Comparison of Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica passports

Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica are Caribbean countries located nearly 800 km off the coast of South America.

It’s eternal summer on the Caribbean islands. Winter is the coldest time of year, but air and water temperatures don’t drop below +26℃ even in winter. Tourists like to celebrate the New Year in a Caribbean paradise. Investors often buy villas near the seashore.

Wealthy citizens of some countries, for example, of the states with complex geopolitical environments, can’t freely enter advanced economies, but they need to. They want to contact business partners in other countries for business development and have vacations visa-free. They get second passports for a backup plan or relocation to another country with their family. Most well-known entrepreneurs have 2 to 5 citizenships.

Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica have special citizenship programs for wealthy people who want to obtain second citizenship by investment. The programs have at least two options: contribute $100,000+ to a government fund or buy a property for $200,000+. Also, each program participant pays fees.

Demand for Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica passports grows yearly because the documents allow visit countries of the Schengen Area and the UK visa-free. Dominica’s passport holders travel to China without a visa. Also, citizens of Caribbean states get 10-year B‑1/B‑2 visitor visas to the US.

The chart shows how citizenship by investment demand grows by the year, namely, how many investors have received passports in the last 3 years.

Official data from Dominica is only available for 2020 and reflects the total number of passports issued to investors and their relatives. Our analysts estimate that about a quarter of participants are investors. Approximately 554 passports were granted in 2020.

In 2021, demand for Dominica citizenship increased by about 30% and about 20% in 2022.

Visa-free travelling. Passport holders freely enter states with visa waiver agreements. The number of visa-free destinations changes sometimes. But citizens of Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica don’t need visas to travel to the Schengen for 90 days out of 180, to the United Kingdom 一 for 180 consecutive days, and to Singapore and Hong Kong 一 for 30 days.

The Dominica passport offers a rare opportunity to stay in China for up to 30 days a year without a visa.

Moving to the country. Citizens can move to the country anytime, even with closed borders during a pandemic. Investors and their family members can live in the second citizenship state as long as they want. They may work, study, or get treated without special visas or residence permits.

Taxes. Some investors move to the Caribbean to become tax residents. So they cut tax payments if they live in a country for at least 183 days a year.

No need to give up the first citizenship. Second citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda or Dominica does not require you to give up the first citizenship. The investor remains the legal holder of two passports and equally respects the laws of both countries of citizenship.

Citizenship for relatives. Passport holders can add their spouses, children and grandchildren, parents and grandparents, and siblings to the citizenship program. But their participation in the CBI program is restricted by age limits except spouses:

• children under 30;

• parents and grandparents — over 55 in Antigua and Barbuda and over 65 in Dominica;

• siblings — of any age if unmarried in Antigua and Barbuda and cannot participate in Dominica.

If investors or their spouses decide to add a relative after getting a passport, they pay fees of approximately $35,000+ in Antigua and Barbuda and $26,000+ in Dominica.

Caribbean passport requirements. The principal obligation of all passport holders is to renew the document 2 months before the expiration. You need to apply to the nearest country’s consulate to change your passport. After 2一4 weeks, you get a new document.

The validity of Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica passports are the following:

• 5 years — for holders under 16 in Dominica and the first passport in Antigua and Barbuda;

• 10 years — for holders aged 16 and older in Dominica and the second passport and beyond in Antigua and Barbuda.

Residing in the country. Investors and their family members need to come to Antigua and Barbuda for at least 5 days within 5 first years after obtaining their passports. If the investor got Dominica citizenship, they didn’t need to visit the country.

Citizens of Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica are not obliged to reside in the country permanently.

Both programs offer to contribute to a government fund or buy a property.

The Antigua and Barbuda citizenship program offers two extra options:

1. To contribute $150,000 to the West Indies University Found 一 for families of at least 6 members. One of the family members can study for a year at the University of the West Indies for free.

2. To invest in a company 一 at least $400,000.

Investors seldom use these two extra options. The popular alternative is a contribution to a government fund, because of the minimum investment. Buying real estate takes second place by demand. Although property purchases and fees are higher than contributing to a government fund, it is possible to return money after 5 years.

The costs depend on the age and the number of the investor’s family members. For example, the contribution to a Dominica fund increases by $50,000 if the investor applies with the spouse.

We recommend comparing the essential terms for investors to choose between the Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica citizenship programs:

1. Is China an essential destination for you? If so, choose the Dominica program.

2. Does only an investor want to participate in a citizenship program? If so, choose the Dominica program; it’s the low-cost option.

3. Does an investor with a family decide to participate in a citizenship program? If so, calculate and compare costs for Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica programs. Possibly, the Antigua and Barbuda program would be less costly for you.

4. Consider the age of your relatives participating in a citizenship program with you. For example, if the mother is 60, she can’t participate in the Antigua and Barbuda program.