The St Kitts and Nevis Citizenship By Investment program is widely regarded as the grandfather of CBI programs worldwide. Offering donation and property investment options, the program boasts a high-quality passport and a stellar reputation.
In 2023, St Kitts and Nevis rung in the new year with a number of changes to its Citizenship By Investment program.
Chief among the program changes is a discount of $25,000 on the popular Sustainable Growth Fund (donation option), valid from January 1 until June 30, 2023. (More the latest program changes below.)
This reduces the required donation amounts as follows:
This limited-time offer allows St Kitts to compete with prices of Dominica’s and St Lucia’s CBI programs for single applicants, and offer one of the best price points for couples in the Caribbean, coming rather close to Antigua’s CBI pricing for families.
And apart from the above substantial savings, this special offer will save you time as well. By making the above donation before the cut-off date, you will also benefit from the program’s Accelerated Application Process (AAP) – with a processing timeframe of just 60 days – free of charge.
In this article you’ll learn everything you need to know about this program, along with some alternative routes to obtain a second passport (One of which may cost you next to nothing…).
In this In-Depth Article...
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St. Kitts & Nevis is not the only option for acquiring citizenship by investment…
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St. Kitts and Nevis’ program has been around the longest of any citizenship by investment programs in the world, so it has a proven track record.
As the longest running program of its kind, we can see that the government has fulfilled its promises, renewed the passports, and upheld its end of the bargain.
So even though you might spend a bit more on St Kitts passport than on certain other CIP programs, you are essentially buying citizenship from a more established, reputable government program.
In addition to its history, another great thing about St Kitts is that it does not require its new citizens to spend a single day on its soil.
The application is done 100% online and via mail — so you could accomplish it all, even during Covid lockdowns.
If you decide to immigrate to St Kitts or just spend significant time in the country, we have good news for you:
St Kitts also has no personal taxation. So, should you decide to move there full-time, you will owe no income taxes to the island.
There are two ways to get St. Kitts And Nevis investment citizenship:
As we have mentioned above, St. Kitts and Nevis’ Citizenship By Investment program is the oldest CIP program in the world.
Over the years, the citizenship options St. Kitts offers have trended better and became less expensive, as it has had to compete with newer programs from surrounding countries.
(There are currently five countries in the region that offer Citizenship By Investment. You can find an overview and comparison of all available programs in our in-depth citizenship-by-investment article.)
St. Kitts and Nevis’ CIP program currently offers three options to purchase a second passport:
In each case, there will be additional costs, including paying a commission to a local agent that will submit your citizenship application to the government, as well as covering due diligence and processing fees.
You can choose to work with a world-famous service provider and pay tens of thousands of dollars in fees, or work with a much smaller firm and pay a fraction of that.
In any case, budget at least $10,000 in additional fees for the service provider doing the work.
CBI donations go towards St Kitts and Nevis’ Sustainable Growth Fund.
This Growth Fund invests in “healthcare, education, alternative energy, heritage, infrastructure, tourism and culture, climate change and resilience, and the promotion of indigenous entrepreneurship.”
And from January 1 to June 31, 2023, you can pay a whopping $25,000 less:
| St Kitts and Nevis CBI Donations 2023 | Special Limited Time Discount (Valid until June 30th, 2023) | Normal Donations (Valid from July 1st onwards) |
| Single Applicant | $125,000 | $150,000 |
| Married Couple | $150,000 | $175,000 |
| Family of 3 (1 child under 11) | $160,000 | $185,000 |
| Family of 3 (2 children under 11) | $170,000 | $195,000 |
The government has also released a new schedule of processing fees for 2023:
| CBI Processing Fees | Standard Timeline | Fast-track Timeline |
| Single Applicant | $25,000 | $42,500 |
| Married Couple | $15,000 | $32,500 |
| Per Child (under 18) | $10,000 | $22,500 |
Be sure to use our CBI Pricing Calculator to check the pricing applicable to you, down to a dollar.
Also be sure to check how much a Total Access membership can save you in the process.
Another St. Kitts and Nevis citizenship by investment option is to buy a government pre-approved real estate.
Approved real estate options include hotel shares, villas, and condominium units. Click here to find the list of all approved real estate projects in St Kitts.
The St. Kitts citizenship by investment real estate option is now set at $200,000 plus an additional $24,050 in government fees for the main applicant, and additional dependents no older than 16. This property can be sold after seven years.
Up until recently, St. Kitts real estate citizenship used to require an investment of $400,000.
You can still go this route, depending on the project you choose to invest in. In this case, you are allowed to sell the property after five years instead of seven.
Keep in mind, however, that additionally you’ll have to pay a commission to an agent that will lodge your citizenship application to the government.
