The Government of Saint Kitts and Nevis has finely tuned the citizenship by investment program expanding premium benefits to families, marking St. Kitts and Nevis as a World’s Premier Citizenship by Investment Programme.
The SKN Citizenship Unit has laid a robust foundation for a world-class Citizenship by Investment experience to family investors, labelling it a “family friendly” CBI program in the World.
The Citizenship by Investment Unit (CIU) of St. Kitts and Nevis has made important modifications to its CBI Programme, particularly affecting the nation’s donation real estate investment options. These modifications are aimed at St Kitts CBI remain competitive, to boost in St. Kitts and Nevis as an investment destination, thus contributing to the Federation’s economic development.
New Changes
- Donation – The Sustainable Island State Contribution (SISC) has been reduced to USD 250,000 for upto family of four (from previous $350,000). Families applying for citizenship benefit from $100,000 savings.
- Real Estate – The New amendments made has slashed minimum Real Estate investment has been down to $325,000 (instead of $400,000) under developers real estate option (hotels or condos). Purchase of Private family homes for citizenship are cut to $600,000 (from $800,000). The adjustments were made to align with the common pricing framework with other CBI nations in the Eastern Caribbean.
- Ilegal discounting – Underselling and discounting of prices are banned under new regulations.
- Backlogs – A specialised Backlog team was assigned to address and resolve the backlog of applications, expediting processes for all stakeholders.
- Faster Approvals – 10-Week Decision Turnaround expected: Processing enhancements now allow CBI decisions on applications to be completed in 10 weeks. The normal processing time is 16-24 weeks.
- New Application Forms-: New application forms were issued, and regulatory updates were made to streamline processes and reflect new investment thresholds.
- Family members – Parents can now be sponsored by main applicant in family applications. The Age limit of parents to be included in the family application now increased to 55 (from previous 65), lowering the previous threshold. Newborns can now be added at a reduced fee of US$7,500 (previously $30,000), making it easier for families to grow within the citizenship Programme.
- CBI Data sharing – Data of Applicants refused by one Caribbean CBI programme are shared with other countries, for automatic rejections.
- CBI Monitoring – St Kitts has established Continuing International Due Diligence (CIDD) Unit in Europe will continue to monitor, passport holders of St.Kitts living abroad for financial crimes, money laundering and other activities. Particularly who are being investigated for committing or have been arrested and/or charged with financial or other crimes internationally, will be notified to Ministry of National Security for cancellation of passports.
The St. Kitts and Nevis CBI Programme is designed to attract foreign investors who wish to obtain citizenship while contributing to the nation’s development.
Requirements
The Programme is open to individuals over 18 who meet the financial requirements and pass a comprehensive due diligence process. Applicants must have a clean criminal record and be of good character. Additionally, the investment funds of atleast USD 250,000 or more, must come from legal sources. Nationals of certain blacklisted countries are not allowed to apply. There are no language, education, or residency requirements, making the Programme accessible to many applicants globally.
Robust Due Diligence
St. Kitts and Nevis CIU implements a robust due diligence process to ensure the integrity of its CBI Programme in strict accordance with both national legislation and international norms. All applicants undergo a thorough background check conducted by independent agencies. It is designed to verify that applicants do not pose any security or reputational risks to the country. All CBI applicants must undergo a compulsory interview as an additional security check. Dependants aged 16 and above may also be required to attend an interview at the discretion of the CIU.
