St. John's Parish on Antigua

Antigua and Barbuda: Golden Passport Issue, Extension, and Renewal



Last update: February 2024

Apply for the Antigua and Barbuda passport

Description of the Antigua and Barbuda Citizenship by Investment Program

Antigua and Barbuda offer citizenship in a British Commonwealth Country against a one-time investment into their economy. With passport costs of only $130,000 for the entire family, Antigua and Barbuda is currently the cheapest citizenship program in the Caribbean.

Do I Need to Travel to Antigua and Barbuda to Apply for a Second Passport

Key Benefits of Antigua and Barbuda Citizenship

• Antigua and Barbuda offer the cheapest citizenship program in the Caribbean for a family of four (at a price of only $130,000 excluding due diligence fees)
• Antigua and Barbuda's passport provides citizenship for life in a British Commonwealth country
• Antigua and Barbuda recognize multiple citizenship
• V.C. Bird International Airport near the capital St. John’s offers direct flights to Toronto, Montréal, Miami, New York, London
• The most prominent 5-star beachfront hotels on the islands of Antigua include the Hammock Cove Antigua (here), the Royalton Antigua Resort and Spa (here), the Inn at English Harbour (here), the South Point Antigua (here) (both in the English Harbour near Nelson's Dockyard), the Gunpowder Hotel & Suites (here), and most famously, the Curtain Bluff (here). Finally, two miles off the coast of Antigua, on a private island, lovers of exclusivity will find the Jumby Bay Island (here) - an Oetker Collection Hotel.
• The Antigua CBI program is an important revenue source for the government after Hurricane Irma destroyed 95% of Barbuda’s buildings in 2017
• The Antigua economic citizenship program gives permanent residency rights in most of the member countries of the Caribbean Community - CARICOM (here), which includes 15 Caribbean nations
  

Key Downsides of the Antigua and Barbuda Passport Program

• In 2019, Antigua and Barbuda revoked the citizenship (here) of Indian businessman Mehul Choksi who is accused of having defrauded Punjab National Bank ("no safe harbor for criminals")
• Canada revoked visa-free travel (here) with Antigua in 2017 "after carefully monitoring the integrity of Antigua’s travel documents"
• Antigua and Barbuda's citizenship program is among the CBI/RBI schemes which were identified by the OECD in November 2018 (here) as "potentially posing a high risk to the integrity of the CRS" warranting enhanced bank due diligence
• Starting from 01.01.2022, all visa-free non-EU citizens wishing to travel to the Schengen area (here) must apply online for a 3-year travel authorization via the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) (here), similar to the American ESTA, involving (i) a fee payment of €7 (ii) background questions relating to public health risks, criminal records, previous refusals of entry (iii) background checks against relevant EU (and not only national) databases (such as SIS, VIS, Europol, Interpol, Eurodac, ECRIS), as part of a major move to strengthen Europe's external borders (here)

Personal Income Tax in Antigua and Barbuda

There is no income tax on individuals in Antigua and Barbuda.

Corporate Income Tax in Antigua and Barbuda

Real Estate Tax in Antigua and Barbuda

> Non-resident buyers must obtain an alien landholding license at 5% of the property value.

How to Get the Antigua and Barbuda Passport and What Are its Costs

1) Non-refundable contribution of $100,000 to Antigua’s National Development Fund (NDF).

• Family of up to 4 persons | $100,000
• Family of more than 4 persons | $125,000

OR

2) Purchase of approved real estate worth $200,000 for a 5-year holding period (unless switched for an equally approved property).

Non-refundable Naturalization Due Diligence and Processing Fees in Antigua and Barbuda

What is a Dependant under the Antigua and Barbuda CBI Program

(since 2020)

The citizenship program in Antigua defines a family member as follows: (i) a current spouse of the principal applicant (ii) a child of the principal applicant or spouse up to the age of 30 and financially dependent on the principal applicant (iii) a child of the principal applicant or spouse above the age of 18 who is physically or mentally handicapped and who is living with, and is fully supported by, the principal applicant (iv) a parent or grandparent of the principal applicant or spouse above the age of 55 who is financially dependent on the principal applicant (v) an unmarried sibling of the principal applicant or spouse (vi) a future spouse of the principal applicant against an extra fee of $50,000 (vii) a future spouse of a dependent child if the latter is financially dependent on the the principal applicant.

