Dominica passport for the IT specialist: how to travel visa-free to 140+ countries

Ashat is an IT specialist from Kazakhstan who develops mobile and web applications for fintech companies and startups. He works remotely, so he isn’t tied to a specific country or city.

He dreamed of travelling the world—spending winters in the Caribbean, springs in Europe, and summers by the ocean in Latin America. He also wanted to visit San Francisco and New York. However, with a Kazakhstan passport, most destinations required a visa. Getting a Schengen visa could take weeks, and applying for a US visa involved an interview and a lengthy process.

In March 2024, Ashat received a Schengen visa for Czechia, where he spent two months. He enjoyed the historical architecture, Czech cuisine, and the convenience of coworking cafés.

As his visa was about to expire, he had to decide what to do next. He needed a new visa to continue travelling in Europe or stay legally in Czechia. He didn’t want to return to Kazakhstan, but staying in Europe without a visa wasn’t possible.

Ashat,

Obtained a Dominica passport

That’s when I realised I no longer wanted to depend on circumstances. I was tired of spending time and effort just to stay in a new country for a short period. On top of that, there was no guarantee I wouldn’t be denied a visa next time without explanation.

I made a plan: move somewhere where external factors wouldn’t limit me and find a way to break free from the Schengen visa cycle.

When Ashat’s Schengen visa expired, he travelled to Phuket, a familiar place for him. As a temporary solution, he obtained a Digital Nomad Visa in Thailand.

The Digital Nomad Visa made it easier to stay in Thailand, but it didn’t solve his main problem—he still needed visas to travel to Europe or the US.

That’s when he started looking for a way to gain true travel freedom. A simple ChatGPT search—“how to travel without visa restrictions”—introduced him to citizenship and residence by investment.

The AI also suggested several companies that could provide professional consultation. After exploring his options, Ashat chose Immigrant Invest and scheduled an online meeting to learn more.

In June 2024, Ashat reached out to Immigrant Invest for a consultation. He shared details about his work, goals, and budget, considering both residence and citizenship by investment as potential options.

His main criteria were:

• maximum visa-free travel opportunities;

• visa-free access to Europe;

• minimal costs for obtaining the status.

Immigrant Invest’s lawyers first introduced Ashat to Digital Nomad Visas in Portugal, Hungary, and Spain. These visas provide residence permits and allow visa-free entry into the Schengen Area. They also don’t require direct investments.

Despite these advantages, the Digital Nomad Visa didn’t fully meet Askat’s needs due to:

• limited visa-free access—only within the Schengen Area;

• minimum stay requirements in the country of residence.

To better match his goals, the experts suggested alternative options:

1. Permanent residency in Malta or a residence permit in Greece. Both enable visa-free travel within the Schengen Area and have no residency requirements, unlike the Digital Nomad Visa.

2. Dominica citizenship. Provides visa-free access to 146 countries, including the Schengen Area, China, and Singapore.

3. Grenada citizenship. More expensive than Dominica but offers visa-free travel to 149 countries.

All options offered greater travel freedom, allowing Ashat to move without constant visa concerns.

During the consultation, Ashat was already leaning toward Dominica citizenship as the best option. However, he decided to take some time to carefully consider his choice before proceeding.

A few days after the consultation, Ashat confirmed his decision to proceed with the Dominica citizenship by investment.

Several factors influenced his choice, but the decisive reason was the low investment requirement for a single applicant while still offering broad visa-free travel opportunities.

In addition to visa-free access to the Schengen Area, a Dominica passport allowed travel to numerous destinations worldwide, making it the most practical and cost-effective solution for Ashat.

Another key advantage of the Dominica Citizenship by Investment program was the entirely remote application process—Ashat didn’t need to visit the country at any stage of obtaining his passport.

To qualify, he had to choose between two investment options:

• non-refundable contribution to the Economic Diversification Fund starting — $200,000+ for a single applicant;

• real estate investment — $200,000+ plus additional fees, such as a $75,000 government charge.

Ashat opted for the donation to the Economic Diversification Fund, as it had lower total costs and didn’t require extra expenses related to property investment.

By law, investors cannot submit citizenship applications on their own—only an official representative of the program can handle the process on their behalf.

Immigrant Invest’s legal team compiled a list of required documents for Ashat:

• passport;

• national ID card;

• birth certificate;

• higher education diploma;

• police clearance certificate;

• proof of residence;

• bank statement for the last 12 months;

• eight passport-sized photos;

• employment letter stating position and salary;

• detailed CV;

• professional and personal references;

• medical test results.

All documents had to be translated into English, and the Immigrant Invest legal team assisted with notarisation and apostille certification. It took three weeks to complete the preparation of all documents.

Ashat had received his Dominica passport two months ago and is already making the most of his new freedom.

As soon as Ashat was granted citizenship, he flew to Europe and is now working remotely from Lisbon. His plan is to test a new lifestyle—changing countries every two weeks to explore different places while maintaining his work routine.

After spending time in Europe, Ashat’s next stop is the United States. With Dominica citizenship, he can now apply for a B‑1/B‑2 US visa valid for 10 years. This visa allows him to stay in the US for up to 180 days per year, giving him the chance to live in New York and San Francisco, just as he had always dreamed.