Home / Programs / Antigua and Barbuda
CitizenshipCaribbean citizenship for a family of up to four through one contribution, with one of the broadest definitions of family of any program.
Antigua and Barbuda abolished personal income tax on salaries in 2016 and has no capital gains, inheritance or wealth tax. Holding the passport does not make you tax resident there; that only follows a genuine move.
Self employed business income earned locally is taxed separately, at up to 25%.
Full tax breakdownOne US$230,000 contribution covers you alone or with up to three dependants, and larger families pay the same contribution plus fees.
Children up to 30, parents and grandparents from 55, and unmarried siblings of you or your spouse can all join the same application.
Visa free or visa on arrival access to approx. 154 destinations, including the Schengen area, the United Kingdom, Singapore and Hong Kong.
Full citizenship that passes to your children, with dual citizenship allowed.
Plan for 30 days in total during your first five years, which can be spread over several trips. After that, there is no presence rule at all.
A future spouse or child can be added after citizenship at fixed amounts set by the government.
A US$230,000 contribution covering you alone or with up to three dependants. It is not refundable, but it is the simplest and lowest cost route, with no asset to hold or sell.
Approved real estate from US$300,000 must be held for five years and can then be sold. Families of six or more can use the University of the West Indies Fund at US$260,000, and the business route starts at US$1,500,000.
Every route leads to the same result: full citizenship for life for the whole family and a passport with approx. 154 visa free destinations, in exchange for 30 days in Antigua during your first five years.
Time to passport: Approx. 10 to 18 months
Time to passport: Approx. 10 to 18 months
Time to passport: Approx. 10 to 18 months
Time to passport: Approx. 10 to 18 months
| Pathway | Minimum investment | Approval | What you get | Time to passport | Presence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Development Fund | US$230,000 | 9 to 16 months | Citizenship for life | Approx. 10 to 18 months | 30 days in first 5 years |
| University option (families of six or more) | US$260,000 | 9 to 16 months | Citizenship for life | Approx. 10 to 18 months | 30 days in first 5 years |
| Approved real estate | US$300,000 | 9 to 16 months | Citizenship for life | Approx. 10 to 18 months | 30 days in first 5 years; property held 5 years |
| Business investment | US$1,500,000 | 9 to 16 months | Citizenship for life | Approx. 10 to 18 months | 30 days in first 5 years |
Times run from filing to passport.
Each option below qualifies on its own. We help you pick the one that suits your money and your plans.
Covers a single applicant or a family of up to four. Not refundable.
For families of six or more, including a year of study at the University of the West Indies for one family member.
Property in an approved project, held for at least five years.
An approved business from US$1,500,000 alone, or US$5,000,000 jointly with other investors, each putting in at least US$400,000.
Beyond the contribution, the government charges processing, due diligence and passport fees, which depend on the size and ages of your family. Every situation is different, so we quote everything as one custom fixed fee in writing after a free call.
We assist you in obtaining each document, then have it apostilled (certified with an international stamp so it is valid abroad), translated and filed for you.
A spouse, children of you or your spouse up to 30 who depend on you, adult children with a disability, parents and grandparents of either of you aged 55 or over who depend on you, and unmarried siblings of you or your spouse. A future spouse or child can be added after citizenship.
The headline rates for people who are tax residents there. Holding a residency or passport does not by itself make you a tax resident, and your current country may still tax you, so the licensed tax advisers in our local team confirm your position.
We confirm that every family member qualifies, run the numbers for each route and flag any travel or nationality issues. We then assist you in obtaining the relevant documents and having them apostilled and translated.
Our local team files the application with the Citizenship by Investment Unit, together with the due diligence fees and 10% of the processing fee.
Background checks run on every applicant aged 12 or over, and applicants aged 16 and over sit a short online interview.
Once approved, you pay the contribution or complete the investment, along with the balance of the processing fee.
Citizenship is granted and passports are issued. You then complete 30 days in Antigua within your first five years, and we keep track of it with you.
Our local team stays with you once you are approved and takes care of the practical steps, then keeps everything current and compliant.
For families, yes. One contribution covers a large family, the passport travels visa free to the Schengen area and the UK, and after 30 days in your first five years there is nothing more to do. The weak points are the United States, which has restricted visas for Antiguan citizens since January 2026, and the EU review of Caribbean programs. If you already hold a strong passport for US travel, those matter less.
Only if you genuinely move there. Antigua has no personal income tax on salaries and no capital gains or inheritance tax, but citizenship alone does not make you tax resident and does not end your tax residency at home. For most clients it is a passport, not a tax base. If a new tax residency is the goal, book a free call and we will look at where you would actually live.
