Economic Citizenship Programs in the Caribbean: Investment in St. Kitts and Nevis or Dominica

How can US residents easily earn citizenship in another country without living there first, getting married, or proving ancestry? Well, on some Caribbean island nations, the answer lies in economic citizenship programs. With an economic citizenship program, you can earn your expat passport the (ironically) American way: you can buy it.

That's right. In countries like St. Kitts and Nevis and Dominica, citizenship is essentially for sale. These countries are stable democracies with large English-speaking populations and lovely Caribbean weather, but their developing economies welcome foreign investment so openly that they're willing to allow "immigrants" with large (though not necessarily staggering) sums of money to become citizens. Through the purchase of real estate and/or a cash investment, you can acquire full legal citizenship in one of these sovereign nations, often in just a few months.

Previously, the nations of Grenada and Belize offered economic citizenship programs, but now the Caribbean contenders have dwindled somewhat. Would-be expats still have two viable options in the Caribbean: 1) St Kitts and Nevis and 2) Dominica.

St. Kitts and Nevis

St. Kitts (short for St. Christopher) and its sister island Nevis comprise a tiny nation located in the Leeward Islands near Anguilla. It earned independence from the UK in 1983 and only has around 40,000 residents.

To the extent that economic citizenship programs can be considered "model," the one operated by the government of St. Kitts and Nevis is often deemed ideal, as it has continued without incident since 1984. There are two main components to the process: real estate purchase and payment of a cash sum. For a minimum $250,000 investment in real estate (which is not a lot, considering average home prices in most US cities) a prospective expat can tackle the first requirement. The cash sum is then $35,000 for a single applicant, though a spouse and total of two dependent children can also gain citizenship for $15,000 a head.

In other words, the economic citizenship program of St. Kitts and Nevis requires an investment of approximately $300,000 - significant, but lower than you might have expected, considering that you get not only citizenship but some prime property, pre-selected by the government as worthy for foreign investment. Because St. Kitts and Nevis is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations (meaning it's a former British protectorate), you also earn some special privileges in the UK, Canada, and other member nations. The passport from St. Kitts and Nevis allows visa-free travel to a large number of countries and does not require you to renounce US citizenship unless you want to do so.

Dominica

Nestled in the Lesser Antilles, near the French Island of Martinique, is the nation of Dominica. Though not famous as a tourist destination, this quiet, peace-loving country is geographically diverse and ruggedly charming. And it should not be confused with the Dominican Republic, a completely separate country adjacent to Haiti!

The economic citizenship program of Dominica, started in 1991, involves only a cash investment along with administrative fees. Although the total cost of the investment is smaller in Dominica (around $75,000 for a single person and around $100,000 for a family of four), some people consider this deal less desirable than the one in St. Kitts and Nevis, where the inclusion of real estate assures better long-term returns. The Dominican program will put a passport in your hands for a smaller investment up front, but that's all it does. If you plan to live on this Caribbean island, even part-time, you'll need to open your coffers again.

Like St. Kitts and Nevis, Dominica is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, enjoying a stable reputation and solid, non-contentious diplomatic relations with most countries. In fact, it can be argued that a passport from Dominica will arouse less controversy than one from the United States, especially if you travel in nations less friendly to Americans.