Citizenship by Investment

Antigua and Barbuda

Antigua and Barbuda Citizenship by Investment Programme (CIP)

Antigua and Barbuda offers a Caribbean citizenship-by-investment programme run by the Citizenship by Investment Unit under the Citizenship by Investment Act 2013. The cheapest route is a non-refundable US$230,000 contribution to the National Development Fund (NDF), with an entry price that is structurally most attractive for larger families because the NDF headline is fixed for a family of up to four and adds only incremental government and due-diligence fees beyond that. A US$260,000 University of the West Indies Fund route is purpose-built for families of six or more and includes a one-year UWI tuition scholarship for one member. Real estate (minimum US$300,000, 5-year hold) and two business routes (US$1.5m sole, or US$5m joint with a US$400,000 per-person minimum) round out the options. The passport gives visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to roughly 150-165 destinations including the Schengen Area and the UK, with a light 5-days-in-5-years physical-presence requirement; Canada requires a visa.

Investment routes

How you qualify.

Donation

USD 230,000

National Development Fund (NDF): non-refundable US$230,000 one-time contribution per application; covers a single applicant OR a family of up to four for the same amount. Government processing fees are US$10,000 (single) / US$20,000 (family of up to four); for families of five or more, an incremental US$10,000 processing fee applies from the 5th dependent onward (NDF contribution stays at US$230,000). Plus per-person due-diligence and passport fees. NDF is a non-profit government fund established under s.42(2) Finance Administration Act 2006, subject to six-monthly parliamentary reporting and independent audit. Most cost-efficient route, especially for larger families. Confirmed verbatim on cip.gov.ag/investment-options/ndf/ (2026-06).

Fund

USD 260,000

University of the West Indies (UWI) Fund: US$260,000 for a family of SIX (6) or more — the route is restricted to large families and is not available to single applicants or small families. Entitles one family member to a one-year, tuition-only scholarship at the University of the West Indies. Confirmed verbatim on cip.gov.ag/investment-options/uwi-fund/ (2026-06).

Real Estate

USD 300,000

hold 60 months

Purchase of government-approved real estate valued at a minimum US$300,000. Cannot be re-sold until 5 years after purchase, unless replaced by another officially approved property in Antigua and Barbuda. Government processing fees: US$30,000 per application (per current fee schedule) plus per-person due-diligence and passport fees. Confirmed verbatim on cip.gov.ag/investment-options/real-estate/ (2026-06). NOTE: the exact real-estate processing-fee figure should be re-confirmed against the live Schedule of Fees PDF — the small-model read returned the shared US$10,000/US$20,000 processing tier which historically differed for the real-estate option.

Business

USD 1,500,000

Approved business investment. Sole investor: minimum US$1,500,000 in an approved business. Joint investment: a minimum of 2 persons making a joint investment totalling at least US$5,000,000, with each person contributing at least US$400,000. Government processing and due-diligence fees per the standard schedule. Confirmed verbatim on cip.gov.ag/investment-options/business-investment/ (2026-06). Slug is /business-investment/ on the live site (not /business/).

What the passport grants

Global mobility.

~154 visa-free / visa-on-arrival destinations

Schengen

Visa-free short stays — Antigua and Barbuda is an EU Annex II (visa-exempt) nationality; up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the Schengen Area. As of June 2026 Antigua and Barbuda REMAINS on the EU visa-exempt list and has NOT been suspended. The EU has revised its visa-suspension mechanism (European Parliament approved the reform on 7 October 2025, 518-96; provisional Parliament/Council agreement 17 June 2025) to explicitly add investor-citizenship (CBI) schemes as grounds for suspension, placing all five Caribbean CBI states (incl. Antigua & Barbuda) at heightened future risk, but no Caribbean suspension has been enacted. ETIAS pre-travel authorisation will apply once live.

United Kingdom

Visa-free for short visits of up to 6 months.

United States

Visa required — no Visa Waiver Programme participation; a US B-1/B-2 visitor visa (or ESTA only if separately eligible via another nationality) is needed.

Canada

Visa required — a visitor visa is needed; eTA only available to those who have held a Canadian visa in the last 10 years or hold a valid US non-immigrant visa and arrive by air.