You can choose to work with a world-famous service provider and pay tens of thousands of dollars in fees, or work with a much smaller firm and pay a fraction of that. The end result, however, will generally be the same – second citizenship and a passport.
In any case, budget $10,000 or more in additional fees for the service provider doing the work.
For more information, you can visit the official site of St. Kitts and Nevis’ citizenship by investment program.
Also, from January 2023 onwards, the Alternative Investment Option (AIO) has been rebranded into the Public Good Investment Option (PGIO), The main price and conditions, however, remain unchanged.
Although this option is called an investment, this is actually a donation, and you will not see this money again.
The minimum donation amount starts at $175,000 for families of up to four members, plus various government and professional fees. Your money will go towards special “public good projects”.
The PGIO is available for families of any size, but considering the higher donation amount required, it will generally only makes sense for larger families (refer to our CBI calculator for better estimates).
The St. Kitts and Nevis citizenship by investment program, similarly to other Caribbean countries’ passport programs, claims the average time to process citizenship takes approximately six months when you elect for a donation.
But, depending on your nationality and personal situation, some delays might occur.
The real estate investment option is usually lengthier due to the additional steps involved in acquiring property.
Please note that you cannot apply directly with the St. Kitts and Nevis immigration department. Instead, you should contact an authorized St Kitts agent.
Expect to pay in the range of $10,000 – $40,000 for the service, depending on the total number of applicants, and the agent you’ll choose to work with.
Can your St Kitts citizenship application be denied?
If you submit all the correct documentation, denials are rare. However, possible complications may include:
Make sure you discuss your circumstances with your service provider of choice before applying.
If you start the process and get denied during it, you will lose your government’s due diligence fees and potentially a portion of your commission paid to the service provider.
Compare ALL 12 Citizenship-By-Investment
Options At A Glance...
This comparison sheet will give you a birds-eye view of the most important things you need to know about each citizenship-by-investment program…
This comparison table will show you…
It could potentially help you save tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars by picking the best passport for your personal situation at the lowest price…
There are many ways to determine the quality of a passport. Size of the economy, the number of visa-free countries you can access, the country’s geography and even its climate can all play a role.
When thinking about gaining a second passport, you should also consider personal presence requirements. St. Kitts and Nevis’ residency requirements are non-existent.
Meaning: St Kitts does not require its new citizens to spend a single day on its soil since the application is done 100% online and via mail. That means this is a Plan B item you can accomplish even stuck at home under Covid lockdown.
If you decide to immigrate to St Kitts or just spend significant time in the country, we have good news for you:
However, the most important criteria when assessing the quality of a passport is the number of visa-free countries its holders can visit.The US and Canadian citizens for example enjoy visa-free travel to 157 countries, making these passports very valuable. For reference, the world’s worst passports provide visa-free access to 60 countries or fewer.
The St Kitts and Nevis passport ranking doesn’t disappoint. It provides access to 131 countries visa-free, including the UK, Brazil, and Schengen area (common European borderless area), but not to the US or Canada.
This is almost the same for Antigua and Barbuda, so you may want to take a look there as well, especially if you have a family of six or more that could benefit from Antigua’s reduced CIP prices for larger families.
Does "More Visa-Free Countries" Equal "Better Passport"?
The answer is “it depends”… on which additional countries you get and how likely you are to visit them.
For example, a passport may offer 10 additional countries, but also cost tens of thousands of dollars more. Therefore, we encourage you to think it through carefully and consider whether these additional visa-free countries are worth the cost.
To help you do this, we created a detailed Citizenship By Investment Comparison Sheet that shows you the differences in visa-free travel between all citizenship-by-investment passports.
Use this sheet to ensure you don’t overpay for a passport that doesn’t provide significantly more value.
If you’re not part of the “lucky bloodline club” (citizenship by ancestry), or you can’t spend a few years in a new country (citizenship by naturalization), and if donating $125,000+ won’t break the bank, then you may want to consider economic citizenship in St. Kitts.
St. Kitts’ Citizenship By Investment program is reputable and time-tested.
Its Sustainable Growth Fund ($125,000 + fees donation option) is a great option, especially for families.
We gave the passport of Saint Kitts a solid B rating, as it allows for visa-free access to over 130 countries around the world.
And finally, you can complete your passport application process from the comfort of your own home without even setting foot in St. Kitts and Nevis – which is especially important now, when global travel has basically come to a standstill.
Having a second passport is a way to take back your control.
If you’re tired of lockdowns, riots, politics, taxes, or just want more freedom– you owe it to yourself and your family to take a serious look at second citizenship.
With a second passport in hand, you don’t have to worry about having a place to go if things only get worse from here.
And even if you never have to actually use your Plan B, you’ll still have a second passport from a tropical paradise.
Caribbean passport donations from only $100,000.
Contact us now to request a free professional consultation.
