Antigua and Barbuda

Antigua was named in the US Presidential Proclamation of 16 December 2025, effective 1 January 2026, expressly because the country has historically run a Citizenship by Investment programme without a residency requirement. From that date, immigrant visas plus B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M and J nonimmigrant visas are suspended for Antiguan nationals. State Department reciprocity schedules also cut B-1/B-2 validity from 10 years multiple-entry to 3 months single-entry, and the US Embassy in Bridgetown now requires approved applicants to post a bond of up to USD 15,000. For any client whose objective includes US access, this passport now actively works against them. The proclamation carries a 180-day review cycle, so restrictions could be modified or hardened. Do not assume relief.

For a large family, yes. The University of the West Indies (UWI) Fund, at USD 260,000 inclusive of processing fees, becomes the cheapest option per head once a family reaches six people, and it includes a one-year tuition scholarship for one member. The National Development Fund (NDF) starts at USD 230,000 and covers a family of any size, with government processing fees charged separately. But since 1 January 2026, that arithmetic is secondary. Anyone who travels to the United States now has a bigger problem to solve first: US access.

Far longer than agents advertise. The Q4 2025 average was 14.2 months on IMI's processing-times tracker, against the 3–6 months still quoted in marketing. The rejection rate was just 1.7% in 2024. The European Commission points to that low figure as evidence of weak due diligence, not as a selling point. If you are trying to file ahead of a rule change, budget and sequence around the real timeline, not the advertised one.

Currently you must spend 5 days in Antigua within the first 5 years of citizenship as a condition of first passport renewal. It is a genuine trap. The requirement is tied to renewal at the 5-year mark, not to obtaining the passport itself, so clients who treat citizenship as the finish line only discover the problem when the passport expires. Legislation to raise this to 30 days over 5 years, including a minimum 5 days in year one plus an integration programme, has passed. Its commencement has been repeatedly deferred, though, and was not confirmed in force as at July 2026. Confirm the current position in writing with the CIU before filing.

Yes, Antigua and Barbuda permits dual citizenship, so you need not renounce your existing nationality. One separate note: if you hold the Nomad Digital Residence rather than citizenship, the US travel restrictions on Antiguan nationals do not affect you. NDR holders travel on their own passports.

Antigua abolished personal income tax in 2016 and levies no capital gains, wealth or inheritance tax. It operates on a territorial basis. There is a separate Tax Residency Programme, a flat USD 20,000 annual tax that requires a permanent home, 30-plus days per year in the country and USD 100,000-plus of annual income. That programme is a distinct product. It does not follow automatically from citizenship. Antigua is a CRS participant, and the OECD lists its CBI scheme as potentially high-risk for CRS circumvention.

The Nomad Digital Residence (NDR) is a two-year, renewable remote-work permit. It requires USD 50,000 of minimum annual income and employment or business outside Antigua and Barbuda. Application fees run roughly USD 1,500–3,000, plus health insurance. It is a low-commitment way to test whether a family can live in Antigua before committing to a CBI application. But it builds no path to residency or citizenship. On its own, it does not make you an Antiguan tax resident either. That requires 183 days, or enrolment in the separate USD 20,000 flat-tax programme.

Yes. Eligible dependants include a spouse, children under 18, dependent children aged 18–30, dependent parents and grandparents over 55, and dependent unmarried siblings. Due diligence fees are charged per person. For example, USD 8,500 for the principal, USD 5,000 for a spouse, and lower amounts for dependants. A medical certificate, including an HIV test, is also required.