The Cabinet of St.Kitts Government has amended the Saint Christopher and Nevis Citizenship by Investment Regulations, 2023 which has been published in the gazette and came into effect on Feb 9, 2023. The following rules must be followed when submitting applications to the Citizenship unit.
Application Submission
- CBI applications shall be made on the forms contained in Schedule I to these Regulations and accompanied by original documentation or certified copies of original documents referenced in the forms.
- CBI applications shall be submitted to the Unit only by an authorised agent on payment of the due diligence fees prescribed in regulation 33.
- CBI application forms shall be available only from the Unit upon request by the main applicant or by an authorised agent on payment of the processing fee prescribed in regulation 34.
- A CBI application form shall be completed in the English language and any document submitted with the application shall be in English, or, if the original language of the document is not in English, the document shall be accompanied by an authenticated translation.
- The main applicant shall, with the exception of his or her spouse, provide a sworn affidavit of support for each dependant aged eighteen years or over.
- Each CBI application form must be completed personally by the main applicant or the authorised agent and the following conditions shall be applicable— for a child who is below the age of eighteen, both parents must sign the forms on behalf of the child as the child’s legal guardians; or in a case where one parent has sole custody of a child, or another person has legal guardianship of a child, the appropriate legal documentation shall be provided to demonstrate that sole custody or guardianship of that child was awarded by a court of law or other relevant authority
Police certificate
With the exception of a police certificate, which may be submitted subsequently at a later date before the application is approved, CBI applications shall only be accepted and processed if all forms are properly completed, dated and signed, and if accompanied by all required documents and fees.
Interviews
Every CBI application shall be examined by the Unit and Committee and, if deemed necessary, an applicant may be requested to attend an interview which may be conducted in Saint Christopher and Nevis or at any diplomatic or consular office of Saint Christopher and Nevis.
Due Diligence Checks.
A CBI applicant who is aged sixteen years or over shall undergo due diligence background checks before any decision is made in relation to his or her application. All background due diligence checks shall be commissioned by the Unit, which shall mandate independent professional firms to conduct due diligence checks according to requirements set by the Board of Governors. The Due diligence background check may include the secure collection and processing of biometric and other data including fingerprints and passport verification.
Proof of Enrollment in School.
A CBI applicant between the age of eighteen and twenty-five years who is applying as a dependant of a main applicant shall submit official transcripts from a recognised secondary or tertiary level institution of learning or a letter from the competent authority confirming the applicant’s enrollment at such institution of learning.
Certified Copies
Where a notary public certifies a document to be a true copy of the original, that document must be authenticated by—
(a) an Apostille in accordance with the provisions of the Hague Convention of 5th October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legislation for Foreign Public Documents, in the case of countries that are parties to that Convention; or proof of the expiry date of the commission for that notary public in the case of certification made by notaries public in the United States of America, Canada, and in countries which are not party to the Hague Apostille Convention
Qualifications
(1) Any person who —
(a) is at least eighteen years of age;
(b) has made an investment pursuant to these Regulations; and
(c) meets the CBI application requirements,
may apply as a main applicant to become a citizen of Saint Christopher and Nevis pursuant to section 3(5) of the Saint Christopher and Nevis Citizenship Act, Cap. 1.05.
(2) A person who has—
(a) been denied a visa to a country to which citizens of Saint Christopher and Nevis have visa-free travel; and
(b) not subsequently obtained a visa to the country that issued the denial;
shall not be eligible to apply for Citizenship by Investment in Saint Christopher and Nevis
Approval
The Committee shall make recommendations to the Minister based on its findings in relation to CBI applications under review. within sixty to ninety days of the date of acknowledgment of a CBI application made under this regulation by the Unit, the Unit shall notify the authorised agent on behalf of the main applicant whether the application
has been—
(a) approved-in-principle;
(b) denied; or
(c) delayed for cause and still being processed
CBI applicants shall not be added after approval-in-principle unless such applicants are children born before the Certificate of Registration is issued to the main applicant.
Payment Time Frame
No later than ninety days after the date of a notification of approval-in-principle pursuant to sub-regulations (7) and (10), the main applicant shall be required to prove that the non- refundable minimum contribution to the Sustainable Growth Fund has been deposited into the account of the Fund before the grant of Citizenship by Investment
Exclusion of Fees
The following sums shall be excluded from the minimum investment sum—
(a) International Marketing Agent commissions;
(b) authorised agent fees;
(c) advances to the main applicant or dependants of any nature;
(d) financial returns, guaranteed returns, advances or any type of payments to the
main applicant or dependants of any nature;
(e) due diligence background check fees;
(f) Post approval-in-principle CBI application fees;
(g) CBI application processing fees;
(h) any other commissions of any nature; and
(i) any other related fees listed in regulation 35.
Application Rejection
A CBI applicant who—
(a) has provided false information on his or her application form;
(b) has a criminal record;
(c) is the subject of a criminal investigation;
(d) is a potential national security risk to Saint Christopher and Nevis or to any other country;
(e) is involved in any activity likely to cause disrepute to Saint Christopher and Nevis; or
(f) has been denied an entry visa by a country to which citizens of Saint Christopher and Nevis have visa-free travel;
shall not be approved for Citizenship by Investment.
