A free PDF guide — the preliminary check, before any cost
A guide: what is checked beforean application is filed
A refusal costs more than it looks: the processing and check fees do not come back. We set out what is examined before filing, which facts close a programme by law, and what is prepared in advance so that an awkward episode does not become the reason for a refusal.
- PDF in English
- Free of charge
- Verified on 11.08.2026
- Sent by email, WhatsApp or Telegram
The preliminary check is not a guarantee of approval and does not replace the official procedure. The decision rests with a state body.
01 / The essentials first
Why the check comes before any cost
Four things that decide whether it is worth filing at all, and where.
- Some programmes are closed by law, not by a decision
A refusal by a country with visa-free access, citizenship from a restricted list, a connection to sanctions — none of these is a matter of judgement. Such circumstances change the list of open countries before the budget is even discussed.
- The fees do not come back on a refusal
The check and the processing are paid on filing: $5,000 for an adult in Grenada, $7,500 for the main applicant in Dominica, $8,000 in Saint Lucia. A refusal means losing that money.
- Silence weighs more than the fact itself
A visa refusal, an old dispute or an earlier application to another programme are all visible to the examiner. A fact disclosed and explained will pass; hidden, it becomes a refusal for false information.
- The preliminary assessment costs nothing
Going through the biography, the structure of the business and the origin of the funds involves no documents and no cost. Its point is to see whether it is worth going further, and in which direction.
02 / The preliminary check
Check your own situation in two minutes
Mark what applies to you: the analysis shows what is settled before any cost, what turns the case into an enhanced check and which countries fall away by law.
No limits found
The case runs on the standard routeOn your preliminary answers there are no stop factors. That does not replace the check: the real picture comes from documents, not from answers to questions. The full preliminary assessment is free and involves no documents.
The preliminary assessment involves no documents and comes before any cost. The processing and check fees are not returned whatever the decision — which is why awkward facts are dealt with before filing rather than after the examiner asks.
03 / Two checks
Before filing and after: how they differ
The preliminary check costs nothing and risks nothing. The official one starts after filing, is paid for in advance and is not returned on a refusal.
The values were checked against the official material on 11.08.2026. Only the rows for which there is no official wording are marked separately.
| Criterion | Before filingThe preliminary check | After filingThe official due-diligence check |
|---|---|---|
| Who carries it out | Your lawyer, together with you | The state body and the international agencies |
| What it costs | Nothing | From $5,000 to $8,500 a person |
| Documents | None handed over; the conversation runs on facts | A full file with apostilles and translations |
| What it establishes | Whether a programme is open, and the stop factors | Whether the information is true and where the funds came from |
| The result | A list of suitable countries and a map of the risks | Approval or refusal of the application |
| Refund on a refusal | Nothing to lose | The fees are not returned |
| How longA BRIDGES estimate | From a day to a few days | From three months |
- Who carries it out
- Your lawyer, together with you
- The state body and the international agencies
- What it costs
- Nothing
- From $5,000 to $8,500 a person
- Documents
- None handed over; the conversation runs on facts
- A full file with apostilles and translations
- What it establishes
- Whether a programme is open, and the stop factors
- Whether the information is true and where the funds came from
- The result
- A list of suitable countries and a map of the risks
- Approval or refusal of the application
- Refund on a refusal
- Nothing to lose
- The fees are not returned
- How longA BRIDGES estimate
- From a day to a few days
- From three months
The fees are given at the programmes’ published tariffs on the date of checking and depend on who is in the application.
04 / What is in the guide
How the material is built
The PDF sets out the order of the preliminary check: what is established, which facts close a programme and how the file is prepared.
- The essentials firstWhy the check comes before any cost rather than after filing.
- Two checksThe preliminary one and the official one: how they differ and what they cost.
- The order of workHow the analysis runs: from the biography to filing through an agent.
- What is looked atSix lines of enquiry into the applicant and the family.
- The stop factorsWhat closes a programme by law.
- Your teamWho runs the case and what each specialist answers for.
05 / The order of work
How the preliminary check runs
The order is the reverse of the usual one: eligibility and the risks first, the country and the budget after. A programme chosen before the check often turns out to be closed.
- We go through the biography
Citizenships and statuses, countries lived in for more than six months, the immigration history and earlier applications to investment programmes. This is where it emerges which countries are open at all.
- We look at the origin of the funds
Not only the source of the particular sum but how the capital was built: transactions, stakes, dividends, an inheritance. The investment has to fit that picture.
- We mark the awkward facts
Visa refusals, disputes, a public office, crypto assets, cash turnover. Every such episode gets a written explanation and documents before filing rather than on request.
- We match the programme to the case
The jurisdiction removes some of the risk by itself: a different approach to difficult sources of funds, a different order of interview and a different cost of the check for a family.
- We assemble the file
Certificates, statements, tax returns, translations and the apostille. Documents expire, so the schedule is built backwards from the filing date.
- We file and see the check through
The application is taken by a licensed agent. Then come the answers to the authority’s requests and the preparation for the interview, on one chronology across everyone in the application.
