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 most accessible route is a non-refundable US$230,000 contribution to the National Development Fund (NDF), 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) complete the options. The passport gives visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 154 destinations including the Schengen Area and the UK, with a light 5-days-in-5-years physical-presence requirement; Canada requires a visa.
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 dependant onward, with the NDF contribution remaining at US$230,000. Per-person due-diligence and passport fees apply in addition. The NDF is a non-profit government fund established under section 42(2) of the Finance Administration Act 2006, subject to six-monthly parliamentary reporting and independent audit. This is the most cost-efficient route, especially for larger families.
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. It entitles one family member to a one-year, tuition-only scholarship at the University of the West Indies.
Purchase of government-approved real estate valued at a minimum of US$300,000. The property cannot be re-sold until 5 years after purchase, unless replaced by another officially approved property in Antigua and Barbuda. Per-person due-diligence and passport fees apply in addition to government processing fees per the current Schedule of Fees.
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 apply per the standard Schedule of Fees.
short stays. Antigua and Barbuda is an EU Annex II (visa-exempt) nationality, permitting 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 approval on 7 October 2025; provisional Parliament/Council agreement 17 June 2025) to add investor-citizenship schemes as grounds for suspension, placing the five Caribbean CBI states at heightened future risk, though no Caribbean suspension has been enacted. ETIAS pre-travel authorisation will apply once live.
for short visits of up to 6 months.
There is no Visa Waiver Programme participation; a US B-1/B-2 visitor visa is needed (ESTA only if separately eligible via another nationality).
A visitor visa is needed; an eTA is available only 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.
The passport provides access to 154 visa-free or visa-on-arrival destinations, ranked 24th globally. Key strengths are full Schengen and UK short-stay access; the principal gaps are the USA and Canada, which both require visas.
Most clients who consider Antigua and Barbuda want the same things: stronger mobility, a Plan B held in reserve, and optionality for the family. Antigua and Barbuda can grant a second passport — but it confers no right to live, work or settle in the European Union, and no path to an EU passport.
If a European foothold is any part of your objective, residence by investment achieves it directly — a euro-denominated home, legal residence in the EU, and, held over time, a lawful route to European citizenship. We map both, honestly, against what you are actually trying to achieve.
Antigua and Barbuda Citizenship by Investment Act, 2013 (No. 2 of 2013), as amended by the Citizenship by Investment (Amendment) Act, 2014 (No. 8 of 2014) and the 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. 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.
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Our own focus is European residence — but if Antigua and Barbuda citizenship is genuinely of interest, leave your details and we’ll speak personally, understand your objectives, and introduce you to vetted, admitted counsel who handle this programme. No obligation, held in confidence.
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. 8T20 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.