Idyllic island region offers 'citizenship by investment' to Americans
Spend $300,000 or more on a home and receive a second passport in as little as six to nine months. That passport opens doors to as many as 150 countries, including most of Europe and the UK.
The five islands have become global hotspots for citizenship-by-investment programs, local luxury realtor Nadia Dyson (pictured) told Daily Mail. Demand has skyrocketed due to the deal, Dyson said. 'You purchase the property for $300,000 or up and within six to nine months, you can have citizenship,' she explained.
There are a few conditions: buyers must keep the property for five years and spend at least five days on the island during that time. 'That is going to change shortly to 30 days, however it's still not a massive resident requirement.' Dyson said the demographic of buyers is more and more Americans, Canadians and British wanting that 'Plan B passport' for relocation or retirement. According to Henley & Partners, a New York-based firm that helps the ultra-wealthy secure second citizenships in the Caribbean, inquiries from Americans spiked by a whopping 182 percent in early 2025 alone.
Many are using the properties as rental investments that make anywhere from $400 to $1,000 a night depending on where it is. Dyson said if you choose to buy in a resort, as many do, they maintain and clean the property for you, but take a percentage of rental income, sometimes up to 50 percent. Still, she said, it's a great investment.
'You have a nice place with a plunge pool, you're getting great rental returns,' she said. And people are catching on. While the CBI program was launched in 2013, Dyson said it's exploded in popularity this year. 'We used to probably sell 30 percent of our inventory to people that wanted the property for the citizenship, but currently it's more like 99 percent,' Dyson said. 'Buyers want the passport option so much so that there are new properties being built under the program which are three bedrooms with pools.'
The Caribbean passport that unlocks around the world access also comes easy – there's no language or nationality tests, and, in some cases, no income or inheritance taxes. Applications are usually processed in less than 90 days. Of course, critics have found a downside to the program. The European Union and the United States have issued warnings in the past that passports should not be handed out too easily - especially to people who may be hiding, laundering money, or avoiding the law.
As a result, the five Caribbean nations with the program agreed in 2024 to tighten their rules, raise minimum investment amounts and improve background checks. Some countries are even revoking passports from people found to have lied or failed checks — as Dominica did with 68 individuals recently, according to Global Citizen Solutions. If you're a good upstanding citizen who is not on the run or laundering money, here's a quick breakdown of the area and why each spot is original. Antigua and Barbuda are the primary islands in this twin-island nation, with Barbuda being the quieter and less inhabited one. Antigua has 365 beaches, a new one for every day of the year.
Dominica is known for its rainforests, waterfalls, and hot springs. It's mountainous and volcanic, with fewer white sandy beaches. Grenada is a major exporter of nutmeg, earning the nickname 'Spice Island.' The island has many new builds since Hurricane Ivan wiped out 90 percent of the island's homes in 2004. Saint Kitts & Nevis are very small in both population and actual size, with Nevis being the quieter of the two. Many older sugar plantations there are being used as repurposed real estate.
St. Lucia is generally the more affordable of the islands and St. Lucians are known for their welcoming and friendly nature. The program is also helping to improve the islands, which are often overrun with poverty and inequality that leads to drug trafficking and gang warfare to domestic violence and theft. Antigua's program helped the country avoid bankruptcy. Grenada saw revenues from golden passports equal more than a quarter of its entire economy in 2023.
The median home price in all five spots for properties included in citizenship by investment programs ranges from $200,000 to $400,000. 'It's a great investment,' Dyson said. 'These areas are crying out for more rental properties as people love coming here for a holiday so there's no restrictions on renting it.'
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