Please note that you cannot become a citizen of St Lucia by investing into Government bonds if you have a criminal past.
We are happy to share some good news with you! The St Lucian authorities have extended the 50% discount program for one more year. You can acquire citizenship of the country at half the price until December 31, 2021. This is a perfect chance to build a safety net for yourself and your loved ones. Do not miss it!
The countries that run citizenship-by-investment programs are starting to experience the consequences of the Covid-19 crisis and these consequences are… positive! Wealthy individuals from various countries of the world feel uneasy about what is going on and they are worried about their future. For this reason, they are starting to actively invest into second passports seeking to hedge the risks.
The demand for citizenship of St Lucia is growing due to the crisis and the discount program
The current trend is expected to continue and St Lucia, among other states, is benefiting from it. The local authorities have decided to push the demand for St Lucian passports by making an interesting offer to foreign investors. One of the routes that leads to citizenship of St Lucia is a returnable investment into Government bonds. The bonds pay no interest but there is a guarantee that you can sell them back after a few years (see below). Before the pandemic broke out, the required investment amount was US$ 500,000. Now this amount has been lowered to US$ 250,000. The St Lucian authorities have received evidence that the discount program is boosting the demand for St Lucian passports and thus they have resolved to extend the program for one extra year.
According to the official statistics, between April and September of 2020, the number of foreign applicants for citizenship of St Lucia increased if calculated on a year-to-year basis. Between April 1 and September 30, 154 applications for citizenship of St Lucia were filed in total.
FREE EXPERT CONSULTATION
on economic citizenship programs,
how to choose a jurisdiction
and get a foreign passport.
on economic citizenship programs, how to choose a jurisdiction and get a foreign passport.
Because the ‘corona bond’ initiative has proved successful and because the Covid-19 crisis did not end with the beginning of 2021, the Government of St Lucia thought it would be a good idea to extend the discount program. This said, however, the program has been extended only until the end of the current year so you do not have very much time to make a truly lucrative investment. Please follow this link to find out about the details of applying for citizenship of St Lucia by investment.
St Lucian sovereign credit ratings
Before you apply for citizenship of St Lucia in exchange for investment into Government bonds at a 50% discount, you have to learn about the economic situation in the country and assess the risks involved in acquiring the St Lucian passport. The table below provides the figures for the period between March 2019 and March 2020.
| March 2019 | June 2019 | September 2019 | December 2019 | March 2020 | Change on quarter-to-quarter basis, % | Change on year-to-year basis, % | |
| Total Government debt (in East Caribbean dollars, EC$) | 3 354.60 | 3 303.20 | 3 353.73 | 3 417.58 | 3 383.47 | -1.00 | 0.86 |
| External debt | 1 643.70 | 1 626.67 | 1 647.84 | 1 689.65 | 1 664.96 | -1.46 | 1.29 |
| Domestic debt | 1 710.90 | 1 676.53 | 1 705.89 | 1 727.93 | 1 718.52 | -0.54 | 0.45 |
| Central Government debt (EC$) | 3 160.80 | 3 105.73 | 3 169.78 | 3 224.73 | 3 190.65 | -1.06 | 0.94 |
| External debt | 1 607.87 | 1 588.49 | 1 612.04 | 1 640.52 | 1 615.84 | -1.50 | 0.50 |
| Domestic debt | 1 552.92 | 1 517.24 | 1 557.74 | 1 584.22 | 1 574.81 | -0.59 | 1.41 |
| Contingent liabilities (EC$) | 193.83 | 197.47 | 182.10 | 192.82 | 192.82 | 0.00 | -0.52 |