Not as the home for your companies and banking. Local banks are small and international banking from the island is limited, so we usually set up your company and banking elsewhere, such as a US LLC, a UK company, an Estonian company or a UAE structure, depending on your situation. Some banks ask extra questions about citizenship by investment passports, so we recommend keeping your original passport for banking.
Usually not. The entry point is US$230,000 that you do not get back, plus fees, and the process takes about a year. That capital usually works harder in a young business. A residency program, such as Paraguay, costs a fraction of that. Antigua makes more sense once you have a family to protect and the funds to spare.
The 2013 Act says five days within the first five years. The government says 30 days is already applied in practice, and the Citizenship by Investment (Amendment) Bill 2026, tabled in July 2026, writes 30 days into the law for the main applicant and every dependant. We plan for 30 days in total, not per year, spread over as many trips as you like, and we recommend keeping flight records and passport stamps as evidence.
Only with difficulty. Since 1 January 2026, US Proclamation 10998 has restricted visitor, student, exchange and immigrant visas for Antiguan nationals. Visitor visas are now limited to three months and a single entry, and a bond of up to US$15,000 can be required. Visas valid on 31 December 2025 are still honoured, the restriction is reviewed every 180 days, and it does not apply when you travel on another passport. If you need US access on this passport, we would recommend a different program.
Approx. 154 destinations on the 2026 Henley Passport Index, including the Schengen area, the United Kingdom, Singapore and Hong Kong. The UK requires its electronic travel authorisation but no visa. You need visas for the United States, Canada and Australia.
Today the passport travels visa free to the Schengen area. The risk is real, though: since 30 December 2025 an EU regulation, 2025/2441, lets the EU suspend visa free travel for any country that sells citizenship without a genuine link, for 12 months at a time and possibly only for certain passports. A European Commission report in December 2025 named all five Caribbean programs, and Caribbean governments have reported a request to phase the programs out by June 2028, a date the Commission has not published. No suspension has been decided. If Schengen travel is your main reason for buying, we talk that risk through with you first.
In September 2025 Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis and Saint Lucia signed an agreement creating ECCIRA, the Eastern Caribbean Citizenship by Investment Regulatory Authority. It will set common due diligence standards, license agents and developers, keep a shared register of refused applicants, and enforce a regional minimum price of US$200,000. Each country has passed the law, but the authority has not yet started operating, and the shared rules, including the 30 day presence standard, apply only once it does and the member states agree a start date.
Yes. After citizenship, a future spouse or child can be added for a fixed amount set by the government, plus due diligence. We confirm the current amounts in your quote.
The unit publishes no official timeline. Agents reported an average of approx. 14 months for files filed in late 2025, with a range of 10 to 18 months. If you need a passport by a particular date, St Kitts and Nevis is the more predictable choice.
Antigua and Barbuda allows dual citizenship. Whether your current country allows a second citizenship is a separate question we check for you at the start.
Citizenship is for life, but it can be revoked if it was obtained through false information, and the government can act if the presence requirement is not met. Only the passport expires and needs renewing.
Laws and fees change, so we confirm every number before you commit.
Both Caribbean states signed agreements in New York covering every passport type, including the ordinary passports held by citizens by investment.
Read
A June 25 letter from the EU’s migration commissioner asks Antigua and Barbuda to end its program by June 1, 2028, with tighter vetting by September. Antigua says it will not phase out unilaterally.
Read
The Fund’s yearly review finds 3% growth in 2025, inflation down to 1.4% and a stronger budget, helped in part by citizenship by investment inflows.
Read
From January 1, 2026, Antiguan and Barbudan nationals can no longer obtain new US visitor, student or immigrant visas. Washington cited citizenship by investment without residence. Existing visas stay valid.
Read
The Council of the EU has adopted a tougher visa suspension mechanism that names investor citizenship schemes as a ground for removing visa free access. The five Caribbean programs are the obvious focus.
Read
Four agreements signed in New York during UN General Assembly week point the Antiguan passport towards Africa and the Gulf. Ghana confirms its deal covers ordinary passports.
Read
An internal State Department cable gives 36 countries, including Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia and Vanuatu, 60 days to address US concerns or face possible entry restrictions.
ReadTell us a little about yourself and we will review whether Antigua and Barbuda Citizenship suits you, what it would cost in total and how long it would take. No cost and no obligation.
Prefer to talk? Book a free 15 minute call.
