St Kitts and Nevis – Citizenship by Investment

Citizenship By Investment

The beautiful, verdant two-island state of St Kitts and Nevis is in the eastern Caribbean, to the west of Antigua and the south of Anguilla.

Formerly a British colony, St Kitts and Nevis gained its independence in 1983. It has chosen to maintain links with its colonial past by maintaining King Charles III as the head of state. The islands cover 261 square kilometres, and the population of just under 50,000 enjoys a high standard of living in a federal parliamentary democracy.

Tourism is the nation’s economic mainstay, attracting around 500,000 visitors every year. This contributes one third of its GDP.

Requirements/Investment Options

The St Kitts and Nevis Citizenship-by-Investment Programme requires you to make a significant financial investment in the country in return for citizenship for you and your family.

To qualify for citizenship, you must be over 18 years of age and meet the due diligence requirements. You may select one of the following four investment options:

  • Donation to the Sustainable Island State Contribution starting from $250,000
  • Purchase of Real Estate in a government Approved Development from $400,000
  • Contribution to an Approved Public Benefit Project starting from $250,000

Donation

The Sustainable Island State Contribution (SISC) replaces the Sustainable Growth Fund (SGF). An individual applicant requires a contribution of USD 250,000, a family of two USD 300,000, and a family of four USD 350,000. The SISC will help the country advance towards becoming a Sustainable Island State.

This progression aligns with the following seven pillars:

  • Increasing local food production
  • Transitioning to green energy
  • Diversifying the economy
  • Attracting and supporting sustainable industries
  • Evolving the Creative Economy
  • Recovering from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic
  • Expanding social protection and safety nets to protect the most vulnerable

Real Estate

There are two distinct real estate options. The first is an investment of at least USD 400,000 in a government-approved development. The property can be sold once to a new CBI (Citizenship by Investment) applicant.

The second real estate option involves the purchase of a private home sale. The minimum purchase for a condominium is USD 400,000, while for a single-family home it is USD 800,000.

This property can only be resold to a new CBI applicant if the Federal Cabinet is satisfied that substantial additional investment has been made in the property through further construction or renovation, etc. With all real estate options, the minimum holding period is seven years.

Approved Public Benefit Project

Commit to donating at least USD 250,000 to an Approved Public Benefit Project. More details will be shared once a project has been approved by the government.

Qualifying Dependants

As the main applicant, you must be capable of proving the legality of your investment. You can add your spouse as a dependant. Like you, they must be over 18 years of age, have a clean bill of health, have not been denied a visa from a country with visa-free access to St Kitts and Nevis, and have not been prosecuted for any crimes carrying a custodial sentence of more than six months. You can also include children up to 25 years of age who are enrolled full time in a post-secondary school.

You can also include dependant parents 65 years of age or older and mentally or physically challenged children of any age.

Other Requirements

In addition to fulfilling one of the four economic contributions above, you and your dependants must have clean personal backgrounds.

The St Kitts and Nevis Government will reject applications from those denied a visa to a country that has a visa-free travel arrangement with them. They also will refuse to accept applicants identified as a potential national security risk or a reputational risk.

Likewise, they will exclude those subjected to a criminal investigation.

Procedures and Time Frame

The process will take between eight and nine months from submission of the application to issuance of the passport, assuming the application has no areas of concern.

Dual Citizenship

St Kitts and Nevis has no restrictions on dual citizenship.

Taxation

St Kitts and Nevis has no direct taxation. Even if citizens reside on the islands, they will not be subject to personal income tax, estate duty, succession or inheritance taxes, gift taxes, or net worth tax.

The corporate tax rate is set at 35% in St Kitts and Nevis. However, certain companies may qualify for attractive tax reductions on profits for up to a 15-year period. In Nevis, companies and foundations are not taxed, as long as no business is transacted on the island.

A 10% withholding tax is payable by both individuals and companies remitting payments to persons outside of St Kitts and Nevis.

Summary of Key Advantages

Full citizenship granted to you, your spouse, children under 18, children 18-25 who are enrolled full time in post-secondary school education, and parents 65 and older who are living with and fully supported by you

Established in 1984, it is the world’s oldest citizenship-by-investment programme

No personal income tax, gift tax, inheritance tax, or net worth tax

No minimum presence is required

Process Overview

Months 1-2

Initial Latitude due diligence

Following the successful screening, we will provide you with a Client Agreement (CA) to review and sign.

Upon receiving the signed agreement and retainer payment, our legal team will complete all necessary government forms and supporting documents.

If you make a property investment, you will need to execute a sales and purchase agreement with the developer.

We will liaise with the property developer and the St Kitts and Nevis Citizenship by Investment Unit (CIU) on your behalf to assist where necessary.

Months 2-3

Before submitting your documents, we comprehensively review your application to ensure your file complies with the CIU’s requirements.

Our legal team will complete its final checks before submitting the relevant forms.

The CIU will undertake its own due diligence and review all the paperwork.

We will continue to work closely with them throughout the process to ensure your application is timely and efficiently processed.

Months 8-9

The CIU will assess your application, and upon approval, you must make all necessary contributions and pay any applicable government fees.

You will need to collect the Certificate of Registration in person. This can be done in St Kitts and Nevis or at an approved consulate or embassy.