St Kitts and Nevis Citizenship by Investment Programme
- Processing time
- 4–6 monthsThe unit publishes a 120 to 180 day guideline for the contribution route. Practitioners report three to six months, making this the fastest programme in the region.
- Physical presence
- Historically none. From 20 July 2026, biometric enrolment requires attending an official collection centre in person: fingerprints, facial image and digital signature, in a 15 to 30 minute appointment. Existing passport holders must comply by 31 July 2027 or their passport ceases to be valid for international travel.
- Family
- Spouse, children under 30, and parents aged 55 or over. Dependants may be added after approval for 30,000 USD each.
Investment routes
Contribution
From $250 000
- Capital
- Non-refundable
Sustainable Island State Contribution. Covers up to four people.
Contribution
From $250 000
- Capital
- Non-refundable
Public Benefit Option: contribution to an approved public project. The eligible project types and approval criteria are not published.
Real estate
From $325 000
- Holding period
- 7 years
- Capital
- Non-refundable
Approved development property. Seven-year holding period — the longest in the Caribbean.
Real estate
From $600 000
- Holding period
- 7 years
- Capital
- Non-refundable
Approved private home. The only Caribbean route to genuine standalone freehold ownership.
Limits and drawbacks
- The programme has always been sold as fully remote. From 20 July 2026 biometric enrolment requires attending an official centre in person — and the CIU has not published the list of centre locations.
- Existing passport holders must complete biometric enrolment by 31 July 2027, after which the passport is no longer valid for international travel.
- Biometric enrolment adds 2,500 USD per person, reduced to 2,250 USD for enrolments completed before 31 December 2026.
- Seven-year property holding period, the longest in the Caribbean, which locks capital well beyond the regional norm of five years.
- UK access is by Electronic Travel Authorisation since January 2025, and Schengen entry moves to ETIAS, whose fees are not yet published.