Real estate has always been considered an excellent investment. It is as Mark Twain called it: “Buy land, they’re not making it anymore.” This inherent scarcity means the value of real estate typically appreciates, so real estate investing is a reliable way to generate capital gains. It is also normally considered a good hedge against inflation.
High-net-worth individuals, however, have found yet another good reason to invest in real estate: a second passport. Specifically, they’re purchasing investment property for dual citizenship by participating in their preferred country’s real estate citizenship by investment program.
Citizenship by Investment (CBI)
The conventional ways by which countries (usually but not always automatically) assign citizenship are jus sanguinis (i.e., right of blood) and jus soli (i.e., right of soil). Based on the first principle, you become a citizen of a country if a parent or both of your parents (maybe even your ancestors) are citizens. The second principle attaches citizenship if you’re born in that country or that country’s territory.
Aside from citizenship by birthright, countries may permit naturalization (i.e., when a person applies for and earns citizenship). They typically apply to long-term residents or spouses of citizens.
Some countries have opened up another route: citizenship by investment (CBI). Under this program, a person can apply for citizenship by making an investment in the country they wish to become a citizen of, subject to the terms of that jurisdiction’s citizenship by investment program.
A common pathway under CBI programs is citizenship through property investment.
Citizenship Through Property Investment
Citizenship through property investment follows a simple principle: buy property for a second passport.
Different From Residency by Investment Property Programs
It’s not the same as real estate Golden Visa programs because your property purchase in this case leads to citizenship.
Residency by investment property programs gives you the right to live in a country, subject to specific terms of residence. These may include not leaving the country for a minimum length of time or maintaining real estate ownership to maintain residence status.
In contrast, real estate citizenship by investment gives you the unrestricted right to live, work, study, get married in, and do all other things citizens can do in the country. Many Caribbean real estate citizenship programs don’t even require you to visit the country (although Antigua and Barbuda does have a five-day residency requirement). After a specific period of citizenship, you may even sell the property you purchased to become a citizen without the risk of the government revoking your citizenship status.
Different Investment Requirements
Actual implementation varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, of course. Caribbean real estate citizenship investment programs have varying property investment threshold amounts.
Under the citizenship through property investment pathway of the Antigua and Barbuda citizenship by investment program, applicants must purchase property valued at a minimum of $300,000. Meanwhile, the Dominica investment citizenship program’s real estate investment option requires the purchase of property worth at least $200,000.
A common thread among these Caribbean real estate citizenship programs is the government approval requirement. In Antigua and Barbuda, for instance, you must purchase property at a government-approved development project in a government-approved area on the island.
Caribbean real estate citizenship by investment programs also have minimal conditions. After property investment, immigration is not required, although you may have to comply with certain probationary requirements.
Antigua and Barbuda has conditions for the first five years of your citizenship that you must fulfill before you can become a citizen for life, and they are:
- Take the oath or affirmation/allegiance at Antigua and Barbuda or at an Antigua and Barbuda embassy, high commission, or consular office.
- Stay for at least five days in Antigua and Barbuda.
- Do not sell the property you used in your citizenship application before 5 years, unless you’re buying an approved replacement.
- Keep a clean criminal record.
CBI Real Estate Options 2025
You have several CBI real estate options in 2025. The most popular Caribbean real estate citizenship programs belong to the following:
- Antigua and Barbuda: The Antigua and Barbuda CBI program requires a minimum property investment of $300,000.
- Dominica: The Dominica CBI program requires the purchase of property worth at least $200,000.
- Grenada: The Grenada citizenship by investment program requires a property investment of at least $270,000.
- St. Kitts and Nevis: The St. Kitts and Nevis citizenship program requires a minimum real estate investment of $325,000.
- St. Lucia: Saint Lucia citizenship by investment requires a real estate project investment of at least $300,000.
Buy Property for a Second Passport
If you have the means to invest in real estate, buy property in citizenship for investment countries like Antigua and Barbuda and earn a second (or a third or an nth) citizenship through property investment.
Citizens International is a leading citizenship by investment consultant specializing in assisting high-net-worth individuals like yourself obtain citizenship through the second passport real estate route.
Contact us to explore your options, particularly in Caribbean real estate citizenship programs. You can also start searching for Caribbean real estate to purchase, with options including beautiful beachfront property for sale in Antigua.
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