Dominica is set to retire one of the defining features of its citizenship by investment program: the ability to acquire citizenship entirely remotely. Under the new rules, both new and existing investor citizens will be required to visit the country in person.
We see this as a positive step. The requirement strengthens the program’s integrity and builds a genuine connection between investors and the country whose passport they hold.
Speaking at a press conference on 10 June, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit announced that successful applicants will be required to travel to Dominica to collect and renew their passports. The decision marks a decisive move away from the program’s longstanding fully remote model, under which applicants have been able to complete the entire process without visiting the island.
“You will have to come to Dominica to receive and renew your passport as a citizen,” Skerrit told reporters, adding that the requirement will help new citizens develop “a greater appreciation of our people, culture and developmental aspirations.”
The First Phase of the ECCIRA Transformation
The announcement reflects the first phase after the creation of the Eastern Caribbean Citizenship by Investment Regulatory Authority (ECCIRA). In September 2025, the five Caribbean nations operating citizenship programs—Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, and St Lucia—agreed in principle to introduce a common physical presence requirement and establish a regional regulatory authority (the ECCIRA).
The ECCIRA positioned itself behind the physical presence model, outlining at the Caribbean Investment Summit 2026 that applicants who successfully complete the citizenship process will need to spend at least 30 days in their country of citizenship within the first five years after approval.
While distinct from residency, the measure marks the beginning of a more substantive requirement that seeks to reinforce the idea of going beyond investment and building real community ties in the Caribbean country.
According to Prime Minister Skerrit, further information on how the new requirement will operate is expected to be announced alongside the country’s upcoming national budget.
Growing International Scrutiny
The changes come amid increasing pressure from both the United States and the European Union regarding the operation of Caribbean citizenship programs.
Over the past year, Western governments have placed greater emphasis on ensuring economic citizenship is established through a meaningful connection with the countries granting it. Concerns have largely centered around programs that allow applicants to acquire nationality without any residency or physical presence requirements.
Caribbean governments have increasingly sought to strengthen due diligence and introduce measures that reinforce a “genuine link” between new citizens and the country, as seen in St Kitts and Nevis’s planned shift to physical presence-based investment citizenship.
What it Means for Investors
For prospective investors, the specific implications are limited for now. The Prime Minister’s announcement appears to focus on the process of collecting and renewing Dominica passports rather than implying that citizens now have a new residency obligation.
However, it does indicate a clear policy direction.
“Citizenship by investment is evolving from a purely transactional process into one that increasingly emphasizes genuine engagement with the country,” says Head of Citizenship Programs at Global Citizen Solutions, Joe Rice. “Investors should view these changes not as barriers, but as part of an effort to preserve the international mobility and long-term value of a Caribbean passport.”
When a stronger link between investors and the country of citizenship is evident, they are better positioned to align with evolving international standards and expectations.
Will existing citizens be affected?
Industry reports suggest that applications submitted before the end of June 2026 are expected to be processed under the current criteria, meaning no in-person visit would be required. However, the government has not formally confirmed a cut-off date, and applicants should await an official implementation date before deciding how to move forward based on expected timelines.
For now, one point is clear: obtaining Dominica Citizenship by Investment will no longer be entirely detached from the island itself. As the region’s programs mature, establishing a physical connection to the country is becoming central to the meaning of economic citizenship.