The Economic Citizenship Program for St. Kitts and Nevis was established in 1984 and provides the following benefits:

• Citizenship for life, for applicant and all eligible family members.
• Dual Citizenship is permitted, without the requirement to notify the applicant’s home country, and without any need for the applicant to reside in St. Kitts/Nevis.
• Passports will be issued to the applicant and all eligible family members, and may be easily renewed.
• Visa-Free Travel to over 130 countries including Austria, Belgium, Britain, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Greece, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and most British commonwealth countries. When a visa is required, they are also relatively easy to obtain.
• Full Residency Status and the right to work in St. Kitts/Nevis.
• Tax Free Status on foreign income, capital gains, gift, wealth and inheritance tax
• As a Commonwealth citizen, you receive certain preferential treatment in the United Kingdom. For example, your children may enter the United Kingdom to study without first having to apply for student visas. After studying, they may work in the United Kingdom for two years without needing a work permit.

Requirements

An application requires a non-refundable cash payment of US$250 for a single applicant plus US$250 for the spouse and each dependent child over 16 years of age. There is a US$7500 charge for the due diligence background check and processing fee for the main applicant and US$4000 for the due diligence background check and processing fee for each dependent of the main applicant who is over 16 years of age. The cost per Citizenship Certificate of Registration is US$47.  If the Applicant applies in person in St Kitts for a passport the charge is US$56 per passport.

Additional fees payable on approval in Principle of an application for Citizenship by Investment through Real Estate includes US$50,000 for head of Household/Main Applicant, US$25,000 for the spouse, US$25,000 for each child under 18 and US$50,000 for each qualified dependent of the main applicant between ages 18-25. The applicant must invest a minimum of US$400,000 in government designated real estate, among which there are some excellent real estate developments. Beginning in 2012 applicants obtaining Economic Citizenship must keep their property for a minimum of 5 years and at the end of that time will be allowed to resell that property as a citizenship property.

The fees  above do not include what the attorney charges or VAT for submission and follow-up of the Citizenship Paperwork.Your immigration attorney will give you those fees.

Procedure

Hiring an attorney, based in St. Kitts/Nevis, to prepare and expedite the application is required. As with other citizenship programs, the applicant will be subject to a thorough background check, but is not required to personally attend any interviews in St. Kitts/Nevis.

The granting of citizenship is at the sole discretion of the Government of St. Kitts & Nevis, and therefore there is no guarantee that the applicant will be approved. However, as most applicants are carefully screened by their attorney prior to submitting an application, applications are rarely refused.

The approval process normally takes between 6 to 12 weeks, and on approval of the application citizenship documents and passports are issued.

Documents Required

• Birth Certificate for each person in the application.
• Legible copies of each person’s passport information providing a color photograph, signature, passport number and date and place of issue are required.
• Police Certificate, stating that the applicant has no criminal record.
• Marriage Certificate if the spouse is also applying for citizenship.
• Divorce Certificate if your new spouse is also applying for citizenship.
• Health Certificate. This certificate needs to show that the applicant is not suffering from any contagious or communicable disease, including HIV. This certificate is required for all persons in the application, both adults and children.
• Affidavit of Support. This document is required only if the application includes the applicants spouse and/or dependent children. The affidavit needs to state that the applicant is prepared to support the spouse and dependent children. If the spouse has independent assets, and provides a Bank Reference letter, the affidavit is required only for the children.
• Bankers Reference. A bank reference is required for all adult applicants including the spouse and any children 18 and over. The reference letter must state how long the account has been maintained, the general level of the account held and that the account relationship has been satisfactory. A separate letter may also be submitted by an accountant or stock broker if the applicant has significant funds in trading or investment account.
• Character Reference. Two original references of good character are required for the applicant and each family member of 18 years or older. The references must be from a doctor, lawyer, accountant, bank manager, or other professional. The name, address and phone numbers of the referees are required.
• Business/Technical Experience. A resume is required showing the education and experience of each person in the application aged 18 years or older. If the children are still attending school or university, educational information is all that is required.
• Photographs. Eight passport size photographs are required for each person in the application.
• A letter from the applicant giving authority for the lawyer to act on his/her behalf.