The Commonwealth of Dominica Citizenship by Investment Unit (CBIU) the Government office established by Regulation 3 of Dominica CBI Regulations 2024 to administer the Citizenship by Investment Programme; and process all applications submitted for Citizenship by Investment.
The CBIU shall be responsible for –
- administering the Citizenship by Investment Programme
- reviewing and processing all applications for Citizenship by Investment submitted to the Unit;
- ensuring that all due diligence background checks are comprehensive and completed throughout the application process, including compliance with the mandatory interview requirements; and
- providing sufficient information to justify any recommendation to the Minister to approve or deny an application for Citizenship by Investment
Applications must submitted to the CBIU must be done solely through appointed authorized agents. An applicant who is sixteen years of age and over shall undergo due diligence background checks before any decision is made in relation to his or her application.
Financial Intelligence Unit
All background due diligence checks shall be commissioned by the FI Unit which shall engage one or more independent firms to conduct these checks in accordance with the requirements set and instructions given by the Unit. Every due diligence report received shall be examined by the Unit and every applicant shall attend an interview virtually or in person.
The FI Unit shall conduct an enhanced due diligence background check on applicants named in an application for specified countries. The new FI unit will operate under the auspices of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) alongside the Citizenship by Investment Unit (CBIU) and will be responsible for reviewing all applications and commence its operations from Oct 2024.
Data Sharing
The FI Unit shall, on a monthly basis, share with the Joint Regional Communications Centre of CARICOM IMPACS (JRCC) the names and bio data of all applicants who have been denied citizenship of Dominica. JRCC is authorised to share the information in subregulation (11) with any other Caribbean jurisdiction operating a Citizenship by Investment Programme.
The Role of Financial Intelligence Unit shall be –
- Review and process all applications for citizenship made in accordance with Regulations;
- Ensure that all due diligence background checks are comprehensive and completed throughout the application process, including compliance with the mandatory interview requirements; and
- Ensure sufficient information is provided to justify any recommendation to the Minister concerning an application or applicant.
