US$230,000 National Development Fund donation for a family of up to four
Antigua and Barbuda citizenship by investment costs US$230,000 whether we file for you alone or for a family of four, the lowest per-applicant cost of any Caribbean citizenship by investment programme for a couple with two children. The limitations to weigh are 14 months average processing, the 30-day physical presence requirement and, for Antiguan nationals, US Proclamation 10998.
Figures verified 27 September 2026 · Licensed CICC consultant, Toronto
Every qualifying investment carries the same government processing, due diligence and passport fees. Most of our clients qualify through one of the two donation routes.
US$230,000
One contribution covers one applicant or four, which gives Antigua the lowest per-applicant cost in the region.
US$260,000
Lower than the NDF once the family exceeds four applicants.
US$300,000
US$1,500,000
Government processing fee US$10,000 single or US$20,000 family of up to four, plus US$10,000 per extra dependant; due diligence US$8,500 principal, US$5,000 spouse, US$2,000 per child 12–17, US$4,000 per dependant 18–30 or parent 55+; passport US$300 per person. Figures verified 27 September 2026 against the CIU schedule of fees.
Enter your family members and ages; the calculator applies the official CIU fee schedule to the NDF, UWI and real estate routes.
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Official government figures only. Excludes our professional fees, legal and bank charges, translations and courier. Some fees are non-refundable if an application is refused. Figures verified 2026-09-27.
Get this as a written estimate
Jane Katkova has advised on citizenship and residence by investment since 1998. We confirm eligibility, the complete fee schedule and the realistic processing time before you pay anything, and we advise against a programme when it does not fit your circumstances.
The Antigua passport requirements are few, and each must be fully evidenced: be 18 or over, have a clean record and lawful source of funds, pay US$230,000 plus fees, attend an interview if you are 16 or older, and spend 30 days in Antigua within five years. Nationality and residence history determine whether an application can be filed.
Read more about Antigua and Barbuda citizenship requirements
Each stage, with documents and durations, is set out on the Antigua application process page.
We check nationality, residence history, source of funds and family, then price the NDF, UWI and real estate routes side by side.
Police clearance certificates, medical certificates, bank and business records, and certified translations. A complete source-of-funds file avoids months of CIU queries.
The licensed authorised agent lodges the application; you pay the due diligence fees and 10% of the processing fee, both non-refundable.
The CIU and its due diligence firms vet the file; every applicant aged 16+ is interviewed and gives biometrics. This stage accounts for most of the 14 months.
You pay the donation and the balance of the processing fee; the certificate of registration issues and passports follow, valid five years.
| Your situation | What the Antiguan passport adds | What it does not change |
|---|---|---|
| US citizen | A second nationality for you and the children on the application; a Caribbean base with no tax on foreign income if you become resident | US worldwide taxation, FBAR and FATCA; your own right to enter the US |
| Canadian citizen | A second nationality and passport held in reserve, with UK, Schengen and Asian access | Canadian tax while you remain resident; nothing about entering Canada |
| US or Canada resident on an Indian, Nigerian, Vietnamese, Chinese or Pakistani passport | Visa-free Schengen, UK, Hong Kong, Singapore and most of the Commonwealth; a second citizenship for the whole family | US entry (Proclamation 10998 restricts several categories); Canada entry (eTA only with a prior Canadian visa or valid US visa, by air) |
Read more about the Antigua and Barbuda passport and visa-free travel
Photo: Rick Jamison / Unsplash
Photo: Royce Fonseca / Unsplash
Photo: Brighton Pereira / Unsplash
Photo: Alexandre Duhamel / UnsplashDoes the Antiguan passport help me enter the US? No. Antigua is not in the Visa Waiver Program and has no E-2 treaty, and since 1 January 2026 Proclamation 10998 bars Antiguan nationals from immigrant, B-1/B-2, F, M and J visas. A US citizen is unaffected. A US resident on another passport should apply for US visas on their original nationality where that is the better option.
Does it help me enter Canada? Only with a CA$7 eTA if you held a Canadian visa in the last ten years or hold a valid US non-immigrant visa, arriving by air. Otherwise a visitor visa.
