Caribbean Passport Visa-Free Countries – An Overview of Caribbean Citizenship

A passport from the Caribbean region is not just a travel document – it is a gateway to over 145 visa free countries as of March 2024. With its unique characteristics and advantages, Caribbean passport by investment programs have become highly sought after by individuals across the globe.

Offering access to a wealth of business opportunities and enhanced travel freedom, this document holds the key to freedom, adventure, and international mobility. Keep reading as we explore the Caribbean passport visa free countries and unlock a world of travel opportunities you’ve been waiting to enjoy.

Number of Visa Free Destinations for Caribbean Passport Holders

The list of visa free and on arrival visa destinations is generally quite similar across the passports that you can obtain from the five Caribbean islands that offer Caribbean citizenship by investment. Caribbean citizens can typically enter popular tourist and business destinations without visas, with key areas including the Schengen states, Australia, Singapore, India, and Brazil.

Having a passport from a Caribbean country comes with a number of benefits, including:

• Visa free travel to over 145 destinations
• A relatively short period to obtain citizenship
• The option to include spouses, children, and other dependents in your citizenship application
• Relatively low minimum investment costs
• No requirement to pay taxes on worldwide income, capital gains, wealth, and inheritance

You can choose from places like Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, and St Lucia when considering obtaining a Caribbean passport, as these countries offer Caribbean citizenship by investment. 

• Dominica passport – Visa free travel to up to 145 countries without a visa.
• St Kitts and Nevis passport – Visa free travel is possible to 154 countries around the world 
• Grenada passport – This passport allows you to visit up to 147 countries without a visa
• Antigua and Barbuda passport – Up to 151 countries worldwide can be visited visa free with this passport
• St Lucia passport – With this passport, 146 countries can be visited without a visa

Visa free countries for Caribbean passport holders

Europe: Visa free countries for Caribbean passport holders in Europe include European Union member states like Ireland, Germany, Spain, Portugal, and Italy.

Asia: Visa free Asian countries for Caribbean passport holders include South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, and countries in the Middle East like Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.

Africa: Caribbean passport visa free countries in Africa include Kenya, Sierre Leone, Rwanda, and Tanzania

Americas: Every Central American country is visa free for Caribbean citizens. Visa free South American countries for Caribbean passport holders include every country besides Paraguay.

Oceania: Visa free Oceanic countries for Caribbean citizens include Fiji, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu.

Crossing Borders as Caribbean Passport Holders

Passports from the Caribbean community are strong, with one of the benefits being that they allow the holder easy access to 154 or more countries. Our Global Passport Index ranks the world’s most powerful passports based on enhanced mobility, quality of life, and investment opportunities.

Successful applicants of a Caribbean citizenship by investment program can use a passport from one of the five countries to enter Germany or any Schengen country, particularly in cases where their first passport is less powerful and has greater travel restrictions.

For example, let’s take an investor with passports from Egypt and Grenada. The Egyptian passport may require the investor to obtain a Schengen Visa to visit any of the Schengen member states. With their Grenada passport, however, they can enjoy visa free entry to these countries thanks to a visa waiver agreement between Grenada and states in the Schengen zone. This means no more grappling with various visa requirements to cross borders, making international travel much smoother.

The number of visa free countries is broadly similar across the five passports that can be obtained through Caribbean citizenship by investment programs. Key locations include countries in the Schengen Area, Australia, Brazil, South Korea, and Singapore. Of course, visa requirements do vary for some destinations.

At this moment in time, Caribbean passport holders are able to enter any Schengen state without requiring any additional travel permits. However, from 2025, they will need to register with the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) before traveling. ETIAS is a travel authorization system designed for visitors to the Schengen Area who are visa exempt. The application process can be completed within a few minutes and requires a small fee of €7.

Long-Term US Visa

A Caribbean passport can be beneficial even if it doesn’t grant visa free entry to a country. It can facilitate a smoother visa obtainment process and allow the holder to apply for visas they may not have been able to previously.

For example, let’s look at the United States. Caribbean citizens require visas to visit the US, but they enjoy a greater range of visa types that they can apply for and generally face lower rejection rates.

US Visa rejection rates 

Passports available through Caribbean citizenship programs have one of the lowest US B-Visa rejection rates among passports issued by comparable economies. Here is a table of the rejection rates in 2022 for the strongest Caribbean CBI passports compared with others such as the Netherlands and Irish passport, according to data provided by the US Department of State. 

As a Caribbean citizen, you are eligible to apply for a ten-year multiple-entry visitor visa for the US. This visa is for business and tourism purposes and is only available to a selection of nationalities. Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Dominica, St Lucia, and St Kitts and Nevis citizens are eligible to apply for this visa, while citizens of Vietnam, for example, are usually limited to a one-year visitor visa.

Additionally, citizens of Grenada are eligible to apply for a ten-year Investor Visa for the US, which allows them and their family members to relocate to the US by investing in a local business. Another advantage is that Caribbean nationals tend to experience higher US visa approval rates in comparison to many other countries.

Visa Free China Entry

As a Caribbean citizen, you enjoy enhanced global mobility. If visa free travel to China is an important requirement for you, you have two options to choose from: Dominica and Grenada. Both the Dominica passport and the Grenada passport enable visa free travel to China, which is beneficial if this is an important aspect of your life. No longer requiring a China visa can make travel much smoother, particularly if you travel frequently for business.

Caribbean Citizenship Program: Your Route to Caribbean Passports

As stated above, five Caribbean countries offer citizenship by investment programs: Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, and St Lucia. These Caribbean programs allow you to make a qualifying contribution to the country’s economy (generally through a non-refundable contribution to a government fund, real estate, government bonds, or business investment) and acquire second citizenship for you and your family members. The minimum investment amount varies depending on the citizenship program and chosen investment option.

Caribbean citizens enjoy many benefits, such as enhanced global mobility, dual citizenship, low cost of living, good quality of life, and favorable tax policies. Citizens of Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Saint Lucia travel freely to more than 145 countries. The list of visa free destinations includes the Schengen countries, the UK, and Singapore. Grenada and Dominica passports provide visa free entry to China.

Fast obtainment period

Obtaining a Caribbean passport is straightforward, with the region’s various citizenship by investment programs. Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, and St Lucia all offer fantastic citizenship by investment programs that attract investors from across the globe.

As we mentioned above, an advantage of obtaining a Caribbean passport is the relatively fast obtainment period. Of these Caribbean countries, Dominica leads the way with the ability to obtain citizenship within two to three months. Compared to other Caribbean citizenship programs, you will wait between three and six months to be granted citizenship in Grenada, Antigua and Barbuda, St Kitts and Nevis, and St Lucia.

Minimum investments

Another advantage of a Caribbean citizenship by investment program is that it requires a relatively low minimum investment.

Global Citizen Solutions: Who We Are and How We Can Help You

Global Citizen Solutions is a boutique investment migration consultancy firm focused on finding the right residency or citizenship by investment program for individuals wishing to secure their future and become global citizens.

With offices in Portugal, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, and Brazil, our multilingual team guides individuals and families from start to finish, providing expert advice considering freedom, mobility, taxation, and security. Contact us today to find out how we can help you.

Frequently Asked Questions about Caribbean Passports