St Kitts & Nevis is a small Caribbean country that is located on two islands with the same names. St Kitts is more popular and hosts the capital of the country Baster. However, Nevis also offers some places of interest. In St Kitts & Nevis there are magnificent beaches with white, gold and black sand and bays with transparent water where dolphins and turtles live. The visitors of the islands can enjoy plenty of sea activities, including diving, surfing and yachting. In other words, St Kitts & Nevis is an ideal place for tourists. It is great to spend holidays in St Kitts & Nevis, but some may wonder what you may need St Kitts & Nevis citizenship for. Actually, St Kitts & Nevis passport brings a lot of benefits, and it is relatively easy to obtain.
Advantages of St Kitts & Nevis citizenship
If you obtain St Kitts & Nevis citizenship, you will get:
- Visa-free access to Europe and Asia
St Kitts & Nevis has an agreement for visa-free travel with more than 150 countries, including Schengen countries, the UK, Israel, Singapore, South Korea and others. - Long-term visa to the USA
With St Kitts & Nevis passport you can obtain B1/B2 visa for 10 years at once. Usually, this visa that is used for tourism and business travels is issued for 3 years. It allows you to come to the USA whenever you need. - Business benefits
St Kitts & Nevis citizenship allows you to start an international business and benefit from a flexible taxation regime. For example, there are no income, dividend, gift, capital gain and inheritance taxes in St Kitts & Nevis.
How much does St Kitts & Nevis citizenship by investment cost?
St Kitts & Nevis citizenship by investment program is one of the cheapest Caribbean citizenship by investment programs. It costs certainly less than similar programs in Europe. There are two types of investments possible: refundable and non-refundable. The first option is more profitable while the second is cheaper.
Minimum non-refundable investment amounts to $150,000. It is contributed to the Sustainable Growth Fund. The Fund spends the invested money on social development, education, healthcare and other important projects. As the type of the investment suggests, you will not be able to recover your money. However, it is the easiest and cheapest way to obtain St Kitts & Nevis passport.
Minimum refundable investment amounts to $200,000. It is a contribution into real estate. The list of objects available for purchase is approved by the government. It mainly includes hotels and holiday resorts under construction. The government guarantees that the construction will be completed and an investor will not lose their money.
After 5-7 years of mandatory ownership, you will be able to recover your money. The more you invest, the quicker you recover the costs. For example, if you invest $200,000 – $400,000, you will be able to sell your purchase only after 7 years. If you contribute more than $400,000, you will be allowed to recover costs after 5 years. You will, of course, remain St Kitts & Nevis citizen.
Besides, you can lend out your share and receive dividends. Usually, it can be done though a management company or owner, so you do not even need to come to the island in person for this purpose. That’s why, some investors prefer not to sell their property, but to use it as a source of passive income.
Is it possible to obtain St Kitts & Nevis citizenship for family members?
St Kitts & Nevis citizenship by investment program allows to obtain St Kitts & Nevis passport not only for an investor, but also for their close relatives. This includes:
- Spouses
- Minor children
- Children under 30 years of age
- Brothers and sisters that are not married, have no children and are not older than 30 years of age
- Parents aged over 55
- Grandparents aged over 55
All adult relatives, except for spouses, must be financially dependent on the main applicant and have no source of income.
Adding dependents to your application will increase the costs but not significantly. You will not have to pay additional $150,000 – $200,000 for each dependent.
How to obtain St Kitts & Nevis citizenship by investment
It is not difficult to obtain St Kitts & Nevis passport. The government is interested in foreign capital and does everything to make the process of investing quick and comfortable. St Kitts & Nevis citizenship by investment program was launched in 1984 and is the longest running Caribbean citizenship by investment program. It means that all the procedures are carefully developed.
One of the advantages of St Kitts & Nevis citizenship by investment program is that an applicant does not have to come to Baster personally. Everything can be done remotely, and you will receive your St Kitts & Nevis passport by international post. However, investors often prefer to come to St Kitts & Nevis that is famous for its holiday resorts and mix business with pleasure.
Another advantage of St Kitts & Nevis citizenship by investment program is that you do not have to prove your knowledge of St Kitts & Nevis history and official language. St Kitts & Nevis official language is English, so the majority of foreigners have no difficulties while communicating with local citizens and public officers anyway.
However, these advantages should not mislead you into thinking that St Kitts & Nevis government treats the process of issuing their passport to investors irresponsibly. All investors go through a due diligence test. The government checks whether an investor has any criminal record and whether their investment money comes from a legal source. Money laundering and use of illegal financial sources are forbidden.
There is one more requirement that must be considered if you want to obtain St Kitts & Nevis citizenship. You will not be allowed to apply for St Kitts & Nevis citizenship yourself. St Kitts & Nevis authorities work only with the agents that are licensed and have their representatives in St Kitts & Nevis.
The majority of businesspeople refer to experts also to ensure that all the forms are filled in correctly, all the necessary documents are collected and there will be no halts in the process.
How much time will it take to obtain St Kitts & Nevis citizenship?
Imperial & Legal advisors can help you to obtain St Kitts & Nevis passport in 3-4 months. There is also an accelerated option where you get your second passport in 45-60 days.
In comparison with the EU citizenship that investors wait for years even contributing millions of dollars or pounds to the EU economy, St Kitts & Nevis citizenship by investment program takes shockingly little time.
Technically the procedure includes the following steps:
1. Find a legal firm and sign an agreement
To choose out of all licensed agents a good one, you should read comments about them, compare their offers and assess their expertise. During the meeting with advisors, you will have to describe your case to them so that they will be able to work on the questions that security services may ask you.
2. Prepare documents and submit an application
Your advisors will help you to prepare all the necessary documents to obtain St Kitts & Nevis citizenship. If necessary, the documents will be translated into English and notarised. The managers will fill in all the forms and send all the documents though their representatives in St Kitts & Nevis.
3. Receive approval of an application
The immigration authorities consider an investor`s candidacy and conduct a due diligence test. If your application is approved, you will receive an official confirmation that St Kitts & Nevis authorities are ready to issue the second passport to you and your dependents.
4. Make an investment
You must make an investment within 2-4 weeks upon approval of an application. Within this period, you must contribute money to the Sustainable Growth Fund or buy the required real estate. This can be done remotely with international bank accounts.
5. Get your St Kitts & Nevis passport
In 1-2 weeks after meeting all the requirements, you will officially obtain St Kitts & Nevis citizenship. You can get your passport either personally or have it couriered to your home address.
St Kitts & Nevis citizenship is a perfect opportunity to get a visa-free access to many countries of the world, enjoy business benefits and obtain a shelter in case of an emergency.
