The St Kitts and Nevis (St Christopher) is a small two island nation in West Indies. St. Kitts, also known as ‘Saint Christopher’ and Nevis forms part of the group of islands known as the Lesser Antilles, located some 2,000 km to the southeast of Miami. The country has beautiful beaches, reefs, wonderful cool climate, enjoyable throughout the year. The country is well connected by flights from US, Europe and the Caribbean airliners.

The Citizenship Program of St. Christopher (St. Kitts) was established in 1984 . It was only in 2000’s the program got mainstream attention, after government revived the program after collapse of sugar industry. In exchange, they and their families are granted full citizenship. The regulations regarding citizenship-by-investment in St. Kitts and Nevis are contained in Part II, Section 3 (5) of the Citizenship Act, 1984.

For nearly 40 years, St Kitts and Nevis has been the pioneer of the global investor immigration industry, charting new territory with forward-looking solutions based on solid legislative principles and strict due diligence policies. The Programme has allowed the nation to thrive, giving Kittitians and Nevisians the opportunity to advance without over reliance on international financial aid. Through its CBI program, St Kitts and Nevis aims to attract distinguished applicants who have demonstrated exceptional accomplishments, possess substantial investment capabilities, and are committed to making significant contributions to the country’s growth and development. High net worth persons looking to invest in professionally regulated projects or contribute meaningfully towards societal advancement, should choose St Kitts and Nevis.

Legal Background

• Saint Christopher and Nevis Citizenship Act 1984 – 2017 
• Citizenship by investment regulations 2011
• Citizenship Amendment Act 2018
•  Citizenship by Investment (Amendment 2) Regulations No 48 of 2020 
• Citizenship by Investment (Regulations) SRO 27 of 2023
• Saint Christopher Citizenship Regulations (SRO 26 of 2023)
• Saint Christopher Rules and Order No. 20 of 2024

Price Increase

The St.Kitts & Nevis Government has announced sweeping changes to the citizenship by investment programme doubling the investment thresholds to USD 250,000, effective from Jul 27, 2023.  All limited time discounts scrapped  by government and SGF fund replaced with SICF fund for the CBI programme. Real estate thresholds increased to $400,000 or more.

Benefits

The St. Kitts and Nevis passport is currently the most popular citizenship by investment program (CIP) in the world.

• Ranked No.1 CBI for 2023.
• Visa free travel to European Schengen area including UK, Europe, Switzerland, Singapore along with other 151 countries
• No residence requirements before or after passport.
• No interviews, no business experience, no english tests.
• No income or wealth tax.
• Citizenship for family members (spouse and children)
• Lifetime citizenship with one time investment
• No restrictions on Dual citizenship.
• Discrete and confidential application process.
• Pass citizenship to descendents and family.
• No personal visit required.
• Visa free travel to EU schengen, UK, Ireland, Switzerland, Singapore etc.
• Citizenship issued in 3-4 months.
• Business incentives for investment.
• Maintain dual citizenship with other nations.
• Right to take up residence in CARICOM member countries at any time and for any length of time.

The CIP program attract foreign investors of good character to make a substantial contribution to the country and then to apply for citizenship and passport complying with strict guidelines under and the relevant law and regulations.

Eligibility

Main Applicant – A person applying as a main applicant under the St Kitts and Nevis Citizenship by Investment Programme must:

• Be at least 18 years of age;
• Have made, or have agreed to make, a legally prescribed investment or contribution pursuant to the CBI Regulations; and
• Meet all CBI application requirements.

Please note that any person who:

• Has been denied citizenship of any country; or
• Has been denied a visa to any country to which citizens of St Kitts and Nevis have visa-free travel, and has not subsequently obtained a visa to the country that issued the denial,
• Nationals of Afghanistan, Russia, Belarus, Iran, Iraq, North Korea (blacklisted)

will not be eligible to apply for Citizenship by Investment in St Kitts and Nevis.

Ineligible Family members

• siblings are no longer eligible to be included as dependants
• grandparents are no longer eligible to be included as dependants
• the minimum age for parents is increased to 65

To qualify for citizenship of St. Kitts and Nevis under its Citizenship-by-Investment Program, the Government requires either …..

2. Real Estate Investment

Designated recoverable Real Estate Investment with a value of at least US$ 400,000 held for seven years plus payment of various registration and other fees. For any accompanying family members, additional costs apply (see below).  You can buy fractional shares, freehold properties with full title in approved CIP projects. Applicants may qualify for citizenship through an investment in a pre-approved real estate project, which may include hotel shares, villas, and condominium units.

