Citizenship by Investment

St Kitts and Nevis

St Kitts and Nevis Citizenship by Investment Programme

St Kitts and Nevis runs the world's oldest citizenship-by-investment programme (since 1984), now governed by the Citizenship by Investment Unit Act, 2024 and the Citizenship by Substantial Investment Regulations, 2024. Four routes are open: the Sustainable Island State Contribution (SISC) donation from US$250,000 for a family of up to four, the Public Benefit Option from US$250,000, Developer's Real Estate from US$325,000, and a single-family Private Real Estate home from US$600,000 — with all real-estate routes subject to a 7-year hold. There is no residency, stay, visit or language requirement, citizenship is for life and hereditary, and the passport gives visa-free access to 157 destinations including the Schengen Area and the UK (though the USA and Canada require visas). Standard processing runs 3 to 6 months; all filings must go through a government-Authorised Agent and every applicant 16 and over faces a mandatory interview and enhanced due diligence. This is a premium, well-regulated mobility and Plan-B citizenship rather than a tax-residency relocation play.

Investment routes

How you qualify.

Donation

USD 250,000

Sustainable Island State Contribution (SISC) under regulation 21 — a non-refundable contribution to the Federal Consolidated Fund. US$250,000 covers a main applicant or a family of up to four (main applicant, spouse and up to two dependants). Additional dependants are US$25,000 each (under 18) or US$50,000 each (18 or over). Funds support the Federation's seven Sustainable Island State pillars. This is the fastest route, with no asset to hold or resell.

Real Estate

USD 325,000

hold 84 months

Developer's Real Estate Investment under regulation 20 — a minimum of US$325,000 for a real estate unit (condominium, share or title) in a government-Approved Development. The 2024 amendment (SRO 43/2024) reduced this floor from US$400,000 to US$325,000. The unit cannot be resold until seven (7) years have elapsed after issuance of the formal title document. Government fees and due-diligence fees apply in addition.

Real Estate

USD 325,000

hold 84 months

Private Real Estate Sale under regulation 22 — purchase of Approved Private Real Estate: a condominium unit or share from US$325,000, or a single-family private dwelling from US$600,000. The 2024 amendment (SRO 43/2024) reduced these floors from US$400,000 and US$800,000 respectively. The property must be held for seven (7) years before resale, counted from the later of the title document date or the owner's Certificate of Registration.

Donation

USD 250,000

Public Benefit Option (PBO) under regulation 23 — a minimum contribution of US$250,000 paid to the Unit toward a unit of an Approved Public Benefit Project (public-good infrastructure or development on government land, transferred to state ownership, with local employment and skills impact). This is a contribution to the Unit rather than an enterprise equity stake; the developer must evidence receipt of US$200,000 of the sum. There is no mandatory holding period for the applicant.

What the passport grants

Global mobility.

~157 visa-free / visa-on-arrival destinations

Schengen

Visa-free short stays in the 27-state Schengen Area, up to 90 days within any 180-day period (St Kitts is an EU Annex II nationality). ETIAS pre-authorisation will be required once the EU system goes live. St Kitts retains Schengen visa-free access as of June 2026.

United Kingdom

Visa-free for up to 6 months; a UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) is required for entry.

United States

A visa is required; there is no Visa Waiver or ESTA access. A standard US B1/B2 visa must be obtained.

Canada

A visa is required for general entry; an eTA is available (air arrivals only) to those who hold a valid US non-immigrant visa or have held a Canadian visa within the past 10 years.

The St Kitts and Nevis passport provides visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 157 destinations as of 2026. Key strengths are the Schengen Area and the UK; the principal gaps are the USA and Canada, which both require visas. The EU suspended Vanuatu's visa waiver (Council decision effective 12 December 2024) over its citizenship-by-investment scheme and operates a strengthened visa-suspension mechanism that explicitly lists CBI programmes as a ground. No Caribbean Five programme, including St Kitts, has had its Schengen access suspended to date.

Eligibility & process

What's involved.

Family inclusion: The main applicant must be 18 or over. Eligible dependants (SRO 20/2024 reg. 3 as amended by SRO 43/2024) are: the spouse (defined in the regulations as the partner of the opposite sex by marriage); children under 18; children aged 18-25 in full-time attendance at a recognised secondary or tertiary institution and fully supported by the main applicant; children aged 18 or over who are physically or mentally challenged; and parents or parents-in-law aged 55 or over living with and fully supported by the main applicant (the 2024 amendment SRO 43/2024 lowered this age from 65 to 55). Siblings are not eligible. Each dependant must independently pass eligibility and due diligence.
Due diligence: Enhanced due diligence is mandatory for every applicant and dependant aged 16 and over. Due-diligence fees are US$10,000 for the main applicant and US$7,500 per dependant aged 16 or over. A mandatory interview applies to main applicants (and to dependants aged 16 or over where required), conducted by an independent professional firm or Unit officials, available virtually, in person locally, or at Board-approved locations. Disqualifiers include any criminal record, a pending criminal investigation, prior citizenship or visa denial by a country to which St Kitts has visa-free access (unless since resolved), and bankruptcy within the preceding 10 years. Nationals of Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, Iraq, North Korea and Russia are not eligible. Applications may only be filed through a government-Authorised Agent; direct submission is not permitted.
Timeline: Standard processing generally takes 3 to 6 months. The regulations frame the pre-decision stage in terms of approval-in-principle, denial or delay notifications.
Physical presence: There is no residency requirement, no minimum stay and no requirement to live in St Kitts and Nevis to obtain or keep citizenship; citizenship is for life and hereditary, and there is no language test. A mandatory in-person biometric enrolment (fingerprints, digital facial image and digital signature; approximately 15-30 minutes) is required at officially designated biometric collection locations. Applicants do not have to travel to St Kitts: designated centres include St Kitts, Dubai and Hong Kong, with additional locations such as Ottawa, Toronto, London, Abu Dhabi and Istanbul opening from 1 June 2026. Biometric enrolment must be completed in person and cannot be delegated to a third party. A mandatory interview also applies.
Tax: St Kitts and Nevis levies no personal income tax, no capital-gains tax, no wealth tax, no gift tax and no inheritance or estate tax on individuals. Citizenship alone does not create tax residency, and there is no requirement to relocate or pay local tax to hold the passport. The Federation participates in the OECD Common Reporting Standard (CRS) for automatic exchange of financial-account information, so citizenship does not affect reporting obligations in one's country of tax residence.

