How much does Antiguan citizenship cost
and who is eligible to apply?
A foreign national above 18 years of age is eligible to apply for citizenship of Antigua and
Barbuda. The applicant shall possess sufficient funds, have a clean criminal record, and be in good health. The
main applicant can add his or her relatives to the application for Antiguan citizenship including the spouse,
children of up to 28 years of age, and parents of over 58 years of age. If children between 18 and 30 are included
in the family application, they have to be full-time university students.
The main applicant can appoint an alternate main candidate at application filing. The
alternate candidate must:
• be an adult (18+);
• demonstrate good character (no criminal record);
• have authority to act on behalf of the main applicant in the event of the latter's death or
incapacitation.
Citizens of the following countries are not eligible to apply for citizenship of Antigua and
Barbuda: Afghanistan, Iran, North Korea, Somalia, Yemen, and Sudan.
If the person was born in one of these countries but emigrated to Canada, Great Britain, the USA, Australia, New
Zealand, Saudi Arabia, or the UAE before coming of age, they are eligible to apply.
If the person born in a ‘black list country’ has been living in one of the ‘white list’ countries for over 10
years and if they have no economic ties with their country of birth, they are eligible to apply.
The candidate for Antiguan citizenship has to choose one of the four available investment
options.
The first option is to make a non-returnable donation to the National Development Fund (NDF).
The second option is to make a donation to the University of West Indies Fund (UWIF).
The NDF is used to finance the local health care and education systems, build new roads, and
implement other project of social significance.
The UWEF is used to finance the construction of a new campus of the University of West Indies on the island of
Antigua.
The donation to the UWEF entitles one applicant family member to attend the University free of charge for one
year.
Besides, the Antiguan passport can be acquired in exchange for a five-year returnable
investment in real property in the country or in a business venture there.
The investment can be made only in Government-approved development project and business ventures.
If you choose to invest in real estate, you will be entitled to let your property on a lease right after
purchasing it.
Please see the table below for the required donation/ investment amounts depending on the preferred option.
Citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda
for money: FAQ
What are the basic facts about Antigua and Barbuda?
Antigua and Barbuda is an independent state in the West Indies (Caribbean basin) that has
a maritime border with St Kitts and Nevis in the north and Guadeloupe in the south. The country is composed of
two large islands – Antigua and Barbuda – located 63 kilometers apart and a series of smaller islands (including
Guiana and Redonda). The city of St Johns is the capital of the country and the official currency is the
East-Caribbean dollar.
The area of the country is 442.6 square kilometers. The population is 95.9 thousand people (as of 2018), 97% of
which lives on the island of Antigua. Protestantism is the main confession on the islands as 68.3% of the
residents are protestants.
The island of Antigua was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1493 and named in the honor of Santa Maria La
Antigua church. The island was colonized by Great Britain in 1632 while Barbuda was colonized later, in 1678. On
November 1, 1981, the colonies became independent from the United Kingdom and they formed a unified state. The
new country of Antigua and Barbuda joined the British Commonwealth of Nations. Officially, it is a unitary
parliamentary monarchy.
Can Antiguan citizenship acquired by investment be annulled?
New citizens of Antigua and Barbuda shall spend at least 5 days in the country in total
over their first 5 years as its citizens. You should abide by the law and do no harm to the international image
of the country nor its people in order to retain your passport.
What should I consider when applying for Antiguan citizenship by investment into real
estate?
The first thing to do is choose the construction company/ developer/ property owner that
is qualified to participate in the national citizenship-by-investment program. Besides, you should appraise the
investment potential of the property and learn about the reputation of its owner. When you have chosen the piece
of property to buy, you have to sign a provisional purchase agreement. If your application for Antiguan
citizenship is approved by the authorities, you finalize the deal and become the rightful owner of the property.
Can I acquire citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda for Bitcoins?
The local Government is planning to start accepting Bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies
as payments for citizenship of the country. However, this financial instrument has not been put into full
operation thus far.
On the other hand, some immigration agents as well as developers do accept Bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies
and convert them into fiduciary money on their own. Besides, even though the US dollar is the official currency
that the Antiguan citizenship-by-investment program utilizes, payments can be made in other national currencies
such as euros, for instance.
Do I have to live in Antigua and Barbuda to qualify for citizenship of the country?
No, you do not have to live in the country for any period before applying for its
citizenship. Moreover, you do not even have to visit Antigua and Barbuda to file the application for citizenship
as the immigration agent that you hire can do it on your behalf. At the same time, you do have to spend at least
5 days in the country over the period of 5 years in order to qualify for passport extension (see below).
Children below 18 included in the family application for citizenship do not have to fulfill this requirement
however. Without doubt, you have every right to relocate to Antigua and Barbuda if you wish when holding the
passport of the country.
What due diligence procedures are carried out in Antigua and Barbuda?
No personal interview is involved in the process of applying for Antiguan citizenship.
However, the immigration authorities scrutinize the application documents and conduct stringent security checks
of their own using international databases and they involve independent detective agencies in the process.
What term of validity does the newly acquired Antiguan passport have?
Initially, the new citizen of Antigua and Barbuda is issued a passport that is valid for
five years. If you spend the required five days in the country over these five years, you will be issued a new
passport valid for ten years.
On what grounds may the application for Antiguan citizenship by investment be rejected?
The application for Antiguan citizenship may be rejected for the following main reasons:
- The applicant has supplied false information when submitting the application documents;
- The main applicant or one of his/ her dependent family members has a serious health issue such as a
contagious disease, for example;
- The applicant has been denied a visa to one of the countries that have visa-free travel agreements with
Antigua and Barbuda. If the applicant has been granted a visa to this country on a second (third, etc.)
occasion, this limitation does not apply;
- The applicant has been found guilty of a crime that entails a six-month (or longer) prison sentence in
Antigua and Barbuda;
- The applicant is under legal prosecution at the moment of application submission;
- The applicant is a potential threat to the security of Antigua and Barbuda or any other country;
- The applicant participates in an activity that may do harm to the international image of Antigua and
Barbuda.
Can I acquire Antiguan citizenship without making an investment?
If you marry an Antiguan citizen, you are eligible to apply for citizenship of the
country after three years in marriage. Citizens of the Commonwealth of Nations will qualify for citizenship of
Antigua and Barbuda after permanently living in the country for seven years. Any foreign national permanently
residing in Antigua and Barbuda for seven years is eligible to apply for citizenship by naturalization.
Anyone born in Antigua and Barbuda after October 31, 1981 is deemed a citizen of the country (Jus soli, right of
soil) with the exception of children born to foreign diplomats on their missions. If a person is born outside
Antigua and Barbuda after October 31, 1981 and at least one of his/ her parents is a citizen of the country, he/
she is deemed a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda too (Jus sanguinis, right of blood).