IATA-based passport index 2026 (IATA-sourced data): 154 visa-free/visa-on-arrival destinations, rank 24th (up from 27th in 2025 — record high). Some advisory trackers cite 160-165 when eVisa/VOA counting differs; IATA neutral tally is 154. Key strengths: full Schengen and UK short-stay access. Key gaps: USA and Canada both require visas. IMPORTANT context vs Vanuatu: Vanuatu's EU visa waiver was FULLY suspended effective 4 February 2023 and made permanent on 12 December 2024 — this does NOT affect Antigua & Barbuda, which remains visa-exempt.

Eligibility & process

What's involved.

Family inclusion: Spouse of the main applicant; a child of the main applicant or of the main applicant and his/her spouse aged 0-30 who is financially dependent on the principal applicant; a child aged 18+ who is physically or mentally challenged, fully supported and living with the applicant; a parent or grandparent of the applicant or spouse aged 55 or older and financially dependent on the principal applicant; an unmarried sibling of the applicant or spouse. The official Dependants page states the sibling must be unmarried but does NOT publish a maximum sibling age. Future spouses (US$50,000) and future children of dependent children (US$10,000 under 6; US$20,000 ages 6-17) may be added later. The NDF route's single US$230,000 figure for a family of up to four, plus the dedicated UWI Fund for families of six or more, make this one of the most large-family-friendly Caribbean programmes. Confirmed on cip.gov.ag/citizenship/dependants/ (2026-06).
Due diligence: Mandatory background/due-diligence checks by the CIU on every applicant. Non-refundable due-diligence fees (USD): principal applicant US$8,500; spouse US$5,000; dependent child 0-11 US$0; dependent child 12-17 US$2,000; dependent 18-30 US$4,000; dependent parent/grandparent 55+ US$4,000. Source-of-funds and source-of-wealth evidence required (e.g. employment letter/contract and last 3 months' payslips). All documents must be in English or accompanied by an officially accredited certified translation. Applications must be filed through a CIU-licensed authorised agent — no direct applications. Ineligibility grounds include false information, custodial conviction over 6 months, ongoing criminal investigation, security risk, or a visa denial by a visa-free travel partner.
Timeline: Approximately 3-6 months from a complete file to approval. Payment is phased: full due-diligence fees plus 10% of the government processing fee (non-refundable) on submission; the balance of processing fees, passport fees and the investment/contribution after the approval-in-principle letter.
Physical presence: No residence requirement before or during the application. After grant, the citizen must spend at least 5 days in Antigua and Barbuda during the first 5 calendar years after obtaining citizenship; failure results in deprivation of citizenship with no refund. No language test and no interview historically required for citizenship itself, though the 2024 OECS Memorandum of Agreement introduced mandatory applicant interviews (conducted by independent firms) as part of due diligence. Biometric/in-person oath requirements are not published on the public CIU pages. Confirmed on cip.gov.ag/citizenship/ (2026-06).
Tax: Antigua and Barbuda levies no personal income tax on individuals, and no capital gains, inheritance, estate or wealth tax. Citizenship by investment does not by itself create Antigua tax residence; tax residence depends on physical presence and domicile. Worldwide income of non-resident citizens is not taxed by Antigua. Clients should obtain advice on home-country tax and any CRS/reporting implications — citizenship is not a tax-residence substitute.

Key provisions

Governing law: Citizenship by Investment Act 2013 (No. 2 of 2013) as amended, plus the Citizenship by Investment Regulations 2014 and amendments (incl. 2024).
Administered by the Citizenship by Investment Unit (CIU); applications only via CIU-licensed authorised agents.
Four investment routes: NDF donation (US$230,000), UWI Fund (US$260,000, family of 6+), real estate (US$300,000, 5-year hold), business (US$1.5m sole / US$5m joint, US$400k pp).
NDF US$230,000 is fixed for a family of up to four — strongest value for larger families; only incremental fees apply beyond four.
Physical presence: minimum 5 days in Antigua and Barbuda within the first 5 years post-grant.
Wide dependant definition: spouse, children to age 30, dependent parents/grandparents 55+, and unmarried siblings.
No personal income, capital gains, inheritance or wealth tax in Antigua and Barbuda.
Caribbean-wide 2024 MoU set common minimums (US$200,000 donation floor / US$200,000 real-estate floor across the five OECS CBI states); Antigua sits at or above these levels (NDF US$230,000, real estate US$300,000).

