Situated between the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean sea, Antigua and Barbuda is a beautiful island country in the West Indies. Famous for its charming white sand beaches, tropical climate, welcoming population, and a thriving economy, Antigua and Barbuda is one of the most appealing destinations for tourists as well as foreign business investors. So if you are eyeing a citizenship in this stunning country, then the Antigua and Barbuda Golden Visa investment program is just the perfect solution for you. Read this article to know everything about the Antigua and Barbuda Golden Visa – Application process, investment options, documents required, and more.

Antigua and Barbuda Golden Visa Program – Eligibility

The Antigua and Barbuda Golden Visa Program, also known as the Citizenship by Investment Program, makes it possible for high-net-worth individuals to receive citizenship in exchange for an investment in the country. The applicant must fulfill the following criteria:

  • The applicant should be over 18 years old at the time of the visa application process.
  • The applicant investing should do so in a government-approved program.
  • The applicant should have no criminal record.
  • The applicant should also be able to pass stringent background and security tests as directed by the government.

Antigua and Barbuda Golden visa Program – Investment Routes

Antigua-and-barbuda-investment-routes

To obtain a golden visa in Antigua and Barbuda, an applicant must direct his/her foreign investment through any of these routes:

National Development Fund (NDF) To obtain a golden visa, applicants need to contribute a minimum of $100,000 to the government-led NDF (National Development Fund). This investment option allows you to have citizenship of the country through a one-time payment. but for each additional applicant, you have to submit processing and government fees.
Business Investment You are eligible for the business scheme if you can invest at least $1.5 million. Two or more applicants may make a joint investment with an individual minimum of at least $400,000 and a total investment of at least $5 million.
 Real Estate Investment For the real estate option, you must purchase a property with a minimum amount of $400,000– the purchase has to be in a development pre-approved by the Antigua and Barbuda government. Alternatively, the applicant can purchase shares or units in an approved property, worth at least $200,000. You have to maintain your investment for at least five years before you can sell it.
 University of the West Indies (UWI) Fund If you choose this option, you have to make a non-refundable contribution of  $150,000 to the UWI fund for a family of six members (Inclusive of processing fees). For families with seven members or more, you need to pay processing fees US$15,000 for each additional dependent.

 

Antigua and Barbuda Golden Visa – Joint Investment

To acquire the Antigua and Barbuda Investor visa through business investment or real estate investment, you can also avail the option of joint investment in them. Just make sure to follow these guidelines.

Joint Business Investment

You can make a joint investment with a business partner or more in a business that is approved by the government. Applicants must note that each business partner must invest a minimum of USD 400,000 and the total investment should amount to USD 5 million.

Joint Real Estate Investment

In this case, the applicant needs to invest with a party in an approved real estate project, where each party needs to invest a minimum amount of USD 200,000.

Antigua and Barbuda Golden Visa – Application Process

  1. As the first step, you need to get in touch with an authorized representative licensed agent. 
  2. Secondly, you need to fill up your application form and submit.
  3. As the next step, you need to clear all due fees.
  4. Next, you need to make your investment in Antigua and Barbuda.
  5. Lastly, you need to take your allegiance oath.

Authorized Representative and Licensed Agent

As the very first step for obtaining citizenship in Antigua and Barbuda, you must contact an established authorized representative and licensed agent. It is through them that you can file your application for the Antigua and Barbuda Golden visa. For this, you can contact Global Citizen Solutions. Our team at GCS work continuously with our clients to ensure a smooth application process and deliver tailor-made solutions as per our clients’ needs. For further information, you can contact us here.

Applicants must note that their authorized representative and licensed agent will be the one to collect all documentation, apply for the visa and then share all documents with them once approved.

Complete your application forms

Your authorized representative along with your licensed agent will hand you all the necessary documentation that you need to complete as part of your Golden visa application process. Do keep in mind that you need to fill the application form personally and make sure that all the information provided is latest and correct.

Once you are done filling up the application forms, your local agent will forward your application over to the Citizenship by Investment Unit (CIU) on your behalf. Remember, your local agent will act as a bridge between the Citizenship by Investment Unit and yourself.

