Antigua and Barbuda has abolished the oath on the islands
The Government of Antigua and Barbuda has simplified the oath of citizenship by investment programme. It is now possible to take the oath not only in the islands themselves but also at the country’s 15 overseas representations or by videoconference.
Author •Albert Ioffe
Legal and Compliance Officer, certified CAMS specialist
Antigua and Barbuda has abolished the oath on the islands
Under the terms of the investment programme, the foreigner takes an oath before receiving a certificate of naturalisation and an Antigua and Barbuda passport.
Previously, the ceremony was only held on the islands, but because of the pandemic and closed borders, investors could not fly to the Carribean. The government has therefore allowed investors to take the oath online or in other countries where Antigua and Barbuda have official offices.
How to take the oath online
The online oath takes place in a videoconference format such as Zoom or Skype. The ceremony is held in the presence of a notary.
Only a licensed program agent applies for the online oath. In the application, the agent indicates:
investor application number;
the names of applicants over 18 who wish to take the oath;
three dates on which the applicants would like to take the oath. Dates must be selected with a margin of three weeks from the date of application;
place of taking the oath;
the name and license of the notary who will be present during the ceremony.
The licensed agent’s lawyer also completes form AB11, which is attached electronically to the investor’s application.
The programme department confirms the date, time and place of the oath, and approves the notary. The investor then pays the online swearing-in fees.
Online oath cost
On the day of the oath, the investor and the notary contact the department by video link at a strictly designated time. The dress code of the ceremony is office or formal business dress. The oath procedure is recorded on video.
Online oath impossible to organise from Russia
The oath takes place in English in the presence of a notary. He confirms the identity of the investor and certifies his signature on the document with the text of the oath.
Russian notaries, by law, may only carry out procedures in Russian. This condition is enshrined in the “Fundamentals of Legislation of the Russian Federation on Notaries” of 11.02.1993 N 4462-1”.
Decision. If the investor is in Russia, then he has only one option – to personally take the oath at the Antigua and Barbuda office in Moscow.
If the investor is abroad, e.g. in Vienna, he can take the oath online. For this purpose, Immigrant Invest lawyers will arrange with a foreign notary who will be present at the oath with the investor. Immigrant Invest will also arrange a video call with the programme department in Antigua and Barbuda.
In which countries are Antigua and Barbuda representative offices
The investor chooses one of the 15 representations approved by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Antigua and Barbuda. The representations are listed in the official notification from the programme department.
Representative offices where it is possible to take the oath
Country, city
Representation
Russia, Moscow
The Honorary Consulate of Antigua and Barbuda
UK, London
High Commission of Antigua and Barbuda
Spain, Madrid
Embassy of Antigua and Barbuda
Greece, Athens
Embassy of Antigua and Barbuda
Turkey, Ankara
The Honorary Consulate of Antigua and Barbuda
USA, Washington
Embassy of Antigua and Barbuda
USA, Miami
Consulate General of Antigua and Barbuda
Canada, Toronto
Consulate General of Antigua and Barbuda
Cuba, Havana
Embassy of Antigua and Barbuda
Japan, Tokyo
The Honorary Consulate of Antigua and Barbuda
South Korea, Seoul
The Honorary Consulate of Antigua and Barbuda
Jordan, Amman
Embassy of Antigua and Barbuda
Lebanon, Beirut
Embassy of Antigua and Barbuda
Morocco, Rabat
The joint embassy of the Eastern Caribbean countries
Kuwait, Safat
The Honorary Consulate of Antigua and Barbuda
Whether an investor needs to fly to Antigua and Barbuda
If an investor wants to take the oath in one of Antigua and Barbuda’s overseas offices, an application must first be submitted to the programme department
Applications are accepted only from licensed agents of the programme. The agent specifies:
the number of the investor’s application;
the names of the applicants over 18 years of age who wish to take the oath;
three dates on which applicants would like to be sworn in. The dates should preferably be chosen two weeks ahead of the date of application;
the applicant’s country of residence, if it is different from the country in which the investor intends to take the oath. In this case, the dates of arrival and departure to the country should also be indicated.
The amount of fees for the oath has not yet been specified.
The investor should also check that there are no restrictions on entry into the chosen country. For example, whether a certificate of negative coronavirus test is required and whether you have to stay for some time in quarantine upon arrival in the country.
Whether an investor needs to fly to Antigua and Barbuda
An investor must fly to Antigua and Barbuda within the first five years of obtaining a passport in order to meet the mandatory condition of staying in the country for 5 days.
Because of the pandemic, investors are not allowed to fly to the islands until 31 August 2021. The government may extend this deadline if the global epidemic situation does not improve.
How to Obtain Citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda in 2021
Antigua and Barbuda grant passports to foreigners who invest in the country’s economy. In 2020, 366 investors from around the world took advantage of the opportunity. They added 115.7 million Eastern Caribbean dollars, or about US$42.8 million to the country’s budget.
How much and what to invest in. Four investment options are available to investors:
$100,000 — non-refundable contribution to the National Transformation Fund;
from $150,000 — contribution to the University of the West Indies Foundation. The option is only valid for families of six or more people;
from $200,000 — purchase of a share, apartment or villa in a government-approved property;
from $1.5 million — investment in a local business.
Contributing to the National Transformation Fund is the most popular option. It is chosen by around 80% of programme participants. In second place is the purchase of real estate: the annual return on rental properties in Antigua and Barbuda is around 4%. It takes 5 years to own the property and then the property can be sold to recover the investment.
Programme costs: Contribution and purchase of real estate
Duration and procedure for participation in the programme. An Antigua and Barbuda passport can be obtained in three to six months. The Department begins processing the investor’s application as soon as it receives it and copies of the documents electronically. The originals can be sent later, as can the fees and due diligence checks.
We’ve talked about all the latest changes to Antigua and Barbuda’s citizenship programme in the article 'What’s New in the Caribbean'.
The passport of Antigua and Barbuda is a convenient travel document with which you can visit 165 countries of the world without visas. Among them are the Schengen countries, Great Britain, Singapore and Hong Kong. Also, citizens of Antigua and Barbuda can apply for a visa to the United States for 10 years using a simplified procedure that is not available to Russians.
Immigrant Invest is a licensed agent of the Antigua and Barbuda citizenship programme. If you wish to obtain a second passport, seek advice from the investment programme experts.
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