Key provisions

World's oldest CBI programme, established 1984 under Part II s.3(5) of the Citizenship Act, 1984.
Four routes: SISC contribution (from US$250,000), Public Benefit Option (from US$250,000), Developer's Real Estate (from US$325,000), and Private Real Estate (single-family home from US$600,000).
SISC US$250,000 base covers a family of up to four; SISC has no asset to hold or resell, making it the fastest and simplest route.
All real-estate routes carry a mandatory 7-year minimum holding period before the asset can be resold under the Programme.
Investment thresholds reflect the 2024 OECS/Caribbean Memorandum of Agreement harmonising a US$200,000 floor across the Eastern Caribbean; St Kitts sets its donation and PBO floors at US$250,000 and real estate at US$325,000.
Governance modernised in 2024: CIU established as a statutory body corporate under the Citizenship by Investment Unit Act, 2024, with operating rules in the Citizenship by Substantial Investment Regulations, 2024 (SRO 20/2024, amended by SRO 43/2024).
Mandatory interviews and enhanced due diligence for all applicants 16 and over; six nationalities are ineligible.
No residency, no stay, no visit and no language test; citizenship is lifelong and passes to descendants.
Applications must be filed through a government-Authorised Agent; direct filing is prohibited.

Documents you'll provide

Valid national passport (certified copy)
Birth certificate
Police clearance certificate / certificate of no criminal record from each country of residence
Proof of residential address
Medical certificate (including, where applicable, HIV test)
Documentary proof of source of funds for the investment
Official CIU application forms (Form C1 / government forms issued under the Regulations) completed via an Authorised Agent
Passport-style photographs and signed and witnessed application affidavits
Evidence of relationship for each dependant (marriage certificate, birth certificates, proof of full-time education or financial dependency, proof of parent or grandparent age and support)
Evidence of the qualifying investment (SISC/PBO contribution agreement, or real-estate sale-and-purchase agreement with the Approved Development or property)

Legal basis & source documents

The governing law — in our library.

Saint Christopher and Nevis Citizenship Act, Cap. 1.05 (citizenship by registration granted under section 3(5); regulation-making power under section 15), the statute originally enacted in 1984. Operating rules are set out in the Saint Christopher and Nevis Citizenship by Substantial Investment Regulations, 2024 (Statutory Rules and Orders No. 20 of 2024, published 8 July 2024 in Extra-Ordinary Gazette No. 37 of 2024), which repealed SRO No. 26 of 2023, as amended by the Saint Christopher and Nevis Citizenship by Substantial Investment (Amendment) Regulations, 2024 (SRO No. 43 of 2024, published 25 October 2024 in Extra-Ordinary Gazette No. 66 of 2024). The Citizenship by Investment Unit Act, 2024 (Act No. 11 of 2024) established the CIU as a separate statutory body corporate with a Board of Governors. · Administered by Citizenship by Investment Unit (CIU), Federation of Saint Christopher (St Kitts) and Nevis.

Citizenship by Substantial Investment Regulations, 2024 (principal regulations) — SRO No. 20 of 2024

Regulation · held by AT20

Citizenship by Substantial Investment (Amendment) Regulations, 2024 — SRO No. 43 of 2024 (Extra-Ordinary Gazette No. 66 of 2024, 25 Oct 2024)

Regulation · held by AT20

Citizenship by Investment Unit Act, 2024 (Act No. 11 of 2024) — statute establishing the CIU as a body corporate

Law · held by AT20

Official CIU Government Notices / Statutory Rules and Orders index (source of all gazetted CBI instruments)

Policy · held by AT20

Official St Kitts and Nevis CIU Programme Brochure 2024 (consolidated routes, fees and process)

Guideline · held by AT20

SISC contribution thresholds and fee schedule (official CIU page)

Fee Schedule · held by AT20

Investment options overview and minimums (official CIU page)

Guideline · held by AT20

Eligibility criteria for main applicant and dependants (official CIU page)

Guideline · held by AT20

Application process, required documents and timeline (official CIU page)

Guideline · held by AT20

List of government-Authorised Agents (mandatory filing channel)

Policy · 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 St Kitts and Nevis 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. Final eligibility, thresholds and timelines are confirmed in writing by licensed counsel before any commitment.