| External debt | 35.86 | 38.18 | 37.82 | 49.12 | 49.12 | 0.00 | 36.96 |
| Domestic debt | 157.97 | 159.29 | 144.28 | 143.70 | 143.70 | 0.00 | -9.03 |
| External debt by different instruments (EC$) | |||||||
| Loans | 648.42 | 646.16 | 671.72 | 704.97 | 695.98 | -1.27 | 7.34 |
| Bonds | 740.39 | 739.35 | 740.80 | 733.15 | 723.60 | -1.30 | -2.27 |
| Treasury bills | 219.06 | 202.98 | 199.52 | 202.40 | 196.26 | -3.04 | -10.41 |
| Domestic debt by different instruments (EC$) | |||||||
| Loans | 243.06 | 234.31 | 229.44 | 220.25 | 220.25 | 0.00 | -9.38 |
| Bonds | 1 233.35 | 1 212.70 | 1 208.35 | 1 222.58 | 1 204.29 | -1.50 | -2.36 |
| Treasury bills | 76.51 | 70.24 | 119.94 | 141.38 | 150.26 | 6.28 | 96.40 |
| Foreign currency risk (%) | |||||||
| % of debt in local currency (EC$) | 60.31 | 59.99 | 59.90 | 59.77 | 60.30 | 0.88 | -0.03 |
| % of debt in USD | 31.88 | 32.16 | 32.53 | 32.81 | 32.25 | -1.70 | 1.17 |
| % of debt in EUR | 0.27 | 0.24 | 0.23 | 0.20 | 0.20 | 0.93 | -25.74 |
| % of debt in KWD | 0.58 | 0.55 | 0.54 | 0.48 | 0.49 | 01.01 | -15.94 |
| % of debt in in SDR | 6.96 | 07.07 | 6.80 | 6.74 | 6.76 | 0.38 | -2.79 |
| Total debt service (EC$) | |||||||
| External | 193.80 | 140.80 | 175.70 | 135.10 | 138.50 | 2.52 | -28.53 |
| Domestic | 133.17 | 87.30 | 149.70 | 120.80 | 131.20 | 8.61 | -1.48 |
| Interest | 44.07 | 35.20 | 45.40 | 36.50 | 43.50 | 19.18 | -1.29 |
| Principal | 282.90 | 192.90 | 280.00 | 219.40 | 226.20 | 3.10 | -20.04 |
| Interest rate structure (%) | |||||||
| Fixed rate | 95.68 | 93.77 | 92.89 | 92.11 | 92.80 | 0.75 | -3.01 |
| Variable rate | 3.77 | 5.68 | 6.70 | 7.62 | 6.92 | -9.19 | 83.55 |
| No interest | 0.55 | 0.56 | 0.42 | 0.28 | 0.28 | -0.03 | -49.09 |
| Risk indicators | |||||||
| ATM (years) | 4.87 | 4.95 | 5.13 | 5.13 | 4.81 | -6.29 | -1.23 |
| Maturing in one year (%) | 23.90 | 22.98 | 18.52 | 18.24 | 28.94 | 58.66 | 21.09 |
| ATR (years) | 4.38 | 4.49 | 04.08 | 5.13 | 4.81 | -6.15 | 9.82 |
| WACD (%) | 5.30 | 5.26 | 5.21 | 5.16 | 5.16 | 0.00 | -2.64 |
The table above gives a general understanding of the economic situation in St Lucia. Please consult InternationalWealth experts on details and perspectives of obtaining citizenship of St Lucia.
Citizenship of St Lucia by investment into ‘corona bonds’: the available options
The Government of St Lucia issues zero-interest bonds with three different maturity dates. You can choose one of the following options:
- 5-year bonds;
- 6- year bonds;
- 7- year bonds;
The guarantor of the bonds is the Government of St Lucia. The required investment amount and the holding period depends on the type of application for citizenship (individual or family application).
The issuance of the bonds is regulated by the relevant legislation. The money generated by the sale of the bonds goes to a Consolidated Fund.
- Bond issuer: Ministry of Finance and Development on behalf of the Government of Saint Lucia.
- The purpose of bond issuance: 2020/2021 state debt refinancing.
- Bond currency: USD, unless indicated otherwise.
- Bond face value: 250,000 / 300,000 US dollars.
- Bond interest rate: zero.
- Date of first emission: May 12, 2020.
- Bond maturity dates: 2025 (5-year bond), 2026 (6- year bond), 2027 (7- year bond). The ultimate maturity date will depend on the date when the bonds are purchased.
The procedure of the bond redemption is as follows:
The new citizen of St Lucia who holds the bond can redeem it after the holding period is over. He or she can also authorize a representative in St Lucia to do so.
If the services of an authorized representative are used, the representative shall hold a notarized Power of Attorney.
The bond Certificate shall be submitted to the Accountant General’s department in St Lucia.
The bond holder shall supply the bank account details to the Government agency that will be transferring the money.
