Is it possible to live in the UK with a Caribbean passport?

When crossing the British border, confirmation may be required that the holder of a Caribbean passport has enough money to live in the UK. The passport itself must remain valid for the entire period of stay in the UK.

Staying in the UK is allowed with a passport of a Caribbean country up to 180 days a year. The term can be divided into several visits or living in the UK for six months in a row.

If a Caribbean citizen enters the UK from Ireland, the period of stay in the UK is reduced to three months.

While in the UK, citizens of a Caribbean country cannot be employed by a UK company or marry in the UK.

If the purpose of moving to the UK is employment or study at a British university, you will need to obtain a residence permit or a passport.

Individual cost calculation for Caribbean citizenship

Get the cost calculation

An investor can get a second passport by investment if they participate in the state investment program of one of the Caribbean countries. Such programs operate in Saint Kitts and Nevis, Grenada, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica and Saint Lucia.

Participants in Caribbean citizenship programs make a non-refundable contribution to the national government fund, buy shares or apartments in approved real estate projects, purchase government bonds, or invest in local businesses.

The amount of investment depends on the country and the chosen investment option.

Conditions for obtaining citizenship of Caribbean countries by investment

Country

Option and amount of investment

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Time for obtaining a passport — 6+ months

$250,000+
contribution to the state fund

$325,000+
purchase of real estate

Grenada

Time for obtaining a passport — 8+months

$235,000+
contribution to the state fund

$270,000+
purchase of real estate

Antigua and Barbuda

Time for obtaining a passport –
6+ months

$230,000+
contribution to the state fund

$260,000+
contribution to a higher education institution

$300,000+
purchase of real estate

$400,000+
business investment

Dominica

Time for obtaining a passport — 6+ months

$200,000+
contribution to the state fund

$200,000+
purchase of real estate

Saint Lucia

Time for obtaining a passport — 6+ months

$240,000+
contribution to the state fund

$300,000+
purchase of government bonds

$300,000+
purchase of real estate

$1,000,000+
business investments

$250,000+

infrastructure project investment

Investors also pay for Due Diligence, fees and duties. The total cost of obtaining a Caribbean passport depends on the investment option and the family composition of the investor.

If an investor buys a share, apartment or villa in a Caribbean real estate project, in five years he will be able to sell the object and return the money invested.

As long as the investor owns the property, he can come to the Caribbean and have a free vacation at the hotel in which he has a share. Also, the investor receives income from the lease of the object, up to 5% per annum. All about real estate in the Caribbean.

Visa-free travel around the world. Caribbean passport holders travel freely to over 140 countries, including the Schengen area, Hong Kong and Singapore. It is allowed to stay in European countries without a visa for up to 90 days in half a year. Citizenship of Grenada or Dominica allows you to visit China without a visa.

US visa for 10 years. Citizens of the Caribbean countries obtain B‑1/B‑2 visitor visas in the United States through a simplified procedure.

Obtaining a visa takes about two weeks, and its validity will be 10 years. You can stay in the United States on a type B visa for up to 180 days a year. Learn how an investor got a US visa with the Antigua and Barbuda passport.

Second citizenship for the whole family. Together with the investor, his relatives can obtain a Caribbean passport: a spouse, children, parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters. All family members must be financially dependent on the investor.

There is an age limit for adult relatives, but it is different for each country. For example, children under 30 can get a passport in Antigua and Barbuda and Grenada. St Kitts and Nevis grants a passport to investor’s children under 25.

If an investor has already received a Caribbean passport, he can still add relatives in the program. As a rule, the accession is given five years after the investor obtains citizenship. But there are nuances. For example, Dominica does not allow siblings to join.

Are the Caribbean programs worth the investment? Revealing their benefits in the video

Quality education for children. As citizens of a country belonging to the Commonwealth of Nations, the children of an investor can receive a prestigious education in schools and universities in the UK. For example, if a child has already completed a bachelor’s degree, they can continue their education in the UK with the Chevening Scholarship.

Access to the services of European banks. With the passport of a Caribbean country, investors go through a bank Due Diligence faster at the financial institutions of the European Union and the United States. In the case of citizens of Caribbean countries, banking Due Diligence takes from an hour to a couple of days, and the risk of rejection is minimal.

Optimisation of taxation. There are no real estate, inheritance, dividend, or interest taxes in Caribbean countries. For other taxes, the rates are low or you can get benefits. For example, tax residents of Saint Kitts and Nevis do not pay income tax, and corporate tax for small and medium-sized companies is levied at a reduced rate of 17%. How an investor became a tax resident of Dominica in two weeks.

We talked about all the advantages of Caribbean passports in the article Why do you need a Caribbean passport: 9 main reasons.