What are the Steps to Get the Golden Passport on Antigua and Barbuda

1. Application pre-approval, submission
2. Payment of due diligence and 10% of the processing fee
3. 2 - 3 months: due diligence, letter of approval issued
4. Payment of qualifying investment and 90% of the processing fee
5. Collection of passport in Antigua or one of its foreign embassies (here)
6. The Antigua and Barbuda passport is valid for 10 years and subject to renewal if its holder has spent at least 5 days in Antigua and Barbuda since gaining citizenship
   

*** Visa-Free Countries for Antigua and Barbuda Citizens - strong on Latam, Israel absent

ETIAS required since 2023 for Schengen entry (here)

Albania (90 days), Andorra (3 months), Armenia (120 days), Austria (90 days), Bahamas (90 days), Bahrein (14 days), Bangladesh, Barbados (180 days), Belarus (30 days), Belgium (90 days), Belize (6 months), Benin (30 days), Bolivia (90 days), Bosnia (90 days), Botswana (90 days), Brazil (90 days), Bulgaria (90 days), Cambodia (30 days), Canada (opted out in 2017), Cape Verde, Chile (90 days), Colombia (180 days), Comoros (45 days), Costa Rica (30 days), Côte d’Ivoire (3 months), Croatia (90 days), Cuba (30 days), Cyprus (90 days), Czech Republic (90 days), Denmark (90 days), Djibouti (31 days), Dominican Republic, Ecuador (90 days), Egypt (15 days), El Salvador (90 days), Estonia (90 days), Eswatini (ex-Swaziland, 30 days), Ethiopia (90 days), Fiji (120 days), Finland (90 days), France (90 days), Gabon, Gambia (90 days), Georgia (1 year), Germany (90 days), Greece (90 days), Grenada, Guatemala (90 days), Guinea-Bissau (90 days), Guyana (6 months), Haiti (90 days), Honduras (90 days), Hungary (90 days), Iceland (90 days), India (90 days), Indonesia (30 days), Iran (15 days), Ireland (90 days), Italy (90 days), Jamaica (6 months), Jordan, Kenya (90 days), Kiribati (30 days), Kyrgyzstan, Laos (30 days), Latvia (90 days), Lesotho (90 days), Liechtenstein (90 days), Lithuania (90 days), Luxembourg (90 days), Macedonia (90 days), Madagascar (90 days), Malawi (90 days), Malaysia (30 days), Maldives (30 days), Malta (90 days), Mauritania, Mauritius (90 days), Micronesia (30 days), Moldova (90 days), Monaco (90 days), Montenegro (90 days), Mozambique (30 days), Nepal (90 days), the Netherlands (90 days), Nicaragua (90 days), Norway (90 days), Palau (30 days), Pakistan, Panama (180 days), Papa New Guinea (30 days), Peru (183 days), Philippines (30 days), Poland (90 days), Portugal (90 days), Qatar (90 days), Romania (90 days), Russia (90 days), Rwanda (30 days), St. Kitts, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Samoa (60 days), San Marino (90 days), Senegal (90 days), Serbia (90 days), Seychelles (90 days), Sierra Leone (90 days), Singapore (30 days), Slovak Republic (90 days), Slovenia (90 days), Somalia (30 days), South Africa (30 days), South Korea (90 days), Spain (90 days), Sri Lanka (30 days), Suriname (6 months), Sweden (90 days), Switzerland (90 days), Tanzania (90 days), Timor-Leste (30 days), Togo (7 days), Tonga (31 days), Trinidad (6 months), Tunisia (90 days), Turkey (90 days), Tuvalu (30 days), Uganda (90 days), Ukraine (90 days), United Kingdom (6 months), Uzbekistan (30 days), Vanuatu (30 days), Vatican City (90 days), Venezuela (90 days), Zambia (90 days), Zimbabwe (90 days)

Download factsheet on how to get citizenship in Antigua and Barbuda