Documents you'll provide

Form AB1 — Citizenship by Investment Application Form (one per applicant including each child)
Form AB2 — Photograph and Signature Certificate
Form AB3 — Medical Certificate (incl. HIV and other required tests)
Form AB4 — Investment Confirmation Form
Form AB5 — Agent Form (CIU-licensed authorised agent)
Real estate route: Form AB8 — Real Estate Developer Application; business route: Form AB9 — Business Investment Application
Valid passport copies (certified/notarised) for all applicants
Birth certificates and, where applicable, marriage certificate
Police clearance / certificate of no criminal record (issued within prescribed validity) for all applicants 16+
Proof of source of funds and source of wealth (e.g. employment letter/contract, last 3 months' payslips, bank statements, business/financial records)
Proof of residential address and professional/bank reference letters
Certified English translations (by an officially accredited translator) for any non-English document
Signed binding purchase/sale agreement with an approved developer (real estate route) before submission

Legal basis & source documents

The governing law — in our library.

Antigua and Barbuda Citizenship by Investment Act, 2013 (No. 2 of 2013), as amended (Citizenship by Investment (Amendment) Act, 2014 (No. 8 of 2014) and Citizenship by Investment (Amendment) Act, 2016 (No. 2 of 2016)), read with the Citizenship by Investment Regulations 2014 and subsequent amendment regulations, most recently the Citizenship by Investment (Amendment) Regulations 2024. The National Development Fund is established under section 42(2) of the Finance Administration Act 2006. No 2025 governing instrument exists for this programme as of June 2026; the current operative instruments are the 2013 Act (as amended through 2016) and the Regulations as amended in 2024. · Administered by Citizenship by Investment Unit (CIU), Government of Antigua and Barbuda.

Citizenship by Investment Act, 2013 (No. 2 of 2013) — primary governing statute

Law · held by AT20

Citizenship by Investment (Amendment) Act, 2014 (No. 8 of 2014)

Law · official source

Citizenship by Investment (Amendment) Act, 2016 (a2016-2)

Law · official source

Citizenship by Investment Regulations 2014 (programme regulations, with subsequent amendments incl. 2024)

Regulation · held by AT20

Schedule of Fees (government processing, due diligence, passport, investment minimums)

Fee Schedule · held by AT20

Form AB1 — Citizenship by Investment Application Form

Form · held by AT20

Form AB2 — Photograph and Signature Certificate

Form · held by AT20

Form AB3 — Medical Certificate

Form · held by AT20

Form AB4 — Investment Confirmation Form

Form · held by AT20

Form AB8 — Real Estate Developer Application

Form · held by AT20

Form AB9 — Business Investment Application

Form · held by AT20

Investment Options overview (NDF / Real Estate / UWI Fund / Business) — official guideline

Guideline · held by AT20

Dependants eligibility and definitions — official guideline

Guideline · held by AT20

Documents marked “held by AT20” are mirrored on our own servers from the official source, so the reference is always available.

Official sources

Take the Antigua and Barbuda route with certainty.

A private assessment maps this programme to your family, capital and timeline — and we coordinate the whole matter through admitted local counsel.

This briefing is general guidance, not legal, tax or immigration advice. Figures are indicative and verified to 2026; final positions, eligibility and timelines are confirmed in writing by licensed counsel on engagement. AT20 Capital coordinates the engagement and facilitates applications through admitted local counsel; it is not a law firm. Source basis: high confidence — Best-for-large-families positioning is well grounded: the NDF US$230,000 is fixed for a family of up to four, and the dedicated UWI Fund (US$260,000) is built for families of six or more with a tuition scholarship. Caribbean-wide pricing context: the 2024 Memorandum of Understanding among the five OECS CBI states set common minimum floors (US$200,000 donation / US$200,000 real estate) and standardised due-diligence; Antigua's NDF (US$230,000) and real-estate (US$300,000) minimums sit at or above those floors. Verify the exact current contribution levels and fee schedule with the CIU before any client engagement, as Caribbean programmes have repeatedly adjusted minimums (2023-2024). Visa-free count varies by methodology (154 neutral / up to ~165 incl. VOA/eVisa). USA and Canada both require visas — set client expectations accordingly. Application is agent-only; AT20 should engage/maintain a CIU-licensed authorised agent relationship..

Chat with an advisor