seeking to acquire
citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda
A foreign national above 18 years of age is eligible to apply for citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda. The applicant shall possess sufficient funds, have a clean criminal record, and be in good health. The main applicant can add his or her relatives to the application for Antiguan citizenship including the spouse, children of up to 28 years of age, and parents of over 58 years of age. If children between 18 and 28 are included in the family application, they have to be full-time university students and be financially dependent on the main applicant.
Citizens of the following countries are not eligible to apply for citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda: Afghanistan, Iran, North Korea, Somalia, Yemen, and Sudan. If the person was born in one of these countries but emigrated to Canada, Great Britain, the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, or the UAE before coming of age, they are eligible to apply. If the person born in a ‘black list country’ has been living in one of the ‘white list’ countries for over 10 years and if they have no economic ties with their country of birth, they are eligible to apply.
The candidate for Antiguan citizenship has to choose one of the four available investment options. The first option is to make a non-returnable donation to the National Development Fund (NDF). The second option is to make a donation to the University of West Indies Fund (UWIF).
The NDF is used to finance the local health care and education systems, build new roads, and implement other project of social significance. The UWEF is used to finance the construction of a new campus of the University of West Indies on the island of Antigua. The donation to the UWEF entitles one applicant family member to attend the University free of charge for one year.
Besides, the Antiguan passport can be acquired in exchange for a five-year returnable investment in real property in the country or in a business venture there. The investment can be made only in Government-approved development project and business ventures. If you choose to invest in real estate, you will be entitled to let your property on a lease right after purchasing it. Please see the table below for the required donation/ investment amounts depending on the preferred option.
* The fee of US$ 30,000 covers the processing of the application from a family of up to six members. For each extra family member an additional US$ 15,000 is due.
** This offer holds only in case a joint investment is made with at least two applicants for citizenship investing US$ 200,000 each. If an individual investment is made, the minimum required amount is US$ 400,000.
*** The minimum amount is applicable if at least two people make a joint investment, each of them investing at least US$ 400,000 while the total investment amount comes to at least US$ 5,000,000. If an individual investment into business is made, the required amount is US$ 1,500,000.
**** Ten percent of the application processing fee is payable at the moment of application documents submission. This sum is non-returnable even if the application for Antiguan citizenship has been rejected.
***** If the number of the applicant family members exceeds five, an additional application fee is due for every extra family member.
The candidate for citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda also has to use the services of a licensed immigration agent who will help prepare the application documents, make the required payments, and meet all the obligations. The agent will support the client throughout the application process. The local legislation does not allow filing the application documents directly to the country’s authorities but only via an immigration agent.
Besides, during the first five years, the citizenship is not passed on to the main applicant’s children automatically. The following additional payments are due:
• Dependent children of 0 to 5 years of age – US$ 25,000;
• Dependent children of 6 to 17 years of age – US$ 75,000;