The St Lucia citizenship by investment program is created for wealthy people. Applicants receive passports within 3—6 months after the submission of documents. The amount of investments starts from $100,000.
Benefits of the St Lucia citizenship
Visa-free travelling. Investors with St Lucia passports visit 146 countries without visas. States of the Schengen Agreement are among them: St Lucia citizens can stay there for 90 days within six months. Also, St Lucia citizenship makes it possible to travel to the UK, Hong Kong and Singapore without additional documents.
Getting a US visa. The сitizenship of St Lucia makes it possible to obtain a tourist visa to the United States for ten years. Documents are accepted at any convenient American consulate.
Tax optimisation. St Lucia has low taxes. Some taxes are not paid at all — for example, tax on income received in other countries. There are also no inheritance taxes or capital gains.
Сonvinient conditions have been created for companies. Financial reporting is carried out according to international IFRS standards. Companies are taxed only on income earned in St Lucia. In addition, there is no tax on dividends in the country.
Opening bank accounts. Investors with St Lucia passports can easily open bank accounts in EU countries. They are pre-checked by the EU law, but the procedure is much less stringent than usual for third-country citizens.
An account in a European bank allows quick and easy payments in foreign currency and keeps savings in a safe place.
Education in the UK. Some universities in the UK provide citizens of
St Lucia with preferential conditions. Four types of Scholarships by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK (CSC) are available to students from St Lucia. They can also apply for Chevening Scholarships.
How St Lucia citizenship can become a powerful tool for convenient travelling and business expansion
Who can participate in the St Lucia citizenship investment program
St Lucia passports can be obtained by people who meet the conditions of the investment program. The main applicant can apply for citizenship if he is over 18 years old and has no criminal record. Another important criteria is the legal origin of income for investment under the program.
Who can participate in the program with an investor:
- a spouse;
- children under 30;
- parents over 55;
- siblings under 18.
Sometimes family members are added to the program after the investor has received a passport. Citizenship for dependents who were originally eligible for the program can be issued within 5 years from the date of approval of the investor's application. The term for joining newborn children and new spouses of any of the family members is not limited.
Until June 2020, the rules were stricter: the main applicant's siblings did not participate in the program, there were other age restrictions for children and parents.
How much to invest in getting St Lucia citizenship
To become a citizen of St Lucia, applicants are offered 4 investment options. Among them: contribution to the state fund, buying real estate, purchasing bonds or investing in a business.
Investment opportunities to get St Lucia passport
| Minimal investment $100,000 | Minimal investment $200,000 | Minimal investment $300,000 | Minimal investment $1,000,000 |
| Contribution to the National Economic Fund of St Lucia (NEF) | Real estate purchase | Buying government bonds | Investment in business |
How to get St Lucia passport by contributing to a fund
Investors can make a non-refundable donation to the National Economic Fund of St Lucia (NEF). The amount of investment depends on the family members:
- $100,000 — for one applicant;
- $140,000 — for the applicant with a spouse;
- $150,000 — for the applicant, his spouse and two other dependents.
If the investor has more than three dependents, for each family member above this number, he pays another $15,000.
Real estate in St Lucia for investors
An investor buys a share in a property for at least $200,000. The property is usually a five-star hotel or resort complex. The property must belong to a project approved by the government for participation in the program.
The minimum investment amount does not change depending on the family members. Real estate may be sold after five years and return the investment.
Investors who choose this option pay a special government fee. The investor pays $30,000 for himself, $15,000 for a spouse, $5000 for relatives under 18 years old and $10,000 for relatives over 18 years old.
Example of properties to participate in St Lucia citizenship program
Purchase of St Lucia government bonds
In May 2020, the government of St Lucia halved the minimum bond investment. Until December 31st, 2022, an investor can purchase COVID-19 Relief Bonds for $250,000. Previously, bonds were bought for at least $500,000.
St Lucia' Citizenship by Investment Unit announced changes for investors since Jan. 1, 2023: new bond purchase offer — $300,000 instead of regular government bonds for $500,00. The family composition doesn’t matter.
The bonds may be redeemed in 5 years so that the investors can return their funds. Also, there’s a non-refundable administrative fee of $50,000.
Business investment under the St Lucia citizenship program
The applicant can invest in projects that are approved by the government of the country. These can be restaurants, marinas, pharmaceuticals, research companies, and agricultural enterprises.
