On 26 March 2020, St Kitts and Nevis temporarily simplified the acceptance of applications for the citizenship programme. For example, the department was beginning to process the application with copies of documents electronically and the originals could be sent later.
The government set up a simplified procedure only for the duration of the pandemic. In January 2021, the department reverted to the standard modernof receiving and processing applications. The decision is confirmed by a notification from the Head of Programme Department.
Participation in the program
from February 1, 2021
The standard procedure for participation in St. Kitts and Nevis Citizenship Program is a five-step process. Namely:
1. Lawyers and an investor
- collecting the documents;
- the investor pays an application and due diligence fee
2. Lawyers
- upload the application form and scans of documents to the department's website;
- send the originals to St Kitts and Nevis by post
3. Programme Department
- reviews the application and the original documents;
- checks the investor due diligence
4. Investor
- receives approval from the department;
- transfers payments under the investment option
5. Investor
receives a certificate of naturalisation and a passport
1. Collection of documents. To apply for citizenship, you must submit all the necessary documents at once. The list of documents includes:
- a completed application form;
- copies of the applicants' passports and ID cards;
- proof of residence, e.g. certificate of registration;
- certificate of no criminal record;
- for children - birth certificate
marriage certificate
higher education diploma; - health insurance;
- receipt for the application and due diligence fees;
- sales agreement and escrow agreement - if the investor has opted to buy the property;
- a cover letter from a licensed agent;
- CV and government forms.
The real estate purchase agreement and the escrow agreement must be notarised. Under the simplified procedure, it was possible to send the contracts without certification.
2, 3. Submission of documents to the department. First, lawyers fill in the application form and upload scans of the documents on the department's website. The originals should then be mailed immediately to St Kitts and Nevis.
The programme department only starts processing the application once it has received the original documents. Under the simplified procedure, the review was started immediately upon receipt of the copies electronically.
Retu ing to the standard procedure would not affect the period of participation in the programme in any way. Under the simplified procedure, the department started reviewing the application earlier but still had to send in the originals before the investor was approved. So the procedure took the same 3-4 months as usual.
Head of the Legal Department of the Moscow office Immigrant Invest
4. Investment. The changes in procedure do not affect the cost of participation in the programme. To obtain citizenship of St. Kitts and Nevis, a foreigner chooses one of two investment options: a non-refundable contribution to the Sustainable Development Fund or the purchase of the real estate.
Costs for the investor and family of four
| Costs | Investor | Investor with spouse and children under 16 years old |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum investment amount: donation or purchase of the real estate | 150 000 $ — donation 200 000 $ — real estate purchase | 195 000 $ — donation 200 000 $ — real estate purchase |
| State fee: donation or purchase of real estate | 0 $ — donation 35 050 $ — real estate purchase | 0 $ — donation 75 200 $ — real estate purchase |
| Preliminary due diligence | 300 $ | 300 $ |
| Due diligence | 7500 $ | 11 500 $ |
| Passport fee | 361 $ | 1444 $ |
| GravityForms processing fee | 250 $ | 1000 $ |
| Bank fee | 200 $ | 400 $ |
| Issuing a certificate of naturalisation | 50 $ | 200 $ |
| Total | 158 661 $ — donation 243 711 $ — real estate purchase | 209 844 $ — donation 290 044 $ — real estate purchase |
Step 5: Obtain a passport and certificate of naturalization. St Kitts and Nevis passport is a sought-after travel document, which by the end of 2020 had been issued to some 20,000 cosmopolitans from around the world. It is suitable for visa-free travel to 156 countries around the world, including the Schengen states, the United Kingdom, Singapore and Hong Kong. Citizens of St Kitts and Nevis can also get a visa to the US for 10 years and the benefits of studying at British universities.
What changes are expected in 2021
St Kitts and Nevis Citizenship Program have been operating since 1984. The government is constantly reviewing the terms and conditions to ensure the program remains attractive to investors.
Two changes announced for 2021 will affect investment in real estate. Under the terms of the program, a foreigner invests from $ 200,000 in the approved object: buy a share, an apartment or a separate villa in the hotel complex. The share or object can be sold after 5 or 7 years.
The schedule of payments to developers will appear on 1 March 2021. The programme department keeps the investment in the property in a special escrow account. The developer must report on progress to the department and strictly adhere to construction deadlines, otherwise, he will not receive any money. We talked about this in the article "Investments in real estate will become more reliable".
Residential properties will become available for purchase under the programme. In February 2020, foreigners can only invest in approved hotel and resort complexes. The government of St Kitts and Nevis has not yet specified when the new investment option will be available or how much to invest.
Immigrant Invest real estate experts suggest that these are detached villas priced from 2 million dollars. We talked about this in the article "Investors will be allowed to buy accommodation in St Kitts and Nevis".
Apartments turnkey with ocean views in Basseterre, St Kitts and Nevis.
Price - from $200,000
Caribbean bungalow style villa in Basseterre, St Kitts and Nevis.
Priced from $1.15 million
Plot to build a house in the Christophe Harbour Resort in Basseterre, St Kitts and Nevis.
Price from $1.3 million
Immigrant Invest is a licensed agent of St Kitts and Nevis citizenship programme by investment. If you want to obtain a Caribbean passport, seek advice from experts in investment programmes.