Payment of Fees

Once you are done with your application, you need to pay your fees as per the Antigua and Barbuda Golden visa guidelines. Initially, you need to pay the entire diligence fees and 10% of the government processing fee. After your application gets approved, you need to make the payment of the pending government processing fees.

Make your Investment

As soon as you receive your approval letter from Citizenship by Investment Unit (CIU), complete your investment by following the guidelines mentioned by CIU. You will get around thirty days to complete your business investments/donations.

If you have opted for the real estate route, then it might take longer to get your investment processed. So there’s no specific timeline when it comes to real estate investment. But make sure to make the investment as soon as possible so that you have the real estate property purchased in your name.

Take the Allegiance Oath

After your investments have been completed, you along with your dependent family members will get a certificate of registration. For your passport to get processed, you need to submit this certificate of registration.

Your immigration advisers will let you know the date availability for taking the allegiance oath. For taking this oath, you can avail any two of these options:

You can come to Antigua and Barbuda to get your passport and take the allegiance oath

You can also go to your nearest Antigua and Barbuda embassy/consulate in your country to take the allegiance oath and get your passport there itself.

Antigua and Barbuda Golden Visa Fees

After you are done with your investment, you also need to pay additional fees to obtain an Antigua and Barbuda Investor visa. This includes:

  • Processing Fee: $30,000 for a family up to 4 members
  • Due Diligence Fee: $7,500 for a single person

$7,500 + $7,500 for spouse

$2,000 per dependent (12-17 years old)

$4,000 per dependent (18 years old and more)

Applicants must also note that the processing fee and diligence fees will be based on the route of the investment chosen.

Antigua and Barbuda Golden Visa Requirements

You will need the following documents if you are applying for the Antigua and Barbuda Golden Visa:

Application Forms

  • Application form
  • Photograph and signature certificate
  • Medical certificate
  • Investment confirmation form
  • Agent form
  • Passport application form 

Personal documents

  • Passport
  • Birth certificate
  • National identity card
  • Passport-size photographs
  • Police certificate

Documentation Rules

All documents must be certified by a suitable person and according to the laws of the country that the individual is residing in. It should cover the following details:

  • Full name of the individual(in capital letters) 
  • The role that the individual is acting in 
  • The individual’s home or business address
  • Phone number and email id

Please note that your documents can also be certified by a notary public and should be authenticated by appropriate legal authorities.

Antigua and Barbuda Citizenship benefits

Antigua-and-Barbuda-Citizenship-benefits

There are many benefits that Antigua and Barbuda provides to its citizens. They include:

  • Amazing beach lifestyle
  • Tropical climate
  • Thriving economy and real estate market
  • No travel requirements to obtain citizenship
  • Visa free access to over 140 countries across the world
  • Entire family is eligible for the Citizenship by Investment program
  • Offers citizenship in return of a minimum investment of $100,000
  • The country allows dual citizenship
  • Good location and have established air connections to popular cities worldwide
  • Antigua and Barbuda tax benefits include no tax on worldwide income

Antigua and Barbuda Citizenship by investment program – Eligibility

  • Applicants must be 18 years or more
  • Applicants should have a very good personal net worth
  • Applicants should be of outstanding character
  • Applicants must be in good health
  • Applicants should have no criminal record
  • The applicant should be able to take the allegiance oath either in Antigua and Barbuda or in an embassy/consulate of Antigua and Barbuda in his/her country,

Antigua and Barbuda Visa Requirements

This is a list of all the countries to which Antigua and Barbuda passport holders have visa-free access or visa-on-arrival access. Countries that require a visa are also included.

