Requirements to Qualify for Antigua and Barbuda Citizenship

Antigua and Barbuda operates one of the most accessible and well-regarded Citizenship by Investment programmes in the Caribbean — but accessibility does not mean lax. The eligibility criteria are clearly defined, and PassPro pre-screens every applicant against them before accepting a file.

This is the qualification framework.

Who qualifies

The primary applicant must:

• Be at least 18 years of age
• Hold no criminal record (specific exceptions for minor offences with full disclosure)
• Be of good health, with no contagious disease that would disqualify under public-health screening
• Have a legitimate, demonstrable source of funds sufficient for the chosen investment route plus all attendant fees
• Not be a citizen of, or a frequent visitor to, certain restricted countries (the list is updated periodically by the CBI unit; PassPro confirms current restrictions at the time of engagement)
• Pass the independent third-party due-diligence review

Who can be included as dependants

A single application can include:

• Spouse
• Children up to age 30, where dependent
• Parents and grandparents aged 55 or older, where dependent
• Siblings under defined dependency conditions

Each dependant is screened separately against the programme’s published criteria.

Investment routes

Antigua and Barbuda offers three established routes:

1. National Development Fund (NDF) — non-refundable donation, currently USD 230,000 for a single applicant. Family rates apply on a sliding scale.
2. Real Estate Investment — investment in a Government-Approved project, minimum USD 300,000, with a defined holding period.
3. University of the West Indies Fund — donation of approximately USD 260,000 for a family of six or more, which additionally provides a one-year tuition-free scholarship for a qualifying family member.

The right route depends on circumstances — family size, real-estate appetite, intended use of capital. PassPro’s Diagnosis stage sets out the comparison.

What disqualifies

The clearest grounds for disqualification:

• Criminal record involving violence, fraud, or terrorism-related offences
• Sanctions exposure or appearance on watchlists that cannot be cleared on review
• Inability to evidence source of funds — every dollar of the investment and accompanying fees must trace to a legitimate origin
• Material misrepresentation in the application — disclosure failures during the process are the single most common cause of denial
• Failure to complete required steps within the programme’s published timelines

Documentation required

The full documentation set is detailed on the Process page. At application, you should expect to provide:

• Valid government-issued identification
• Original birth certificate, attested
• Marriage certificate where applicable, attested
• Police clearance from country of citizenship and any country of residence over six months in the past ten years
• Twelve months of bank statements as proof of funds
• Source-of-funds documentation
• Proof of residence
• Recent passport-sized photographs to ICAO standards

Timeline

A complete and clean file moves through pre-approval, submission, due diligence, and approval in a typical three-to-six-month range. Antigua and Barbuda offers expedited processing on certain routes for additional fees, where time-sensitive.

What to do first

Begin with a private conversation. The single most valuable step before any formal engagement is an honest assessment of fit — does Antigua and Barbuda’s programme suit your circumstances, or does another Caribbean programme fit better? PassPro is authorised in all five, and our advisory orientation is to recommend the programme that fits, not the one with the highest commission.

Begin a conversation when you’re ready.

Note: figures in this article are accurate as of 18 August 2023. Government programme prices and processing times change. For the current authoritative figures see our Citizenship Options page, the official government unit websites, or reach a senior advisor directly.