One investor needs to invest at least $3.5 million and create at least three jobs in St Lucia. It's possible to team up with other applicants and invest at least $6 million while creating six jobs.
Cost of St Lucia citizenship by investment: option comparison
In addition to the investment, applicants pay fees and charges. They differ depending on the option and the family members. Immigrant Invest experts calculate the cost of participation in the program based on the specific situation.
Cost of St Lucia citizenship for a family of four
| Investor, spouse, children of 7 and 19 years old | Contribution to the state fund | Purchase of bonds | Buying real estate | Business investment |
| Investment | $150,000 | $300,000 | $200,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Government fee | — | $50,000 | 60,000 | $50,000 |
| Due Diligence | $17,500 | $17,500 | $17,500 | $17,500 |
| Other fees and duties | $7,350 | $7,350 | $7,350 | $100,000 |
| Total: | 174,850 | 374,850 | 284,850 | 1,167,500 |
How to get a St Lucia passport: step‑by‑step procedure
The procedure for obtaining a St Lucia passport has several stages.
1. Contact a licensed program agent. It is not possible to submit an application and documents without an agent. According to the terms of the program, the applicant can contact only a licensed agent of the St Lucia program.
Our AML Compliance certified specialists conduct a preliminary Due Diligence check. It is needed to reduce the risk of refusal from the government of St Lucia to a minimum level. The verification takes 1 day, it only requires a copy of the passport.
2. Collect documents. To participate in the program, personal documents of the investor and his family members will be required. In addition, financial papers are needed that confirm the legal origin of investment funds.
Our lawyers form a list of documents based on the rules of the program, their experience and preliminary verification data. They fill out forms, draw up legal explanations, affix apostilles and monitor the correct registration of papers.
Document requirements for the applicant:
- National passport.
- Birth certificate.
- Marriage certificate.
- Copies of all pages of a foreign passport.
- Proof of residential address.
- Two photos.
- Diploma of education.
- Medical certificate.
- Documents confirm the sources of investment.
3. Waiting for the results of Due Diligence. When the documents are collected, the investor pays the Due Diligence fee. After that, our experts send the application and a package of documents to the program department so that they can start checking.
Next, the St Lucia program department conducts Due Diligence. The applicant does not need to do anything but wait for the results.
Usually the Due Diligence takes about 3 months. Checking in St Lucia is one of the fastest in the Caribbean.
4. Fulfill the investment condition and get a passport. The state authorities of St Lucia inform the lawyer of Immigrant Invest about the successful completion of Due Diligence. After that, the applicant pays for the investment. Then the lawyers prepare another package of documents, which is necessary for obtaining a passport and a certificate of naturalization.
Passport and certificate of naturalization will be ready within 4 weeks from the moment the investment is transfered. These documents are sent to the address specified by the investor.
One of the benefits of the St Lucia program is that it is completely remote. At any of their stages, the presence of an investor on the island is not required.
The foremost step in obtaining St Lucia citizenship is the Due Diligence check. It is essential to take this stage seriously and not to be refused by the program department. It will block getting a passport for investment in the future.
Immigrant Invest is the only one company on the market with its AML Compliance department. We are following the latest changes in procedures and requirements, so the vast majority of our clients pass Due Diligence without any problems.
Frequently asked questions
With a Saint Lucia passport, an investor can visit 146 countries without visas, including the Schengen area, the UK, Hong Kong and Singapore. The investor can open accounts in the best banks in Saint Lucia, as well as in Europe.
The сitizenship of St Lucia makes it possible to obtain a tourist visa to the United States for ten years. Documents are accepted at any convenient American consulate.
St Lucia has low taxes. Some taxes are not paid at all — for example, tax on income received in other countries. There are also no inheritance taxes or capital gains.
The St Lucia citizenship by investment program is created for wealthy people. Applicants receive passports within 3—6 months after the submission of documents. The number of investments starts from $100,000.
To become a citizen of St Lucia, applicants are offered four investment options.
Among them: contribution to the state fund, buying real estate, purchasing bonds or investing in a business.
St Lucia passports can be obtained by people who meet the conditions of the investment program. The main applicant can apply for citizenship if over 18 years old and has no criminal record. Another important criterion is the legal origin of income for investment under the program.
Who can participate in the program with an investor:
- a spouse;
- children under 30;
- parents over 55;
- siblings under 18.
No. An applicant must contact a licensed, authorised agent who will present the applications on your behalf.