Country Visa Requirements
Afghanistan visa required
Albania visa-free/90 days
Algeria visa required
Andorra visa-free/90 days
Angola pre-visa on arrival
Argentina visa required
Armenia eVisa/120 days
Australia eVisa
Austria visa-free/90 days
Azerbaijan COVID-19 ban
Bahamas visa-free/240 days
Bahrain eVisa
Bangladesh visa on arrival/30 days
Barbados visa-free
Belarus visa-free/30 days
Belgium visa-free/90 days
Belize visa-free
Benin eVisa
Bhutan visa required
Bolivia visa on arrival / eVisa/90 days
Bosnia and Herzegovina visa-free/90 days
Botswana visa-free/90 days
Brazil visa-free/90 days
Brunei visa required
Bulgaria visa-free/90 days
Burkina Faso visa required
Burundi visa on arrival/30 days
Cambodia eVisa/30 days
Cameroon visa required
Canada visa required
Cape Verde visa on arrival (EASE)
Central African Republic visa required
Chad visa required
Chile visa-free/90 days
China visa required
Colombia visa-free/90 days
Comoros visa on arrival/45 days
Congo visa required
Congo (Dem. Rep.) eVisa/90 days
Costa Rica visa-free/90 days
Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) pre-enrollment/90 days
Croatia visa-free/90 days
Cuba visa-free/30 days
Cyprus visa-free/90 days
Czech Republic visa-free/90 days
Denmark visa-free/90 days
Djibouti eVisa
Dominica visa-free
Dominican Republic visa-free
Ecuador visa-free/90 days
Egypt visa on arrival / eVisa/30 days
El Salvador visa-free/90 days
Equatorial Guinea visa required
Eritrea visa required
Estonia visa-free/90 days
Eswatini visa-free/30 days
Ethiopia eVisa
Fiji visa-free/120 days
Finland visa-free/90 days
France visa-free/90 days
Gabon eVisa
Gambia visa-free/90 days
Georgia visa-free/360 days
Germany visa-free/90 days
Ghana visa required
Greece visa-free/90 days
Grenada visa-free
Guatemala visa-free/90 days
Guinea eVisa/90 days
Guinea-Bissau visa on arrival / eVisa/90 days
Guyana visa-free/180 days
Haiti visa-free/90 days
Honduras visa-free/90 days
Hong Kong visa-free/90 days
Hungary visa-free/90 days
Iceland visa-free/90 days
India eVisa/30 days
Indonesia visa required
Iran eVisa/30 days
Iraq visa required
Ireland visa-free/90 days
Israel visa required
Italy visa-free/90 days
Jamaica visa-free
Japan visa required
Jordan visa on arrival
Kazakhstan eVisa
Kenya eVisa/90 days
Kiribati visa-free/120 days
Kosovo visa-free/90 days
Kuwait visa required
Kyrgyzstan eVisa
Laos visa on arrival / eVisa/30 days
Latvia visa-free/90 days
Lebanon visa on arrival/30 days
Lesotho visa-free/90 days
Liberia visa required
Libya visa required
Liechtenstein visa-free/90 days
Lithuania visa-free/90 days
Luxembourg visa-free/90 days
Macao COVID-19 ban
Madagascar visa on arrival / eVisa/90 days
Malawi visa-free/90 days
Malaysia visa-free/30 days
Maldives visa on arrival/30 days
Mali visa required
Malta visa-free/90 days
Marshall Islands COVID-19 ban
Mauritania visa on arrival
Mauritius visa-free/90 days
Mexico visa required
Micronesia visa-free/30 days
Moldova visa-free/90 days
Monaco visa-free/90 days
Mongolia visa required
Montenegro visa-free/90 days
Morocco visa required
Mozambique visa on arrival/30 days
Myanmar [Burma] visa required
Namibia visa required
Nauru visa required
Nepal visa on arrival/90 days
Netherlands visa-free/90 days
New Zealand visa required
Nicaragua visa-free/90 days
Niger visa required
Nigeria pre-visa on arrival
North Korea visa required
North Macedonia visa-free/90 days
Norway visa-free/90 days
Oman eVisa
Pakistan eVisa
Palau visa on arrival/30 days
Palestinian Territories visa-free
Panama visa-free/90 days
Papua New Guinea eVisa/30 days
Paraguay visa required
Peru visa-free/180 days
Philippines visa-free/30 days
Poland visa-free/90 days
Portugal visa-free/90 days
Qatar visa-free/90 days
Romania visa-free/90 days
Russian Federation visa-free/90 days
Rwanda visa on arrival / eVisa/30 days
Saint Kitts and Nevis visa-free
Saint Lucia visa-free
Samoa visa on arrival/60 days
San Marino visa-free/90 days
Sao Tome and Principe eVisa
Saudi Arabia visa required
Senegal visa required
Serbia visa-free/90 days
Seychelles tourist registration/90 days
Sierra Leone visa on arrival/30 days
Singapore visa-free/30 days
Slovakia visa-free/90 days
Slovenia visa-free/90 days
Solomon Islands visa on arrival/90 days
Somalia visa on arrival/30 days
South Africa visa-free/30 days
South Korea eTA/90 days
South Sudan eVisa
Spain visa-free/90 days
Sri Lanka eTA/30 days
St. Vincent and the Grenadines visa-free
Sudan visa required
Suriname visa-free/180 days
Sweden visa-free/90 days
Switzerland visa-free/90 days
Syria visa required
Taiwan COVID-19 ban
Tajikistan eVisa
Tanzania visa-free/90 days
Thailand visa required
Timor-Leste visa on arrival/30 days
Togo visa on arrival/7 days
Tonga visa required
Trinidad and Tobago visa-free
Tunisia visa-free/90 days
Turkey eVisa/90 days
Turkmenistan visa required
Tuvalu visa on arrival/30 days
Uganda visa-free/90 days
Ukraine visa-free/90 days
United Arab Emirates eVisa
United Kingdom visa-free/180 days
United States of America visa required
Uruguay visa required
Uzbekistan visa-free/30 days
Vanuatu visa-free/30 days
Vatican City visa-free/90 days
Venezuela visa-free/90 days
Vietnam visa required
Yemen visa required
Zambia visa-free/90 days
Zimbabwe visa-free/90 days

