Caribbean citizenship by investment for travel: visa-free countries and entry requirements

Citizens of Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, St Lucia, Dominica, and St Kitts and Nevis travel freely to more than 145 countries.

The list of visa-free destinations includes the EU states, the UK, and Singapore. Grenada and Dominica passports provide visa-free entry to China.

Citizens of four Caribbean countries — Antigua and Barbuda, St Lucia, Grenada, and St Kitts and Nevis — enter the UK without visas and stay in the country for 180 days a year. It’s possible because all of them are members of the Commonwealth of Nations. The passport must be valid during the whole stay in the UK.

A US tourist visa is available under a simplified procedure to Caribbean passport holders. US consulates issue visas in 2—3 weeks, and the visa will be valid for 10 years. Other countries’ citizens, e.g. from Azerbaijan, have to wait for a US tourist visa for 3—4 months or longer.

Investors with Grenada citizenship qualify for the E‑2 business visa to the USA. The visa allows its holder to enter the country an unlimited number of times, live and work in the USA, and educate children in local schools and universities.

The E‑2 visa is valid for 5 years. However, it can be extended an unlimited number of times.

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There are situations when states close their borders. For example, most countries closed their borders to foreigners due to the pandemic in 2020. But there are categories of foreigners and circumstances that are usually not subject to restrictions, wholly or partially.

Business trips are allowed to resolve urgent issues that require personal presence at negotiations or production. Visiting consulates and government agencies is also an important reason for foreign trips.

You need to present one of the documents at the border: an invitation from a business partner or government agency, contracts, and confirmation of the appointed meeting date.

Zhang Wei,

A pharmaceutical company owner. He got a Grenada passport in June 2020

My business is supplying medications and medical equipment to China. Due to the pandemic, work increased in 2020, and we urgently had to look for new partners. I needed to leave the country and meet with manufacturers in Germany, Switzerland and the USA. However, it was almost impossible to get a visa.

I got Grenada citizenship to solve my travel problem. I asked my business partners for invitations and presented contracts at the border. But there was no headache with visas whatsoever.

Family reunification is possible if a relative is a foreign country’s citizen or resident. Entry is allowed in case of important events or emergencies. These include the birth of children or grandchildren, weddings, funerals, and caring for sick relatives.

At the border, you need to present one of the documents: an invitation from a relative, a marriage certificate, children’s birth certificates, confirmation of the urgency, and the conclusion of the relative’s attending physician.

Aigul and Yusuf,

The spouses are St Kitts and Nevis citizens

We obtained St Kitts and Nevis citizenship in May 2019. In September, our daughter went to study at a private school in Austria.

When the borders closed, we were in Turkey, and our daughter was in Vienna. We collected documents: that we were parents and that our minor child was studying in the country on a student residence permit. A visa is not needed with a Caribbean passport, so we crossed the border freely. We lived in Austria for two months until our daughter was transferred to distance learning.

Studying at universities and schools abroad. International students have the right to return to their country of study if the university requires a personal presence in the classroom. The rule applies to boarding schools, language schools, and colleges.

You need to present one of the documents at the border: a student residence permit, an agreement with a university or school, and confirmation of full-time education.

Mainur,

A student and a St Lucia citizen

I study in Germany at the Technical University of Berlin. In the spring of 2020, we were transferred to distance learning, and all international students had to return home. And then there were rumours that full-time education would return. As a result, lectures were conducted online, but exams still had to be taken at the university.

My family lives in Nur-Sultan. Three years ago, we got St Lucia passports. I went to Germany with a second passport to renew my student residence permit and stay to study. I don’t know how to pass the exams sitting at home in Kazakhstan. It would probably have been organised somehow. But I’m glad I managed to avoid those problems.

Scheduled or emergency medical treatment is generally permitted in case of severe illness, elective surgery, or accidents. A guardian, caregiver or child may travel with the patient to the country of treatment.

You need to present one of the documents at the border: an agreement with a medical institution, a confirmation of the need for planned or urgent treatment, and an employment contract for a nurse.

Nicolas,

A Grenada citizen

I had planned heart surgery at a private clinic in the UK in April 2020. Since last autumn, we had planned the trip when no one had thought about the pandemic yet. But I must have had a second sight and got a Grenada passport.

Visas are always a hassle. When the pandemic started, most countries stopped issuing visas. I calmly collected the papers and went with a second passport. After the operation, I stayed in the UK for another four months and managed to return home just before the second wave of the pandemic.

Representatives of certain professions. Entry restrictions do not apply to:

• medical professionals and researchers in the field of medicine;

• caregivers for children, the disabled, and the elderly;

• suppliers of medicines, medical equipment, and food;

• diplomats and employees of humanitarian missions;

• employees of international organisations, such as UN agencies;

• military;

• border area workers and seasonal workers;

• transport drivers.

You need to present one of the documents at the border: an employment contract, a confirmation from the employer, a work permit, a diplomatic passport, a military ID, a driver’s licence, or a pilot’s licence.

The Caribbean passport is ideal for travelling for different purposes. It helps investors solve problems even with closed borders. But countries regularly review entry conditions, so exceptional circumstances can also be added or excluded.

Immigrant Invest lawyers recommend checking on the consulate websites what rules are in force in the destination country before the trip.

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Investors face practical issues after obtaining citizenship. For example, whether a Caribbean passport is suitable for travelling, how to use the new passport, to whom and what document should be presented when crossing the border.

Let’s simulate the situation: an Azerbaijani citizen got Grenada citizenship. They are planning a trip to Germany. There can be any other passport instead of the Azerbaijani one, e.g., a Turkish, Egyptian, or Chinese passport.

Which passport to present at the airline counter? A passenger usually presents a ticket and a visa that gives the right to enter Germany. Caribbean citizens have the right to visit Germany without a visa, so they present a Grenada passport at the airline counter.

Which passport to present at the passport control when leaving Azerbaijan? A citizen of Azerbaijan must leave the country with their Azerbaijani passport. They also present the boarding pass.

Which passport to present at the passport control in Germany or any other EU country? When entering Germany, you need to present a Grenada passport, as it replaces a visa when visiting the EU countries.

Vladlena Baranova,

Head of Legal & AML Compliance Department, CAMS, IMCM

When crossing the border with a Grenada passport, they may ask how you got citizenship. It would be best if you answered honestly that you participated in the citizenship by investment program.

Which passport to present when returning to Azerbaijan? The investor needs to show their Azerbaijani passport to the border guards. The second Caribbean passport is not used until a new trip.

Five Caribbean countries offer to obtain second citizenship by investing in the country’s economy:

• Antigua and Barbuda — $230,000+;

• Dominica — $200,000+;

• St Lucia — $240,000+;

• Grenada — $235,000+;

• St Kitts and Nevis — $250,000+.

Different investment options include a non-refundable contribution, purchase of real estate or bonds, or financing local businesses.

Obtaining a Caribbean passport takes six to eight months. The requirements for applicants are similar under all Caribbean citizenship by investment programs. Learn how to choose a country and get its citizenship from an interview with an Immigrant Invest CBI program expert.