A clear citizenship decision for your household, a fully scoped application budget and a coordinated route from evidence collection through the authorised filing process and post-grant obligations.
- Financial requirements
- NDF US$230,000; approved property US$300,000; UWI US$260,000 for six or more family members; separate charges depend on route and family
- Presence & absences
- Published CIU baseline: five days during the first five calendar years. Government reported strengthened legislation in 2026; confirm the operative condition for a new grant
- Timing & validity
- Document preparation, official due diligence, decision, funding and passport stages; no verified current end-to-end processing guarantee
- Family considerations
- Spouse; financially dependent children through age 30; qualifying disabled adult children; dependent parents/grandparents 55+; unmarried siblings
Who this is for
- Families who want another nationality for a defined mobility, residence or contingency purpose, rather than collecting passports without a plan.
- Larger households comparing contribution options, including families with adult children, dependent parents or an unmarried sibling.
- Entrepreneurs and investors who need the citizenship choice considered alongside tax residence, business operations, banking and succession.
- Applicants comparing Antigua and Barbuda with other countries who want a documented explanation of the trade-offs before making a major commitment.
What we help coordinate
- Purpose and alternatives: establish what a second nationality should achieve and compare relevant countries against the citizenships and residence rights you already hold.
- Family route planning: map each person to the appropriate category, identify approaching age boundaries and define the dependency, relationship and custody evidence required.
- Route and budget comparison: distinguish the NDF and UWI contributions from approved property or business investments, with government charges and professional work itemised separately.
- Evidence preparation: organise the personal, family and financial information, identify inconsistencies and define responsibility for police records, medicals, certification and translations.
- Application coordination: agree how our work connects with the required authorised representatives and licensed filing agent. Their identity, formal responsibilities and fees must be established in the proposal.
- Wider implementation: scope any related tax-residence, company, banking or succession work and keep a practical record of grant conditions, investment restrictions, presence and passport dates.
The engagement begins with an agreed written scope. Local legal, immigration and other provider work is identified separately where required.
Why work with us
- A family price is only meaningful after the family is defined. An adult child, younger parent or sibling can change both the qualifying route and the evidence needed.
- An approved property can meet an immigration condition while still being a poor investment for you. Ownership, liquidity, ongoing costs and the exit deserve a separate commercial assessment.
- A passport does not resolve tax residence or how your business is managed. Looking at the whole situation helps prevent the citizenship application from leaving the more consequential issues untouched.
- Current residence obligations deserve particular attention: the published CIU guidance and the government’s 2026 legislative statement must be reconciled for the actual grant before funds are committed.
Understand the full cost
Choose between a contribution and an investment
The contribution route and the property route have different financial consequences. A contribution is expenditure. Property ties up capital and brings asset, contract, developer and resale risks. Approval of a development for citizenship purposes is not a guarantee of rent, construction completion or a future buyer.
| Route | Published minimum in US dollars | What to assess |
|---|---|---|
| National Development Fund | 230,000 contribution | Non-refundable contribution; processing, due diligence, passports and other applicable charges are additional. |
| Approved real estate | 300,000 qualifying investment | Only an approved purchase qualifies. The published holding period is at least five years, subject to the specific alternative-approved-property exception. Budget transaction and ownership costs. |
| University of the West Indies Fund | 260,000 for a family of six | For families of at least six; includes processing for six. Each additional dependant adds 10,000, with due diligence and passports separately payable. |
| Approved business | 1.5 million individually; or at least 400,000 each within a joint investment of at least 5 million | Requires an approved business investment. A large commercial commitment needs business diligence as well as an immigration assessment. |
How to read these figures
Budget for the charges around the contribution
The figures below use the CIU’s current published NDF schedule. They are government programme charges, not Offshore Capitalist fees or an all-inclusive quotation. Obtain a written, itemised application budget identifying any current interview charge, additional checks, agent/professional work, document certification, medicals and travel before payment.
| Item | Published charge (USD) | How it applies |
|---|---|---|
| NDF processing | 10,000 single; 20,000 family of up to four | 10,000 for each additional dependant beyond four. UWI has its own processing-inclusive structure. |
| Principal due diligence | 8,500 | Separate from the investment or contribution. |
| Spouse due diligence | 5,000 | Not the same fee as another adult dependant. |
| Other dependant due diligence | 0 ages 0–11; 2,000 ages 12–17; 4,000 ages 18+ | The age bands affect the budget even where the family member remains eligible. |
| Benefactor due diligence | 5,000 | Where a benefactor funds the application; third-party funding does not avoid tracing the money. |
| Passport | 300 per person | Separate document charge; later renewals and delivery require their own current schedule. |
How to read these figures
For illustration, the scheduled NDF items for a principal, spouse and children aged eight and fourteen total US$266,700: US$230,000 contribution, US$20,000 processing, US$15,500 due diligence and US$1,200 passports. This arithmetic excludes the additional categories just described and changes when ages or family relationships change.