Who buys citizenship of St Lucia: the geography of the applicants
The investment immigration industry experts clearly see that wealthy people in all countries of the world are concerned about what is going on around them. They seek to diversify their assets and hedge the risks by use of various methods. And obtaining a second passport is one of the most effective such efforts. St Lucia stands out against the background of other countries offering citizenship by investment as it makes some really attractive offers.
Some of you may be surprised to hear that, dear readers, but even citizens of the USA are starting to actively look to other countries where they can find a new home. The socio-political situation in the country causes a lot of concern on the part of all Americans and the fact that Americans are taxed regardless of where they obtain incomes – at home or abroad – makes many of them uneasy too.
Some other economic immigrants choose to acquire citizenship of St Lucia for ecological reasons. They fear that in a couple dozen years their present habitat can turn into a desert or go under the water. There are certainly many factors that can drive people away from home and to St Lucia.
So, who buys citizenship of St Lucia what countries do these people come from? According to the official statistics published in December last year, during the 2019-2020 financial year, the total of 143 applications for citizenship of St Lucia were approved. As some of them are family applications, the country has acquired 188 new citizens.
For the third year in a row, Chinese applicants for citizenship of St Lucia outnumber applicants from all other countries. The table below shows where the new St Lucian citizens came from in the 2019-2020 financial year.
(Please bear in mind that the financial year starts on April 1 in St Lucia. So the statistics below does not fully reflect the effect of the crisis on the number of applications for citizenship of St Lucia. We will have to wait until the statistics for the current financial year is published to be able to judge about it.)
| Country | Number of people who have acquired citizenship of St Lucia |
| China | 70 |
| Russia | 23 |
| Nigeria | 15 |
| Turkey | 10 |
| Pakistan | 9 |
| Lebanon | 8 |
| Iraq | 4 |
| Syria | 4 |
| United Arab Emirates | 4 |
| Philippines | 4 |
| USA | 3 |
| India | 3 |
| Malaysia | 3 |
| Indonesia | 3 |
| Great Britain | 3 |
| Algeria | 2 |
| North Korea | 2 |
| South Korea | 2 |
| Qatar | 2 |
| Vietnam | 2 |
| Australia | 1 |
| Butane | 1 |
| Colombia | 1 |
| France | 1 |
| Jamaica | 1 |
| Yemen | 1 |
| Turkmenistan | 1 |
| Serbia | 1 |
| South Africa | 1 |
| Libya | 1 |
| Palestine | 1 |
| Saudi Arabia | 1 |
The St Lucian citizenship-by-investment program was launched in 2016. The total number of foreign nationals who have acquired citizenship of the country since that time is 813. This data are available in the library of St Lucian Parliament located in the capital city of Castries.
Apply for a free consultation on acquiring citizenship of St Lucia at a discount
The demand for citizenship of St Lucia by investment into ‘corona bonds’ is growing. If you procrastinate, you may have to queue for the St Lucian passport! If you would like to build a safety net on attractive conditions, the time to act is now.
You are welcome to apply for our consultations as InternationalWealth experts in investment immigration know all the ins and outs that the process of acquiring citizenship of St Lucia has. We will gladly share our experience with you and provide complex legal support in the matter.
Please contact us by any means you prefer (email, WhatsApp or live chat) without too much delay. We always respond quickly!
Why should I hurry to acquire citizenship of St Lucia?
Having a ‘Plan B’ becomes especially important in the times of crises. Many experts predict that wealthier individuals are going to face heavier fiscal burdens in the near future as the governments need money to offset the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic. Besides, the Government of St Lucia is making some very attractive offers to foreign nationals wishing to obtain citizenship of the country.
Has the discount program put citizenship of St Lucia in higher demand?
According to the Government officials, the discount on the required amount of investment into Government bonds has made citizenship of St Lucia a more popular product. For this reason, the authorities of the country have resolved to extend the discount program for one more year.
How does the current global crisis affect the St Lucian citizenship-by-investment program?
The latest figures show that the popularity of the program is growing in the hard times. Investment immigration industry experts say that the growth of demand for second passports that we are witnessing at the moment is comparable to the growth of demand that occurred in 2008-2009 when a global financial crisis shook the economies of many leading countries.
