St. Kitts and Nevis Citizenship by Investment
Foreign individuals may obtain citizenship of the Federation of Saint Christopher (St._Kitts) and Nevis under sub-section (5) of Section 3 of the Saint Christopher and Nevis Citizenship Act of 1984 (Cap 1.01) 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.
Investment Requirement
The substantial investment requirement may be satisfied either by,
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making a non-refundable contribution to the Sustainable Growth Fund;
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investing in a Government approved real estate project which may include hotel shares, villas, and condominium units;
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purchasing a qualifying private property; or
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investing in a Government approved infrastructural and other project.
The substantial investment can be made in the currency of the United States of America (USD) or in the currency of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (XCD). Note that the exchange rate for converting USD to XCD is fixed at XCD 2.7 per USD but that the bank rate for non-cash transactions is XCD 2.6882 per USD.
Investment Options
Sustainable Growth Fund Option (SGF)
The minimum non-refundable contribution to be made between 1st January, 2023, to 30th June, 2023, under the SGF investment option is,
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USD_125,000 for a single applicant;
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USD_150,000 for a main applicant and spouse;
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USD_170,000 for a main applicant, a spouse and two dependents;
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USD_10,000 for each additional dependent under eighteen years of age; and
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USD_25,000 for each additional dependent eighteen years of age and over.
The minimum non-refundable contribution to be made after 30th June, 2023, under the SGF investment option is,
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USD_150,000 for a single applicant;
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USD_175,000 for a main applicant and spouse;
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USD_195,000 for a main applicant, a spouse and two dependents;
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USD_10,000 for each additional dependent under eighteen years of age; and
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USD_25,000 for each additional dependent eighteen years of age and over.
Real Estate Investment Option (REI)
Applicants may qualify for citizenship through an investment in a real estate unit of an approved real estate development. A real estate unit may include hotel shares, villas, and condominium units. The minimum investment under this option is USD_200,000 payable to the developer of the approved real estate development for the real estate unit sold to the applicant under his option. Real estate units purchased under this option after 10th March, 2023, cannot be sold until a period of 7 years has elapsed and unless the Cabinet of Ministers of the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis decides otherwise, such units can also not be sold to a purchaser who wishes to acquire citizenship by investment.
Private Property Purchase Option (PPP)
Applicants may qualify for citizenship through an investment in an approved private home. A private home subject to this option cannot after it is sold to an applicant be converted from a single-family home into apartments or condominium units or otherwise subdivided. The minimum investment under this option is USD_400,000 payable to the owner of the private home sold to the applicant under this option and two or more applicants may purchase a private home under this option, provided that each applicant contributes a minimum of USD 400,000 towards the investment. A private home purchased under this option cannot be sold until a period of 5 years has elapsed and unless at the time of its resale it is redesignated as an approved private home, it can also not be sold to a purchaser who wishes to acquire citizenship by investment.
Public Good Investment Option (PGI)
This option is the newest form of investment under the Citizenship by Investment programme. It facilitates investment in qualified infrastructural and other projects which are developed or will be developed by Private Enterprise Developers and Public Good Project Developers. The minimum investment under this option is USD_175,000.
Who Can Apply
Subject as otherwise stated below, any person of irreproachable character and sufficient financial standing who is 18 or older can apply for Citizenship by Investment.
Applicants for citizenship may include the following dependants with their application,
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spouse of the applicant;
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children and legally adopted children of the applicant and those of his or her spouse who are under the age of 18;
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children and legally adopted children of the applicant or those of his or her spouse who are between the age of 18 and 25 if in full time attendance at a recognised institution of higher learning and fully supported by the applicant;
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children and legally adopted children of the applicant or those of his or her spouse who are above the age of 18 and not attending an institution of higher education if such children are physically or mentally challenged and fully supported by the applicant;
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parents and grandparents of the applicant or those of his or her spouse who are 55 years of age or older if living with and fully supported by the applicant; and
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brothers and sisters of the applicant or those of his or her spouse who are unmarried, childless, 25 years of age or younger if dependent on the applicant or his or her spouse for financial support.
An applicant for citizenship is either a single individual or the head of a household comprised of two or more family members. Such applicant is referred to as "main applicant" in the citizenship by investments regulations and throughout the citizenship and passport application process.
Please note that a person who,
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has provided false information in his or her citizenship application forms;
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has a criminal record;
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is the subject of a criminal investigation;
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is a potential national security risk to St. Kitts and Nevis or to any other country;
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is involved in any activity likely to cause disrepute to St. Kitts and Nevis;
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has been denied an entry visa by a country with whom citizens of St. Kitts and Nevis have visa free entry; or
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is a national of Iran, Afghanistan, Russia, or Belarus
will not be approved for Citizenship.