Professional fees & additional costs
- The programme’s contribution or investment is separate from our agreed professional scope. The shared cost table identifies published government charges; it is not our package price.
- The proposal should separate contribution/investment, government processing and due diligence, any interview/passport charges, filing-agent work, our work and document or travel costs.
- For a property or business route, include transaction costs, ownership costs and capital tied up during the required holding period. A possible resale is not a guaranteed recovery of the investment.
- We first establish the household and work required, then confirm scope, responsibility and fees before an engagement starts.
Eligibility & suitability
Who can qualify
- Adult applicants with a lawful and documented source of funds, acceptable personal history and the resources for the chosen route and all associated charges.
- Families whose actual relationships, ages and financial support fit the published categories, including evidence for each adult dependant.
- Applicants prepared to meet the applicable visit condition and maintain an approved investment where that route requires it.
Restrictions & unsuitable cases
- Applicants providing false identity or material information, or falling within the programme’s criminal, investigation, security or other statutory refusal grounds.
- Applicants with a relevant visa refusal who have not satisfied the programme’s subsequent-visa exception.
- People assuming a second nationality removes their existing tax residence, guarantees foreign admission or exempts them from current nationality restrictions.
Application process & timeline
A licensed-agent application with separate evidence, government decision, funding and post-grant stages. A deadline in the approval letter is different from an overall processing promise.
01Establish the family and routeBefore making an investment commitment
Map the purpose, each nationality, relationships, dependency and birthdays. Compare NDF, UWI and approved investments using the complete household budget. Confirm the current residence condition.
Documents & evidence
- Passports and civil-status records
- Family ages and support information
- Initial investment budget
- Choosing a property before confirming eligibility
- Using a four-person price for a differently composed family
02Build and reconcile the evidenceDocument timing depends on issuing countries
Collect the source-of-funds trail, police certificates, medicals and civil records. Resolve name discrepancies, translations and certification. Have the licensed agent confirm current forms and interview requirements.
Documents & evidence
- Application forms
- Certified and translated supporting documents
- Wealth and payment evidence
- Missing former residence or visa-refusal history
- Police records issued by the wrong authority
03Submit for government assessmentOfficial review; no verified current completion guarantee
The licensed agent files the application. Pay the submission-stage amounts, respond fully to requests and attend the required interview process. The government decides the application.
Documents & evidence
- Signed agent appointment
- Submission receipt
- Responses to information requests
- Mistaking an agent estimate for an authority deadline
- Assuming payment secures approval
04Complete the approved routeNDF/UWI: published 30-day payment window after approval
Review the decision and conditions, then pay the remaining prescribed amounts or complete the qualifying investment. Keep bank and official receipt evidence.
Documents & evidence
- Approval letter
- Payment confirmations
- Investment completion records where applicable
- Insufficient liquid funds at approval
- Unapproved substitutions for the qualifying investment
05Complete the oath and passport formalitiesAfter citizenship formalities; separate passport processing
Arrange the oath at the permitted location, verify the registration certificate and complete passport requirements for each family member.
Documents & evidence
- Citizenship registration records
- Oath evidence
- Passport application documents
- Booking travel before passport issuance
- Confusing approval in principle with completed citizenship
06Maintain the conditions and family recordsPresence window, investment holding period and renewal dates
Track the applicable visit requirement, investment restrictions and passport expiry. Review later marriages and births under the correct addition or descent route.
Documents & evidence
- Travel and ownership records
- Renewal calendar
- New civil-status documents
- Assuming citizenship automatically covers future family members
- Relying on an outdated residence requirement
Document checklist
Track your preparation in this browser. Final requirements depend on the route and filing authority.
