Comparison of St Kitts and Nevis & St Lucia passports: which one to choose?

Right to travel freely. Investors considering second Caribbean passports often compare the number of visa-free destinations. In this case, 146 countries accept St Lucia citizens visa-free, and 156 states are open for St Kitts and Nevis citizens.

How to get Caribbean citizenship by investment

However, the number of visa-free countries itself doesn’t really matter. What is important is the opportunity to travel freely to popular regions: the Schengen Area, the UK, the US, Canada, Japan, and South Korea.

St Kitts and Nevis and St Lucia citizens visit the Schengen states, the UK, and South Korea visa-free. They get visas to the US, Canada, and Japan fast.

We list visa-free states for St Kitts and Nevis and St Lucia passports in the tables below and highlighted different destinations with icons:

• ❌ means visa-free countries for the St Lucia passport with restricted entry for St Kitts and Nevis citizens or the other way round;

• ⚠️ means that the entry conditions are slightly different. For example, visa-free countries for St Lucia citizens require visas on arrival from holders of St Kitts and Nevis passports.

Visa-free destinations for St Kitts and Nevis and St Lucia citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

North America

South America

Right to a visa to the US. The countries’ citizens get 10-year B‑1/B‑2 visitor visas to the US. They apply to the nearest consulate of the US; for example, in the Bahamas for St Lucia’s and St Kitts and Nevis’s residents. The process of obtaining the visa takes 2一3 weeks.

Visa holders can stay in the US for up to 180 days a year. They can travel, get medical treatment, meet with business partners, and attend events and conferences. They can’t work in the US, for example, speak at conferences for a fee.

Right to preferences in the UK. St Kitts and Nevis and St Lucia were British and French colonies; the states gained complete independence around the 1980s.

As former colonies, the countries are members of the Commonwealth of Nations. Thus, St Kitts and Nevis’s and St Lucia’s citizens study at some British universities on scholarships. Also, they have benefits for doing business in the UK.

Right to retain all passports. Some countries don’t allow their citizens to have other passports. But St Lucia, St Kitts and Nevis don’t prohibit second, third or even fourth citizenship.

In brief, wealthy people get St Kitts and Nevis and St Lucia passports by investing in retaining first citizenship and travelling freely around the world.

Right to move to the Caribbean. St Kitts and Nevis and St Lucia are members of CARICOM, the Caribbean Commonwealth. It is convenient because the states’ citizens can live, work, study, do business, and get treatment in any Commonwealth country without special permits.

15 Caribbean countries of CARICOM are the following:

1. Antigua and Barbuda.

2. The Bahamas.

3. Barbados.

4. Belize.

5. Dominica.

6. Grenada.

7. Guyana.

8. Haiti.

9. Jamaica.

10. Montserrat.

11. St Kitts and Nevis.

12. St Lucia.

13. St Vincent and the Grenadines.

14. Suriname.

15. Trinidad and Tobago.

Caribbean CBI programs offer different conditions for the age of the investor’s family members. It may be important, for example, if a child is 28 years old.

Spouses and parents. There are no age or other restrictions for inventors' spouses. Parents must be over 55 and entirely financially dependent for St Kitts and St Lucian citizenship.

The child’s age frame is 30 under the St Lucia CBI program and 25 under St Kitts and Nevis’s. Also, children over 18 should study in full-time attendance at a recognised secondary or tertiary-level institution under the St Kitts and Nevis program.

Siblings of the investor or their spouse can get St Lucia citizenship if they are under 18 and have a parent’s or guardian’s consent to participate in the CBI program.

Conditions of the St Kitts and Nevis program for siblings are the following:

• under 25;

• unmarried;

• without children;

• financially dependent on the investor or the investor’s spouse.

Investors participate in government-approved citizenship programs to get second passports of St Kitts and Nevis or St Lucia quickly in a few months.

St Lucia’s program has four investment options, and St Kitts and Nevis’s has three. The table below states the minimum costs for a single investor without a family. But investors usually apply with their spouses and children, less often with parents, and occasionally with siblings. In that case, the costs depend on the chosen investment option and family composition.

There are additional investments and fees for every family member and each option. Thus, a future applicant must calculate and compare all variants when choosing a program and an option. Also, it will be a critical nuance for determining if an investor decides to return on investment.

