How to get a Golden Visa and citizenship in the Caribbean and Oceania
Recently, the Caribbean and Oceania countries attract visitors not only with their beauty and unique landscapes but also with favourable conditions for obtaining a Golden Visa and citizenship. Golden Visa is an opportunity to get a residence permit or permanent residence abroad investing in the economy of a country of desired citizenship.
In which Caribbean and Oceania countries it is profitable to get a residence permit for investment
One can get a Golden Visa in the following countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Vanuatu, Grenada, Dominica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia. These countries’ passports allow visa-free entry to 100-140 countries of the world, including the United States and the EU zone. Moreover, the above-mentioned countries have a fairly simple tax system, and the judicial system does not recognize the decisions of other countries’ courts.
Antigua and Barbuda
Antigua and Barbuda is one of a few countries in the world that allows dual citizenship. This country’s passport allows travelling without a visa almost all over the world. To obtain its citizenship, one will need to pay at least $100,000 to the National Development Fund or purchase real estate worth at least $400,000 (with the possibility to sell it in at least 5 years). Another way is to invest $1,500,000 in business.
Grenada
In Grenada, the Golden Visa program has been recently implemented. Now, this is the only country in the Caribbean with no restrictions on the nationality of those who want to get a residence permit. To get a Golden Visa, investors must donate at least $150,000 to the country’s development or invest at least $350.000 in a real estate object approved by the state. An interesting fact is that the applicant is provided with a free seven-day stay at the Kempinski hotel in Dominica or Park Hyatt in Saint Kitts while applying for a residence permit in Grenada. As a bonus, a Golden Visa holder can annually have a free stay at the Six Senses La Sagesse hotel in Grenada.
Dominica
The investment in an approved government property shall be at least $200,000. A more budget-friendly option would be to invest $100,000 in the country’s National Fund (this does not include the application-processing fee and the reliability check fee). However, most investors prefer the second option, since the country is at a high risk of natural disasters. Many investors choose Dominica due to its lowest percentage of refusals to obtain citizenship.
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Kitts and Nevis is one of the first countries to offer its investment program. To get the citizenship, one needs to contribute $150,000 to the Sustainable Growth Fund or invest $200,000 or $400,000 in approved real estate (the amount depends on the ownership period of the real estate). For some applicants, Saint Kitts is the most suitable country for obtaining citizenship, since the law does not provide any requirements for investors’ health.
St Lucia
Getting citizenship for investment in St. Lucia has started only in 2016. However, the demand for obtaining this country’s passport is growing every year. There are three ways to become a citizen of Saint Lucia:
- Donate $100,000 to a special fund;
- Invest $300,000 in real estate;
- Invest $ 500,000 in securities.
Vanuatu
Unlike all the previously mentioned countries, Vanuatu is located in Oceania and does not belong to the Caribbean. However, almost all agencies that help investors apply for a Golden Visa advise citizenship of this country. To get a passport of Vanuatu, one should donate $130,000 for the country’s development. Noteworthy that at the state level, it is allowed to deposit in not only dollars but also bitcoins.
What else to pay attention to
Even though according to official data in almost all countries, the period for issuing passports varies between three and six months, information from various agencies indicates a different time frame. Thus, the time for obtaining citizenship of the Caribbean countries can reach 9-10 months. But in Oceania, it is different: in just 2 months an applicant will get a passport of a Vanuatu citizen.
All documents can be processed remotely. It is important to take into account that not every agency has a license to complete citizenship paperwork in some of these countries.
Those who invest in real estate should be aware that it is impossible to get passive income in several countries. However, if a person invested, for example, in a hotel, they have the right to stay there for one or two weeks each year for free.
Important! All stated in the article prices do not include state fees and duties.
Photo: Envato