Application Procedure
All citizenship applications must be submitted to the Citizenship by Investment Unit of the Office of the Prime Minister of the Federation of Saint Christopher (St. Kitts) and Nevis by persons authorised to submit such applications pursuant to the relevant provisions of the Citizenship by Investment Regulations of the Federation.
Every citizenship application must be made on the prescribed application forms 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.
The time frame to obtain Citizenship largely depends on how many background checks Government will have to complete on each applicant who is 16 or older and in which countries such checks will need to be performed.
There is a normal application procedure (NAP) and an accelerated application procedure (AAP). The application time frame for the NAP application option is 90 days and for the AAP application option it is reduced to 60 days, starting in each case from the date on which the filing of an application is acknowledged by Government. This may take one to three weeks depending on the number of citizenship applications to be reviewed prior to such acknowledgement being issued.
Government must within the applicable time frame mentioned above notify us, in our capacity as authorised person acting on behalf of the main applicant, that the application has been approved in principle, denied, or delayed for cause and still being processed.
Government Fees
Due diligence fees
Fees payable for due diligence background checks under the NAP application option are:
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USD_7,500 for the main applicant; and
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USD_4,000 for each dependant of the main applicant who is aged 16 or older.
Fees payable for due diligence background checks under the AAP application option are:
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USD 20,000 for the main applicant; and
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USD 10,000 for each dependant of the main applicant who is aged 16 or older.
Post Approval-in-Principle fees
Fees payable under the NAP application option after an approval-in-principle is granted for applications made under any investment option other than the SGF investment option are:
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USD_25,000 for the main applicant;
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USD_15,000 for the spouse of the main applicant;
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USD_10,000 for each dependant of the main applicant under the age of 18, including each dependant child born after the CBI application is submitted to the CIU and before the date the Certificate of Citizenship is issued to the main applicant;
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USD_15,000 for each dependant of the main applicant aged 18 or older; and
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USD_30,000 for each dependant of the main applicant added after an approval-in-principle was granted to the main applicant.
Fees payable under the AAP application option after an approval-in-principle is granted for applications made under all investment options are:
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USD_35,000 for the main applicant;
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USD_25,000 for the spouse of the main applicant;
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USD_15,000 for each dependant of the main applicant under the age of 18, including each dependant child born after the CBI application is submitted to the CIU and before the date the Certificate of Citizenship is issued to the main applicant;
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USD_25,000 for each dependant of the main applicant aged 18 or older; and
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USD_40,000 for each dependant of the main applicant added after an approval-in-principle was granted to the main applicant.
Application processing fee
The application processing fee is USD_250 per applicant regardless under which application option the citizenship application is submitted.
Passport fee
Fee payable under the 4-day service option is USD_350 per passport.
Bank Fees
Due diligence fees
Fees charged for due diligence background checks are:
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USD_200 for the main applicant;
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USD_150 for each dependent who is 16 or older; and
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USD_50 for each dependent who is 10 to 15 years old.
Incoming wire transfer fee
Fee charged for incoming wire transfers is USD_27 per wire transfer.
Personal Taxation
Tax Residency
Citizenship will not automatically convey tax residency and certainly not if the country of origin of an individual is the United States of America or any other country which tax by nationality rather than by residency. To be considered tax resident in St._Kitts and Nevis in any given year, the authority of most foreign countries which tax by residency will ask to be provided with evidence to support that the individual concerned spent in that year at least 183 non-consecutive days in St._Kitts or Nevis. The evidence to be provided is dictated by the tax authority of the country where the individual is currently considered to be tax resident and may include a requirement for such individual to have a permanent place of abode in St. Kitts or Nevis (i.e. ownership of a real-estate property or long-term lease agreement for such a property).
Income Tax
Individuals who are tax resident in St. Kitts or Nevis are not subjects for assessment of income tax. Since these individuals are not required to file any income tax returns, they can also not obtain a tax identification number (TIN) from the inland revenue department in St._Kitts.
Death Duty and other Taxes
The Government of the Federation of St._Kitts and Nevis is not imposing any death duties, gift tax, estate tax, inheritance tax, and capital gains tax on individuals who are considered to be tax resident in its jurisdiction.
What Next ?
Once you have decided under which option you wish to apply for citizenship, you should contact us with information about the number of persons who will be included in your application and their exact date of birth so that we can provide you with an estimate for the total cost of your citizenship.