St. Kitts and Nevis Economic Citizenship Programme (Citizenship-by-Investment)
Fidesco Trust Corporation is authorised, since 1997, under the Financial Services (Regulations) Order of the Federation of Saint Christopher (St. Kitts) and Nevis to carry on unrestricted trust business and citizenship registration services.
Foreign individuals may obtain citizenship under sub-section (5) of Section 3 of the Saint Christopher and Nevis Citizenship Act, 1984 (No.1 of 1984), of the Federation of St. Christopher (St. Kitts) and Nevis (“Federation”) which stipulates that a person is entitled, upon making application to the Minister in the prescribed manner and upon payment of any fee that may be prescribed, to be registered as a citizen of the Federation without any rights of voting save under and in accordance with the provisions of any law governing the qualification of voters, if Cabinet is satisfied that such person has invested substantially in the Federation.
The investment requirement of the Government of the Federation (“Government”) may be satisfied in any of the following ways:
Real-Estate Option
The minimum real estate investment requirement is currently 400,000 dollars of the United States of America (“USD”) or its equivalent in dollars of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (“XCD”) in an approved real estate project.
Funds to pay for the required investment and all Government fees mentioned below must be paid to us by the applicant before the date on which the application is submitted to Government. These funds will be held on our Escrow Account with our bank in St. Kitts. We will only disburse funds to pay for the purchase of the investment and the registration fees mentioned below in the case of a successful application. If the application is not accepted by Government, then all funds in escrow will be returned to the applicant except for the application processing fees mentioned below.
Payment to Government of the following application processing fees:
- USD 250 per Citizenship Application Form.
This fee is non-refundable and if more than one person applies, either as a couple or as a family, one form for each person (including children) is to be completed and submitted to Government.
- USD 7,500 for main applicant;
- USD 4,000 for each dependent over the age of 16 years.
These due diligence background checks and processing fees are non-refundable and must be paid to Government at the time of submitting a Citizenship application.
Payment to Government of the following registration fees:
- USD 50,000 for main applicant;
- USD 25,000 for spouse of main applicant;
- USD 25,000 for each child of main applicant who is under 18 years of age.
With the exception of the spouse of the main applicant, where dependents over 18 years of age form part of the same application, the registration fee is USD 50,000 per such dependent.
Registration fees will be paid by us to Government only after we receive notification of approval in principle from it.
Other fees payable to Government:
- USD 47 per Citizenship Certificate of Registration.
This fee must be paid to Government at the time the registration fees mentioned above are paid to Government.
- USD 350 per Passport (4-day service); or
- USD 250 per Passport (2-week service)
This fee must be paid to Government at the time of submitting a passport application.
Sugar Industry Diversification Foundation (SIDF) Option
The Sugar Industry Diversification Foundation (SIDF) has been designated a special approved project for the purposes of Citizenship by Investment. Hence, persons making contributions at prescribed levels to this charitable foundation, which was established to address a range of social and economic problems arising from the closure of the sugar industry in the Federation, will be eligible to apply for citizenship by investment. The prescribed minimum contributions to the Sugar Industry Diversification Foundation (SIDF) are,
- USD 250,000 for a single applicant; or
- USD 300,000 for an applicant with up to three dependants (i.e. one spouse and two children below the age of 18); or
- USD 350,000 for an applicant with up to five dependants (i.e. one spouse and four children); or
- USD 450,000 for applicant with up to seven dependents; or
- USD 450,000 plus USD 50,000 for each dependent above the seventh dependent.
With the exception of the spouse of the main applicant, where dependents over 18 years of age form part of the same application, the minimum contribution is increased by an additional USD 50,000 per dependent.
Contributions are to be paid to the SIDF after we receive notification of approval in principle from Government and payment must be made in such manner as to allow for the main applicant to show within 90 days from the date of such notification that the contribution was paid into the designated SIDF account.
Payment to Government of the following fees:
- USD 250 per Citizenship Application Form.
This fee is non-refundable and if more than one person applies, either as a couple or as a family, one form for each person (including children) is to be completed and submitted to Government.
- USD 7,500 for main applicant;
- USD 4,000 for each dependent over the age of 16 years.
These due diligence background checks and processing fees are non-refundable and must be paid to Government at the time of submitting a Citizenship application.
- USD 350 per Passport (4-day service); or
- USD 250 per Passport (2-week service)
This fee must be paid to Government at the time of submitting a passport application.
The above is given for general information purposes only since Government may change minimum investment requirements and fees at any time.
The term “dependent” means,
- a spouse of the main applicant;
- a child under 18 years old of the main applicant or his or her spouse;
- the child of the main applicant or his or her spouse between 18 and 25 years who is in full time attendance at a recognised institution of higher learning after his or her 18th birthday and fully supported by the main applicant;
- parents or grandparents of the main applicant or his or her spouse above the age of 65 years living with and fully supported by the main applicant;
- a child of the main applicant or his or her spouse who is above the age of 18 and physically or mentally challenged.
A person who,
- has provided false information in his or her Citizenship application forms;
- has a criminal record;
- is the subject of a criminal investigation;
- is a potential national security risk to St. Kitts and Nevis or to any other country;
- is involved in any activity likely to cause disrepute to St. Kitts and Nevis;
- has been denied an entry visa by a country with whom citizens of St. Kitts and Nevis have visa free entry; or
- is a national of Iran and living in Iran at the time of his or her Citizenship application,
will not be approved for Citizenship.