Plan for every family member
| Family member | Age / eligibility | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Spouse | Spouse of the principal applicant | An included spouse must independently complete the application and checks. A marriage certificate is not a grant of citizenship, and recognition of the particular marriage must be established. |
| Dependent children | Published category: ages 0–30, including age 30 | Financially dependent child of the principal, or of the principal and spouse. Prove parentage/adoption and actual financial support; confirm any stepchild arrangement rather than assuming the wording covers every family relationship. |
| Adult child with a disability | 18 or older; separate disability category | A physical or mental disability, residence with the principal and full support by the principal are specified. Provide the medical and dependency evidence for this category. |
| Parents / grandparents | 55 or older, of the principal or spouse | Financial dependence on the principal is required. The CIU’s current parent/grandparent wording does not impose the adult-disabled-child co-residence condition. |
| Siblings | Unmarried sibling of the principal or spouse; no age limit stated | The published category includes biological and adopted siblings. Document the relationship and unmarried status; do not import Grenada’s separate no-children rule. |
| Family added after grant | Future spouse; specified children and descendants, by separate application | The CIU also lists a future spouse of a dependent child if that child is no older than 35 when adding the spouse, and future children of dependent children. These are separate post-grant categories and charges; 35 is not the initial dependent-child age cap. |
Residence, holding periods and passport renewal
There is an unresolved current-law point that matters before a new commitment. The CIU still publishes five days in Antigua and Barbuda during the first five calendar years and links the first five-year passport’s renewal to that condition. An August 2026 government statement, however, reports that residence requirements have been strengthened by legislation. The operative amendment and commencement provisions were not available in the primary texts reviewed for this guide.
| Obligation | Practical record to retain | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Applicable physical presence | Entry/exit records and the written condition applicable to the grant | The published deprivation rules address failure to satisfy the residence condition. |
| Approved-property holding period | Purchase, ownership and permitted-disposal records | The published property route requires at least five years, subject to its specified replacement-property exception. |
| Passport renewal | Citizenship certificate, existing passport and current renewal checklist | The first passport is published as five years; renewal is a separate administrative application. |
| Truthful application and lawful conduct | Complete submitted file and records supporting material representations | Fraud, material concealment and specified offences can expose citizenship to deprivation; buying an investment does not immunise the grant. |
Understand the ongoing requirements
Accordingly, do not rely on five days as an unconditional promise for a new application. Obtain the applicable enacted provision and grant-specific requirement from the licensed agent before signing or funding, and retain the travel evidence needed to satisfy it. Regional proposals and public announcements are not a substitute for the law that applies to your grant.
Before you commit
Is Antigua and Barbuda necessarily the right choice for us?
No. We start with what you need, your existing nationalities, family composition and willingness to meet ongoing conditions. If another route fits better, the comparison should make that clear.
Can you include my adult children or parents?
We can assess the proposed family against the programme categories and identify the evidence needed. Age alone does not establish eligibility, and inclusion remains subject to the government’s decision.
Will you submit the citizenship application yourselves?
The programme requires a licensed filing channel. The written proposal identifies the authorised parties and distinguishes their formal application role from our planning and coordination work.
Does a citizenship application include tax planning?
The initial assessment should identify where tax or business questions arise. Any detailed analysis and implementation are expressly scoped so you know what the engagement covers.
What is needed to start?
Your citizenships and residence, the proposed family members and their ages, the purpose of the citizenship, an approximate budget and the broad source of funds. Sensitive supporting documents can be requested through the agreed process after the initial fit assessment.
Discuss your citizenship plans
Tell Tijana and the team your current citizenships, who would apply with you, what you want another citizenship to achieve and your target timing. We will assess the fit and outline the next step. There is no charge for the initial inquiry.
Sources & research notes17 references
Programme requirements, process and family rules share the research records in the detailed guide.
Read the complete programme guide- CIU: citizenship and refusal grounds
- CIU: family categories
- CIU: fee schedule
- CIU: National Development Fund
- CIU: approved real estate
- CIU: University of the West Indies Fund
- 2024 investment regulations
- CIU: filing procedure
- CIU: forms
- CIU: police certificates
- CIU: certification
- CIU: passport and presence guidance
- 2016 application and interview amendments
- 2016 deprivation amendments
- Government statement on 2026 residence legislation
- Constitution: nationality provisions
- Immigration Department: citizenship FAQ