What is the Antigua residency rule? 30 days of physical presence in the first five years under the 2026 amendment, up from five. No requirement to live there, and no tax consequence unless you choose tax residency.
Is the programme safe from the EU letter? Not guaranteed. The July 2026 letter asks for phase-out by 1 June 2028 and tighter vetting by September 2026; the next report is due December 2026. Citizenship already granted is not withdrawn by the EU, but Schengen visa-free access could be suspended, as happened to Vanuatu.
Figures verified 27 September 2026. We confirm the current schedule on every call.
You want a second passport, a lifetime citizenship your children can hold and, if you ever relocate, a tax residence with no tax on foreign income. Antigua and Barbuda offers this at the lowest family contribution in the Caribbean. It changes nothing about your tax today: the US taxes citizens on worldwide income wherever they live, FBAR and FATCA reporting continue, and Antigua's Model 1 FATCA agreement means an Antiguan bank account is reported to the IRS. Canada taxes by residence, so a Canadian keeps paying Canadian tax until residential ties are severed. Antigua's zero-tax treatment applies only to tax residents, generally 183 or more days a year.
Most of our Antigua clients are Indian, Nigerian, Vietnamese, Chinese and Pakistani nationals living in Toronto, Vancouver, New York or Houston on a permit, PR or visa. An Antigua and Barbuda passport opens Schengen, the UK, Hong Kong and Singapore. It does not open the US or Canada. Canada grants Antiguan nationals an eTA only with a Canadian visa in the last ten years or a valid US visa, and only by air. Since 1 January 2026, US Proclamation 10998 blocks immigrant, B-1/B-2, F, M and J visas for Antiguan nationals. Keep your existing status and use the Antiguan passport for the rest of the world.
We cost all four investment options against the official CIU schedule of fees and advise whether Antigua and Barbuda or another Caribbean programme suits your family better. Jane Katkova, licensed CICC consultant, Toronto.
Jane explains the National Development Fund donation, the 14-month processing time and the US and EU risks.
About US$264,700 in government money for two adults and two children under 12 on the NDF route: US$230,000 donation, US$20,000 processing, US$8,500 and US$5,000 due diligence for the adults, nothing for the children, and US$1,200 in passport fees. Our professional fees and the local agent's fees are on top. A single applicant pays about US$248,800.
Plan on 14 months from filing, within a range of 10 to 18. Antigua is the slowest of the five Caribbean programmes on the IMI processing-times data for Q4 2025. Add one to two months before filing to assemble documents and source-of-funds evidence. We do not quote the 60 to 90 day figures still printed elsewhere.
No. The US requires a visa, and since 1 January 2026 Proclamation 10998 blocks immigrant, B-1/B-2, F, M and J visas for Antiguan nationals. Canada grants an eTA only to Antiguan nationals who held a Canadian visa in the last ten years or hold a valid US visa, arriving by air. Use the passport for Schengen, the UK and Asia.
No. You must spend 30 days in Antigua and Barbuda within the first five years of citizenship under the 2026 amendment, which replaced the old five-day rule. Applications approved before the rule took effect keep the five-day requirement. There is no language test and no requirement to buy property unless you choose the real estate route.
Not on its own. The US taxes its citizens on worldwide income wherever they live, and FBAR and FATCA reporting continue; Antigua shares account data with the IRS under a Model 1 agreement. Canada taxes by residence. Antigua's zero tax on foreign income, capital gains and inheritance applies only if you become tax resident there, generally 183 or more days a year.
Your citizenship remains valid; the EU cannot revoke it. What could change is visa-free entry to the Schengen Area, which the Commission has asked the five islands to protect by ending CBI programmes by 1 June 2028. We advise every client to assess Antigua on its UK, Asian and succession-planning benefits and to treat Schengen visa-free access as current but not guaranteed after 2028.
Compare them side by side: citizenship by investment programmes and the five Caribbean CBI programmes. Prefer residence to a second passport? See Panama permanent residency or the Greek golden visa programme.
This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Programme rules change; we confirm every figure before you commit.
A confidential consultation with a licensed CICC consultant. We assess eligibility and total cost before you commit to any programme.