Citizenship of Saint Kitts and Nevis by investment

SISC is a non-refundable contribution to the state fund, $250,000 for an applicant or a family of up to four, with due diligence and state fees paid separately. The Public Benefit Option has the same $250,000 threshold, but fees are paid after approval for the spouse and dependants, so the total for a family is higher; we give the exact PBO figure from the authorised agent’s invoice. Property from a developer is a share in an approved project from $325,000. A private house is from $600,000. With the last two options the property stays your asset and can be sold no earlier than seven years later, but recovery of the amount invested is not guaranteed.

The $250,000 contribution covers the main applicant and up to three dependants - for up to four people in the application the total grows only through screening and fees. After that each dependant aged 18 and over adds $50,000 to the contribution and each child under 18 adds $25,000. Everyone aged 16 and over goes through due diligence: $10,000 for the main applicant and $7,500 for each dependant. The programme sets no limit on the number of dependants.

For a single applicant the difference in the investment is $75,000, and with the property fee after approval ($25,000 for the main applicant) it is $100,000, before transaction costs. That is the price of the investment staying your asset; recovery of the amount on resale is not guaranteed. For property the fees grow with every participant, while the SISC contribution grows only above four people, but faster: by $25,000-50,000 for each. So for large families the gap narrows, and from seven participants we calculate both options.

After the approval-in-principle letter, not on filing. Before approval you pay for due diligence, the state fees on filing and the preparation of the file; for property, the deposit and escrow arrangements depend on how the deal is structured. This is a matter of principle in the programme: first the state checks the applicant, and only then does the main money move.

Yes. An interview is mandatory for every main applicant - it is conducted by an independent firm commissioned by the CIU or by CIU officials. The CIU may call dependants aged 16 and over for an interview if necessary. We confirm the procedure and the format with a licensed agent as at the date of filing.

No. The official procedure states expressly that the application is filed only through an agent from the list of licensed agents; the Citizenship by Investment Unit does not accept documents directly. The CIU website also publishes the list of agents whose licence has been withdrawn - the choice of agent is worth checking against the official list.

At present the passport gives visa-free entry to the Schengen area for 90 days out of 180 and to the United Kingdom with an ETA electronic authorisation. At the same time the European Union’s position on the Caribbean programmes is tightening: in June 2026 the Commission proposed that five countries, Saint Kitts and Nevis among them, wind their programmes down by 1 June 2028. Keeping the visa waiver for the whole life of the passport cannot be guaranteed, and we do not build the only argument on it.

From 14 April 2026 biometric enrolment is mandatory for new applications, and from 1 September 2026 a passport is issued only after it. Everyone who obtained citizenship through the investment programme, children included, must complete biometric registration by 31 July 2027 - otherwise the passport will stop being accepted for international travel. The CIU has published the biometrics fee, which includes passport issue: $2,500 for the main applicant, $2,000 for the second adult, $1,300 for a child under 16. It is included in the calculation on this page; the rate for the third and further adults we confirm with the agent.

The CIU states a processing time of 120-180 days from confirmation of filing. The whole path from the first consultation to the passport is longer: preparing the file comes before filing, and the investment, biometrics and passport issue come after approval - at the start of the new system the CIU puts passport production at 4-6 weeks. We do not guarantee the date of the finished passport; the stage-by-stage schedule for your family is set in the cost estimate. That is longer than Vanuatu, but Saint Kitts is a programme with Schengen, the United Kingdom and a property option that stays your asset.

Yes. Saint Kitts and Nevis permits dual citizenship and does not require you to give up your current passport. The CIU pages currently set no mandatory period of residence, but the government has announced a physical presence requirement - we check the conditions on the filing date with the agent. It is worth checking separately how the law of your current country of citizenship treats a second citizenship.

Yes, by a separate application with no new investment. The CIU publishes a fee of $7,500 for a child under three born after the main applicant’s registration, plus the standard fees for due diligence, processing, the bank check, the certificate and the passport. We confirm the child’s eligibility and the fee with the agent. We handle the child’s certificate and passport. The passport itself has a fixed term: from 1 September 2026 it is issued only after biometric enrolment.

The CIU allows the main applicant to be sponsored by a parent or a child: the relationship must be proven, and the sponsor goes through a separate check and provides their own documents, including a 12-month bank statement and a bank reference. We confirm other forms of payment by a third party with the agent. We agree the payment structure before filing so that the transfer passes the checks: we have handled such cases, and one of them is set out in the selection below.