Furthermore, funds used for Citizenship may not originate from Iran.
Every citizenship application must be made on the prescribed form (Application for Registration as a Citizen of St. Kitts and Nevis) which must be submitted together with various documents relating to the applicant’s identity, civil status, criminal record, financial resources, and health. All documents must be in English or translated into English, and all photocopies of any document submitted must be notarised and properly certified.
Government must within three months of the submission of an application for Citizenship by Investment notify us on behalf of the main applicant, that the application has been approved in principle, denied, or delayed for cause and still being processed. The time frame to obtain Citizenship largely depends on how many background checks Government will have to complete on each applicant who is 16 years or older and in which countries such checks will need to be performed.
For more information, please read the Saint Christopher and Nevis Citizenship by Investment Regulations (S.R.O. 52 of 2011).
Benefits of St. Kitts and Nevis Citizenship: Visa Free Travel
Unless otherwise stated, a Passport is valid for ten years and a Citizen has the right to renew his passport upon its expiration. It remains the property of the Government and may be withdrawn at any time. Citizens of the Federation who are also Citizens of foreign countries cannot avail themselves of the protection of the representative of the Federation, against the authorities of that foreign country, and are not exempt by reason of possessing the Citizenship of the Federation from any obligation (such as military service) to which they may be liable under foreign law. A person having some connection with a Commonwealth or foreign country (e.g. by birth, by descent through either parent, by marriage or by residence) may be a national of that country, in addition to being a national of the Federation. Acquisition of the nationality of the Federation by a foreigner does not necessarily cause the loss of nationality of origin.
Nationals of St. Kitts and Nevis,
- may travel to the following European countries for three (3) months (90 days) within a six (6) month period as part of the Short Stay Visa Waiver Agreement with the European Union: Austria (90 days), Belgium (90 days), Bulgaria (90 days), Czech Republic (90 days), Cyprus (90 days), Denmark (90 days), Estonia (90 days), Finland (90 days), France (90 days), Germany (90 days), Greece (90 days), Hungary (90 days), Italy (90 days), Latvia (90 days), Lithuania (90 days), Luxemburg (90 days), Malta (90 days), Netherlands (90 days), Poland (90 days), Portugal (90 days), Romania (90 days), Slovak Republic (90 days), Slovenia (90 days), Spain (90 days), Sweden (90 days); and
- have the right to take up residency in Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago.
Nationals of St. Kitts and Nevis can travel, visa free, to the following countries:
| Andorra |
Germany |
Netherlands Antilles |
| Anguilla |
Gibraltar |
New Caledonia |
| Antigua and Barbuda |
Greece |
Niue |
| Argentina |
Grenada |
Norway |
| Aruba |
Guatemala |
Palau Islands |
| Austria |
Guyana |
Panama |
| Bahamas |
Haiti |
Peru |
| Bangladesh |
Honduras |
Philippines |
| Barbados |
Hong Kong (SAR China) |
Poland |
| Belgium |
Hungary |
Portugal |
| Belize |
Iceland |
Romania |
| Bermuda |
Iraq |
Samoa |
| Bolivia |
Ireland |
San Marino |
| Botswana |
Israel |
Seychelles |
| British Virgin Islands |
Italy |
Sierra Leone |
| Bulgaria |
Jamaica |
Singapore |
| Cambodia |
Kenya |
Slovak Republic |
| Canada |
Kiribati |
Slovenia |
| Cape Verde Islands |
Korea |
Solomon Islands |
| Cayman Islands |
Kosovo |
Spain |
| Chile |
Latvia |
St. Lucia |
| Colombia |
Lebanon |
St. Vincent and the Grenadines |
| Comoros Island |
Lesotho |
Suriname |
| Cook Islands |
Liechtenstein |
Sweden |
| Costa Rica |
Lithuania |
Switzerland |
| Croatia |
Luxembourg |
Tanzania |
| Cuba |
Macao (SAR China) |
Timor Leste |
| Cyprus |
Macedonia (FYROM) |
Togo |
| Czech Republic |
Madagascar |
Tonga |
| Denmark |
Malawi |
Trinidad and Tobago |
| Djibouti |
Malaysia |
Tunisia |
| Dominica |
Maldives |
Turkey |
| Dominican Republic |
Malta |
Turks and Caicos Islands |
| Ecuador |
Mauritius |
Tuvalu |
| Egypt |
Micronesia (Federated State of) |
Uganda |
| El Salvador |
Monaco |
United Kingdom |
| Estonia |
Montserrat |
Vatican City |
| Fiji |
Mozambique |
Vanuatu |
| Finland |
Myanmar |
Venezuela |
| France |
Nauru |
Zambia |
| French Polynesia |
Nepal |
Zimbabwe |
| Georgia |
Netherlands |
|
The information given above is accurate to the best of our knowledge and belief but travelers are encouraged to contact the relevant authorities of the country they intend to visit since immigration and visa requirements may change at any time. We accept no responsibilities whatsoever for any changes which may have occurred since the above information was compiled.