Suppose the investor participates with a spouse and two children, 7 and 19 years old, and chooses a non-refundable contribution to a state fund. In that case, they will pay $174,550 under the St Lucia’s program and $203,144 under the St Kitts and Nevis program.

The expenses of real estate purchases for the same family will amount to $304,500 or $283,144, respectively.

State bond purchase under the St Lucia’s program costs $374,500. If the investor buys real estate or a state bond, he will return the money 5 years after the purchase.

If the investor wants to return investment, the most profitable option will be the state bond purchase under St Lucia’s program. In this case, non-refundable costs will be only $74,500. 5 years later, when the bonds expire, the state will pay the remaining $300,000.

Individual cost calculation for St Lucia citizenship

Get the cost calculation

Duty to retain investment. If the investor makes a refundable investment, they cannot sell a property or bonds before the deadline specified by the CBI program. It’s 5 years for real estate and bonds under St Lucia’s program and 5 or 7 years for real estate under St Kitts and Nevis’s.

The time frames of St Kitts and Nevis’s program depend on property cost. If the investment is $250,000, the retention period is 7 years. If the real estate is worth $400,000, the period is 7 years.

Passport renewal is another citizen’s duty, whether obtained by investment or naturalisation. The passport validity and requirements for renewing the documents are the following:

• every 10 years for St Kitts and Nevis passport holders over 16;

• every 5 years for St Kitts and Nevis passport holders under 16 and every St Lucia passport holder.

Citizens apply at the nearest country’s consulate. It is better to contact the consulate 2一3 months before the document expiration.

Investors and their relatives who got second passports with the help of Immigrant Invest can use our company again to renew the documents.

Keeping within the law is the duty of every citizen of every state.

Some wealthy people get a second passport for relocating to St Kitts and Nevis or St Lucia. In fact, if investors stay in a country 183 days a year or more, they get a tax ID and become tax residents of the state.

Essentially, St Kitts and Nevis taxes are lower than St Lucia’s. For example, there is no income tax in St Kitts and Nevis, which is crucial for many investors.

St Lucia’s income tax isn’t levied on income up to EC$18,400. EC$ is the Eastern Caribbean dollar, the currency of CARICOM, and it always costs 37 US cents.

St Lucia tax rates for excessing income above EC$18,000 are the following:

• 10% for EC$0 to EC$10,000;

• 15% for EC$10,001 to EC$20,000;

• 20% for EC$20,001 to EC$30,000;

• 30% for over EC$30,001.

For your convenience, we compare other St Kitts and Nevis and St Lucia tax rates in the table below.

The population of St Kitts and Nevis and St Lucia is about 250,000 people, mostly of African descent. Only the tenth part of the population is Caribbean Indians and Europeans.

Religion. Many religions, including the Voodoo cult, are present in the Caribbean, but most are Christians.

Language. The official language is English; locals also speak Creole French.

Education. Investor’s children can get a decent education in St Kitts and Nevis and St Lucia. The famous University of the West Indies branch office is in both countries. Teaching at universities is based on British standards of education. The graduates work in the EU countries and the UK with the University of the West Indies diplomas.

Treatment. The countries’ medical systems are based on British medical standards. Modern hospitals provide medical services to the local population. In difficult cases, they fly to the US or Canada. There are many English-speaking doctors in the towns and five-star hotels.

Climate. St Kitts and Nevis and St Lucia are called tropical paradise: the temperature of air and water are about +30℃ all year round. The best months to vacation in the countries are December, January and February. Wealthy people buy villas and rest in winter in the Caribbean.

Entry rules. St Kitts and Nevis and St Lucia are 5 hours flying away from the USA. You can get by plane or ferry from St Kitts and Nevis to St Lucia. For example, the flying fast track lasts 2一2.5 hours, excluding transit time in Barbados. There are many ferry short tracks near St Lucia airport to other islands and five-star hotels.

In conclusion, we list the main outputs for comparing and choosing a citizenship program:

1. On average, participating in St Lucia’s program requires fewer costs than St Kitts and Nevis’s.

2. Both programs have refundable investment options. The state bond purchase in St Lucia is the most popular because non-refundable costs are less than $100,000.

3. The age frames of St Lucia’s citizenship program for investors’ relatives are less strict than St Kitts and Nevis’s.

All in all, the opportunities provided by both passports are equivalent, primarily for visa-free travelling.