 

Antigua and Barbuda Citizenship – Restricted countries

If you are a citizen of any of the following countries, then you cannot apply for Antigua and Barbuda citizenship.

  • Afghanistan
  • Iran
  • North Korea
  • Somalia
  • Yemen
  • Sudan

If you are from one of the above-mentioned countries but have migrated to another country and lived there for a minimum of 10 years and have no economic ties with these countries, then you are qualified to apply for the Antigua and Barbuda citizenship.

Antigua and Barbuda citizenship cost

Antigua and Barbuda – Due Diligence and Passport Fees

Individual USD ECD
Primary applicant  $7,500 $20,250
Spouse $7,500 $20,250
Dependent Child (0-11 years old) $0 $0
Dependent child (12-17 years old)  $2,000  $5,400
Dependent (18-30 years old)  $4,000 $10,800
Dependent parent (55 years or more)  $4,000 $10,800
Passport fee for each person  $300 $810

 

Antigua and Barbuda – Addition of Dependents

Individual USD ECD
Spouse  $75,000 $202,500
Dependent children (0-17 years old) $25,000  $67,500
Dependent parent (55 years old and above) $75,000  $202,500

Reasons to invest in Antigua and Barbuda

Investment-in-Antigua-and-Barbuda

  • You can invest and obtain Antigua and Barbuda passport that offers several benefits like global mobility
  • Owing to world-class education and infrastructure, the country has got a skilled workforce in place
  • Antigua and Barbuda is one of the most tax-friendly countries in the world. No tax is levied on personal income
  • Owing to its stunning natural landscapes, white sand beaches, rich cultural history and more, the country attracts a large number of tourists from all over the world and thus has a thriving tourism sector
  • Since the country has relatively low crime rates, it is quite peaceful, safe and secure

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Antigua and Barbuda passport rank?

As per the Global Passport Index, the Antigua and Barbuda passport ranks at 63rd position in terms of global mobility and other benefits. It allows visa free travel to more than 140 countries, including the Schengen area, the UK, Singapore and Hong Kong. 

Can I get Antigua and Barbuda citizenship by marriage?

Individuals married to an Antigua and Barbuda passport holder for a minimum of three years and have been living together can apply for Antigua and Barbuda citizenship through naturalization.

Can I get Antigua citizenship by parents?

Yes, you can obtain Antigua and Barbuda citizenship by birth, descent or naturalization.

By how much time can I obtain citizenship in Antigua and Barbuda?

It can take around three – four months for your Antigua and Barbuda citizenship application to be processed.

What are the investment options in Antigua and Barbuda?

Through Antigua and Barbuda Citizenship by Investment program, you can invest in the country through the following routes –

  • You can donate to the National Development Fund
  • You can invest in pre-approved real estate projects
  • You can invest in a business that is based out of Antigua and Barbuda. You can invest alone or in a joint investment.
  • You can donate to the University of the West Indies Fund

For further information on Antigua and Barbuda, you can check out our following articles: