230,000 contribution plus a US$10,000 government processing fee per additional dependant from the fifth person onward, so the contribution itself never scales with family size. The University of the West Indies (UWI) Fund route is structurally different: it requires a minimum of six family members, contributed at US$260,000 for that group of six with US$15,000 for each member beyond six, and it is the only route that carries a benefit beyond citizenship, a one-year tuition-only scholarship at UWI for one family member. Approved real estate starts at US$300,000, covers a family of up to four, must be held for at least five years, and is typically a resort residence that can generate rental income through a hotel pool during the holding period before resale to another CBI applicant. Business investment starts at US$1,500,000 for a sole investor or US$5,000,000 jointly, with joint applications requiring at least two investors contributing a minimum of US$400,000 each.

What the total cost actually looks like

The headline contribution or investment is not the full bill. On top of it, government processing fees run US$10,000 for a single applicant or US$20,000 for a family of up to four, plus US$10,000 per additional dependant, payable 10 per cent at submission and the remaining 90 per cent within 30 days of the approval letter. Due-diligence fees are charged per family member aged 12 and over: US$8,500 for the main applicant, US$5,000 for a spouse or benefactor, US$2,000 for a dependant aged 12 to 17, and US$4,000 for a dependant aged 18 or over or a qualifying parent or grandparent aged 55 or over; dependants under 12 carry no due-diligence fee. A mandatory interview, in person or virtual, costs US$1,500 per applicant aged 16 or over. Passport issuance is around US$300 per person. Adding a new dependant after citizenship has already been granted costs US$10,000 for a child aged 0 to 5, US$25,000 for one aged 6 to 17, and US$50,000 for one aged 18 or over, so it is worth including every eligible family member in the original application rather than adding them later.

Timeline and what drives it

The CIU's stated target is 4 to 7 months, but the actual average running through 2026 has been closer to 8.3 months, with the fastest recorded cases completing in 3.4 months. There is currently no officially advertised expedited or priority tier, so the main levers an applicant controls are document readiness and a swift response to due-diligence queries; approval itself remains at the government's discretion. Biometric enrolment, fingerprints and a facial scan, became mandatory as part of the October 2025 reforms alongside the interview requirement.

Residency, the passport, and what it does not give you

Citizenship carries an obligation to spend 30 days in Antigua and Barbuda within the first five years, a rule that took effect in October 2025 and replaced the previous 5-day requirement; only the main applicant needs to meet it, and the days can be spread across multiple visits. The passport itself offers visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to around 154 destinations, including the Schengen Area, China, Hong Kong and Singapore. It does not give visa-free entry to the United States, which still requires a B-1/B-2 visa, or to Canada, which requires an eTA, and since January 2025 the United Kingdom has required a paid electronic travel authorisation rather than genuinely visa-free entry. From late 2026 Schengen access will additionally require ETIAS pre-authorisation, in line with every other visa-exempt nationality.

Family inclusion

A spouse and unmarried children financially dependent on the main applicant, up to the age of 30, can be included on the application, as can parents or grandparents aged 55 or over who are financially dependent on the main applicant; siblings are not eligible as dependants. Applicants from a small number of nationalities are restricted from applying, and Russian and Belarusian nationals have been suspended from the programme since March 2023; none of this reflects any suspension of the Antigua programme itself, which remains fully open and, as an ECCIRA founding member, is subject to stronger regional due-diligence and agent-licensing standards than before.

Tax treatment

Antigua and Barbuda abolished personal income tax entirely in April 2016 and levies no capital gains tax, no inheritance or estate tax, no wealth tax and no exit tax on individuals, with no taxation of worldwide or foreign-source income. The government's revenue base is indirect: a 17 per cent Antigua and Barbuda Sales Tax, property tax on assessed value, and 25 per cent corporate income tax on companies rather than individuals. Antigua and Barbuda is a CRS participant, exchanging financial account information since 2018. This is general information, not tax advice; a Mirabello specialist can confirm how it applies to your specific circumstances.

Where this programme is a poor fit

We would rather say this plainly than have a client discover it later. Processing is genuinely running above its own stated target, currently averaging over eight months with no expedited option, so this is not the route for anyone who needs a fast result. The passport does not open the United States or Canada, and UK entry now requires a paid eTA rather than true visa-free travel, so applicants whose priority is North American or UK access should look elsewhere. The UWI route only makes financial sense for genuinely large families of six or more; smaller families pay for citizenship, not for that scholarship benefit, through the NDF or real estate routes instead. And the 30-day residence obligation, while modest by global standards, is a real requirement that a handful of Caribbean programmes do not impose at all, so it should be planned for rather than overlooked.

Where it fits well is exactly the opposite profile: families of four who want one flat, predictable contribution; larger families of six or more for whom the UWI route is genuinely the most cost-effective Caribbean option available; and investors who value Schengen access, a stable zero-direct-tax base, and a programme now operating under ECCIRA's strengthened regional oversight.