The Citizenship by Investment Programme (CBI) of Saint Kitts and Nevis is the world's oldest citizenship-by-investment programme, established in 1984. It grants full citizenship and a passport to foreign nationals who make a qualifying economic contribution to the country. The passport provides visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to over 150 countries and territories, including the Schengen Area, the United Kingdom, Singapore, and Hong Kong. There is no requirement to reside in or visit Saint Kitts and Nevis before, during, or after the application process. The programme is administered by the Citizenship by Investment Unit (CIU), a statutory corporation that operates under a Board of Governors reporting to the Prime Minister.
The programme offers four routes:
All applications must be submitted through an authorised agent listed on the official CIU website. The agent assists with completing the application forms, gathering documents, and submitting the full package to the CIU.
The CIU conducts comprehensive due diligence through independent professional firms, covering criminal records, financial background, and source-of-funds verification. All main applicants must attend a mandatory interview, conducted virtually or in person. Dependants aged 16 or over may also be called for interview.
Upon approval in principle, the investment must be completed within 90 days, after which the certificate of citizenship and passport are issued. Processing typically takes 90–180 days from submission.
Fees include: due diligence fee of USD 10,000 (main applicant) and USD 7,500 (each dependant aged 16 or over); application form fee of USD 250 per person; and passport issuance of USD 361 per adult. Accelerated (premium) due diligence is available at USD 20,000 for the main applicant.
The following dependants may be included in the application: a legally married spouse; children under the age of 30; and parents or grandparents aged 55 or older. Post-citizenship, additional family members may be added at USD 10,000 per child or USD 30,000 per spouse. Each dependant aged 16 or over is subject to a due diligence fee and may be required to attend an interview.
Saint Kitts and Nevis does not impose personal income tax, capital gains tax, inheritance tax, gift tax, or wealth tax. Tax residency applies only to individuals who spend more than 183 days per year in the country. There are no ongoing tax filing obligations solely from holding citizenship.
As of early 2026 there is still no minimum residency requirement to maintain citizenship, but a 30-day requirement (with at least 5 days in the first year following citizenship) is being phased in. The CIU operates a Continuing International Due Diligence (CIDD) unit that monitors citizens post-approval. Citizenship can be revoked if it was obtained by fraud, misrepresentation, or concealment of material facts. Real estate purchased under the CBI programme cannot be reused by a subsequent buyer for a new citizenship application.
On 8 January 2026, the Government of Saint Kitts and Nevis announced two structural reforms: a mandatory physical residency requirement (30 cumulative days within the first 5 years following citizenship, including at least 5 days in year 1), replacing the historical no-residency rule with a "genuine-link" framework; and global biometric data collection from CBI applicants worldwide. The biometric component was operationalised by the National Biometric Enrolment and Passport Modernisation Programme, which became effective on 14 April 2026, requiring applicants and existing CBI passport holders to provide fingerprints and other unique identifiers when enrolling or renewing passports.
On 22 September 2025, Saint Kitts and Nevis joined Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, and Saint Lucia in signing the agreement establishing the Eastern Caribbean Citizenship by Investment Regulatory Authority (ECCIRA), a single regional regulator headquartered in Grenada with binding standards-setting, agent-licensing, shared-registry, and uniform-vetting powers across all participating CBI programmes. ECCIRA was originally targeted for an April 2026 launch but its full operational rollout is now reported to slip to June 2026.
In April 2026, the participating Caribbean CBI jurisdictions (including Saint Kitts and Nevis) postponed introduction of the mandatory 30-day residency rule by approximately six months, extending application of existing physical-presence regulations until mid-2026.