The Antigua CIU CEO Answers Common Applicant Queries

Charmaine Quinland-Donovan, then-Chief Executive Officer of the Citizenship by Investment Unit of Antigua and Barbuda, sat down with PassPro to answer some of the questions that come up most often in conversations with new and prospective citizens. Her answers, reproduced below, remain a useful reference point for anyone considering the Antigua and Barbuda programme.

On the difference between citizens by birth and citizens by investment

Is there any difference between a citizen by birth and a citizen by investment in the eyes of the government and the law?

A citizen by investment is equivalent to a citizen by birth before the law, with a small number of exceptions. Unlike a natural-born Antiguan and Barbudan, citizenship by investment cannot be obtained by descent — unless the child is born in Antigua. A child of a citizen by investment who is born abroad can, however, be easily registered by paying the required investment amount and fees. Citizens by investment are also not eligible to vote unless they have resided on the island for a stipulated period of time.

On the rights and duties of citizenship

What is the government’s commitment to citizens in terms of their rights, duties, and the protection they receive from the state, within the nation’s borders and abroad?

By law, all citizens — whether by birth, registration, or naturalisation — are entitled to protection by the state and to due process under our legal system. Citizens are entitled to reside on the island, and they can choose to settle on our twin-island paradise at any time.

On protecting visa-free access to the UK and Schengen Zone

What does the government of Antigua and Barbuda do to protect the visa-free accessibility rights that its citizens currently enjoy?

The due diligence process we employ is multi-tiered and stringent, and we work to go above and beyond standard global best practice. For instance, we operate with a Restricted Country list — nationals of restricted countries are only eligible to apply for citizenship in Antigua and Barbuda under the Citizenship by Investment programme if they migrated before the age of majority, or have maintained permanent residence in Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, or the UAE for no less than ten years. They must also have no economic ties to any restricted country.

We continue to stay abreast of the ever-evolving issues around security and border control. We feel it is our responsibility — not only to the people of Antigua and Barbuda but to the international community — to ensure that the process we employ consistently and adequately meets the border security standards of partner nations.

PassPro’s note

The substance of these answers continues to hold. Antigua and Barbuda’s programme retains its restricted-country framework, its multi-tier due diligence, and its commitment to visa-free reciprocity. For the current investment levels and processing timelines, see our Antigua and Barbuda programme page.

If you would like to speak privately about whether a Citizenship by Investment programme fits your circumstances, reach a senior advisor at PassPro.