07 / What is looked at
The lines of enquiry into the applicant
Six lines of enquiry that together make the authority’s decision. The procedure in full, with its tariffs and timings, is in the separate guide to due diligence.
- Citizenships and statuses
Every passport and residence permit held, including lost and unused ones. A hidden second citizenship comes to light and is treated as false information.
- The immigration history
Visa refusals, deportations, entry bans and earlier applications to investment programmes. A refusal of any age is visible to the examining authority.
- The source of funds and of wealth
Where the particular money came from and how the capital was built over a career. A gap between the income and the size of the investment is the main cause of queries.
- The business structure
Stakes, beneficial ownership, trusts, holdings and the jurisdictions of registration. The registers and accounts are checked, not only the applicant’s word.
- Court and tax episodes
Closed and live proceedings, bankruptcies, tax claims — across every country the applicant has operated in.
- Open sources
Publications, databases and the public part of social media in every language. Negative coverage is dealt with in advance with a written explanation.
Every line of enquiry is run on every adult in the application, not only on the main applicant.
08 / The stop factors
What closes a programme and what makes the check more expensive
Five circumstances that are established first: they change the list of countries and the cost of the whole work.
Citizenship decides the list of programmesSome countries are closed by the applicant’s passport
Since 2023 the Caribbean programmes have not accepted applications from citizens of Russia or Belarus. Egypt, Vanuatu, Nauru and the European residence permits set no such limit.
A visa refusal can be an outright barNot a matter of judgement but a rule of law
The law of Saint Lucia obliges the authority to refuse an applicant who has been refused a visa by a country with visa-free access. Finding that out after the fees are paid is the most expensive mistake there is.
PEP status is not a bar but a different routeAn enhanced check and a longer wait
A public office held by the applicant, a relative or a partner brings the wider procedure: more documents, a longer consideration and sometimes a raised fee.
Not everyone accepts a crypto sourceTracing and confirmation from the exchanges are required
Some programmes work with crypto assets only after conversion into fiat through a bank with full KYC. The history of the transactions is gathered in advance.
The whole family is checkedOne person’s weak point bears on the whole application
The check is charged for every adult in the application: $5,000 a head in Grenada, $4,000 for everyone from 16 in Dominica. A question about one person holds up everybody.
09 / Your team
Who goes through your situation
The preliminary assessment is led by the lawyers who run cases under these programmes.
The editorial record
The material was prepared and checked by
- First published
- 11 August 2026
- Last updated
- 11 August 2026
The official sources
- The Citizenship by Investment Unit of Saint Lucia — the grounds for refusalGovernment of Saint Lucia, CIU · checked 11.08.2026The rule requiring refusal where an applicant has been refused a visa by a visa-free country.
- The Citizenship by Investment Committee of GrenadaGovernment of Grenada, CBI Committee · checked 11.08.2026How the check runs, what information is examined and the fees for the adults in an application.
- The Citizenship by Investment Unit of DominicaCommonwealth of Dominica, CBIU · checked 11.08.2026The check fees by age and how the enhanced check is run.
- The consolidated sanctions list of the EUEuropean Union, EU Sanctions Map · checked 11.08.2026The primary source on sanctions restrictions, against which the checking is done.
10 / Common questions
Questions about the check before filing
What is checked before an application is filed?
Eligibility: citizenships and statuses, countries of residence, the immigration history with any visa refusals, convictions, sanctions and PEP factors, the origin of the funds and the business structure. The point of the preliminary check is to see which programmes are open before any money is spent.
What does the preliminary check cost?
Nothing. It takes the form of a conversation and involves no documents. What is paid for is the official check after filing: the fees are paid on filing and are not returned on a refusal.
Do I have to mention an old visa refusal?
Yes, always. A refusal of any age is visible to the examining authority. Disclosed and explained it passes in most programmes; hidden, it becomes a refusal for false information and the loss of the fees.
Does a conviction close a programme?
It depends on the offence, how long ago it was and whether it is spent. Some episodes are no bar but call for a legal opinion and documents in the file in advance. Live proceedings or a wanted notice close the programmes outright.
What counts as evidence of the source of funds?
A documented chain from the earnings to the account the investment leaves: contracts, tax returns, statements over the period, and where needed an auditor’s report. Cash without documents is not evidence.
Are family members checked?
Yes, every adult in the application on the same lines of enquiry. A problem with one person delays or closes the whole application, so the check runs across the family at once.
Does citizenship affect which programmes are open?
Yes. Since 2023 the Caribbean programmes have not accepted applications from citizens of Russia or Belarus. Egypt accepts citizens of any country on the general terms; the European residence permits set no limit by citizenship.
How long does the file take to prepare?
From a month with a simple structure to several months where there are crypto assets, stakes in several jurisdictions or a complicated history of capital. Certificates expire, so the schedule is built backwards from the filing date.
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Take the guide and a preliminary assessment
We will send the PDF on checking an applicant and go through your situation without any documents.
- What is established before filing, and in what order
- Which facts close a programme by law
- How the source-of-funds file is prepared
- A map of the risks in your own situation