Real estate refers to physical land, structures, and resources attached to it, including condominiums, hotels and other immovable properties. A Real estate unit means—

• Certificate of Title to real estate;
• Share in a company registered solely to own real property by Certificate
  of Title;
• Time-share interest issued pursuant to the Saint Christopher and Nevis
  Vacation Plan and Time-Share Act, Cap. 10.22;

On approval-in-principle of an application made through a real estate investment, the following post-approval application fees apply.

Main applicant:	US$25,000
Spouse of the main applicant:	US$15,000
Any qualified dependant under 18:	US$10,000
Any qualified dependant aged 18 or over:	US$15,000

Post Approval Processing Fee

This fee is charged by government for real estate applications.

• Main Applicant: US$25,000
• Spouse Of The Main Applicant: US$15,000
• Any Qualified Dependant Under 18: US$10,000
• Any Qualified Dependant Aged 18 Or Over: US$15,000

Due Diligence Fee (DD Fee)

Main applicant: US$10,000
Each dependant aged 16 or over: US$7,500

The list of government approved property developments are published in the CIU website. The follow are the most popular development projects with the minimum required USD 400,000 investment held for 7 years.

1. Range Developments (Park Hyatt) –
2. Royal St.Kitts Hotel
3. St. Christopher Club Condominiums
4. The Villas at Pinneys Beach (Four Seasons)
5. Four Seasons Resort Estates

The real estate market in Saint Kitts and Nevis has risen significantly in the island because of more arrival of visitors and new flights to the islands and also because of new real estate developments such as 5 star Park Hyatt hotel, Aman resort and Four seasons resort in Nevis contributing to the boom. There is also Marriott hotel in the island. It is also possible to buy a limited partnership share in various real estate properties with minimum $400,000 and qualify for citizenship. Over 70% of the real estate sales are linked to the citizenship by investment program. In St Kitts the rental yields range from 4.9% to 5.3% as holiday occupancy rates are very high in summer peaking $2000 a week. The price of 1.5 bedroom condos and houses starts from $420,000, 3 bedroom condo houses $750,000 averaging $3020 per sq.m

2. Private Homes

The sale of approved private homes under the Citizenship by Investment Programme will be allowed. The property has to be held for 5 years and the next buyer will not qualify for citizenship.

• The Minimum investment in a condominium unit designated as an Approved Private Home is US$400,000.
• The Minimum investment single-family private dwelling home designated as Approved Private Home is US$800,000.

Qualifying property:

• All homes having an appraised value of more than USD 400,000.00
• The property shall be owned by certificate of title, by the vendor
• The value of the land shall not be included in determining the value of the home
• A single family home shall be sold as one unit and shall not be converted to apartments or condominiums or otherwise divided for sale under the Citizenship by Investment Programme
• An apartment building or more than one apartment buildings on the same piece of land shall be sold as one unit and shall not be divided
• The use of shares is prohibited

The following due diligence fees apply to all CBI applications:

• Main applicant: US$10,000
• Each dependant aged 16 or over: US$7,500

On approval-in-principle of an application made through an Approved Private Home investment, the following post-approval application fees apply:

Main applicant:	US$25,000
Spouse of the main applicant:	US$15,000
Any qualified dependant under 18:	US$10,000
Any qualified dependant aged 18 or over:	US$15,000

Resale:

• A property purchased under the Private Home plan shall not be resold for a period of at least 7 years
• The sold property does not qualify for use in a subsequent Citizenship by Investment application

4. Public Benefit Option

The Public Benefit Option is a fourth form of investment under the Citizenship by Investment Programme. The Public Benefit Option will provide the Government with the means of achieving its capital investments goals without having to endure the drawbacks associated with the use of its existing limited resources or from taking additional debt. Any investor who wishes to develop a project which brings substantial benefit to the people of St Kitts and Nevis can apply to the CIU to be designated as an Approved Public Benefactor. They can then apply for their projects to be designated as Approved Public Benefit Projects qualified for sale under this investment option. Approved Public Benefit Projects designated by the CIU will not only maximise local employment but also embark upon programmes including transfer of technology and capacity building.

Under the Public Benefit Option, each main applicant is required to make a minimum investment of US$250,000 in a unit of an Approved Public Benefit Project, to be paid to the relevant Approved Public Benefactor.

On approval-in-principle of an application made through the Public Benefit Option, the following post-approval application fees apply: 

Main applicant:	US$25,000
Spouse of the main applicant:	US$15,000
Any qualified dependant under 18:	US$10,000
Any qualified dependant aged 18 or over:	US$15,000

Due Diligence Fee (DD Fee)

Main applicant: US$10,000
Each dependant aged 16 or over: US$7,500

Visa Waivers

The SKN Passport is one of the strongest passports in the Caribbean region. As of 2023, according to Henley Index, the SKN passport ranks 24th powerful passport in the World with 155 destinations Including Hong Kong, Russia, Singapore, the UK, and Europe’s Schengen Area.  You can download full list of countries with visa waivers in pdf format

Q&A – Additional

What supporting documents are required along with application?

We highly recommend our clients to arrange the following important documents, before applying  for  citizenship program. Normally it takes 1-2 months to arrange for these documents in your home country. There are several other documents needed at a later stage, and we will assist you accordingly.

1. Police clearance certificate. If you have lived in any other country in the past 10 years, you have to obtain, “certificate of no criminal record” in all the countries you have lived in the past 10 years. If you are in US, you will need to obtain police clearance from county and FBI. Please note that, police certificates must be less than six months old at the time you lodge your citizenship application.

2. Two Original birth certificates per person.

3. Documents which are not in English, must be officially translated.

4. Medical certificate with HIV clearance (not older than 3 months)

5. Certified copy of Marriage certificate.

6. Two References from a Lawyer, Banker or Accountant (not older than 3 months)

All the above documents must be certified and authenticated by Apostille. For more information on apostille, please see www.apostilleinfo.com. We can help you with arranging your documents in our office, for a fee.

I have 2 children of 16 years of age and 18 years of age? Will the due diligence to be carried out?

Due diligence will be carried out ONLY for children with 16 years or above. Further children above 18 years of age, need to provide evidence of college enrollment.

We are expecting a new baby and is it possible to get citizenship?

Yes, it is possible. It is subjected to additional fee.

How long does the application process take?

The application process may take as little as 90-120 days but may be delayed for cause. Applicants will be kept appraised of the status of their applications through their authorised person.

Is it possible to appeal against denials?

Yes, it is possible to appeal against denials but it is a long complicated legal process.

Is dual citizenship a problem when i acquire St kitts nationality?

St.Kitts does not report your citizenship to other countries. While most countries accept dual nationality, including St kitts, you should check this with your home country. These are some countries like China, India, UAE countries that does not allow dual or multiple citizenships.. Some countries require reporting of foreign citizenship. Please check with the lawyer

Where to get CIU application forms?

The application form for citizenship by investment can only be obtained through and submitted to the Citizenship by Investment Unit by an authorised agent or person.

Is there a minimum age requirement for an applicant?

The minimum age requirement for the main applicant is 18 years of age. Permitted dependents may be of any age.

What is the maximum amount of dependents allowed by a main applicant?

There is no numerical limit on the number of permitted dependents.

If I am no longer interested in becoming a citizen will my money be refunded?

First of all you have to pay the entire amount only if your application is approved by citizenship unit. If you decide to halt the process in the middle, initial payments anddue diligence fees and processing fees will not be refunded.

What is the minimum investment required if the real estate option is pursued?

The minimum real estate investment required is US$400,000.00 for each main applicant held for seven years .

Can an applicant remit fees directly to the Unit?

Yes. All applicants are required to pay processing, due diligence and Government fees directly to the Government.. Authorized will help with Wire transfers to the Government Citizenship Unit. You can pay by check or bank transfer.

Can two or more applicants apply for citizenship by investment together?

Yes. Two or more applicants may apply for citizenship together by purchasing one piece of real estate, provided each main applicant contributes the minimum investment of US$400,000.00.

What is a Police Certificate?

A police certificate refers to a statement from a national law enforcement authority on the status of a person’s criminal record. It is also referred to as “certificate of no criminal record or “police clearance record”

Who is required to produce a police certificate?

Each main applicant and all permitted dependents 16 years and older are required to produce a police certificate not older than 6 months where you have lived in countries for more than 6 months in the past 10 years.

Can I submit my application in a language other than English?

No. Applications that are not in English are not prescribed or accepted by the Citizenship by investment Unit.

Can I contact Citizenship by Investment Unit (CIU) directly?

The unit engages only with authorised persons. You can contact an authorised person with regards to questions pertaining to your application.

Where can i obtain Apostille?

You can see the authorities who issue apostille by country here: https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/authorities1/?cid=41

Do you offer financing or loans?

We do not provide loans or financing option to clients.  We do not promote any schemes undercutting the minimum required investment as required by government.