Reviewed by Jane Katkova, Founder & Licensed CICC ConsultantOn 28 July 2026 Grenada's House of Representatives took up the Grenada Citizenship by Investment (Amendment) Bill, 2026, and reports indicate it passed the House that day and went to the Senate on 31 July. The bill amends the Citizenship by Investment Act, No. 15 of 2013, to align it with the regional regulator, the Eastern Caribbean Citizenship by Investment Regulatory Authority (ECCIRA), and inserts new sections 7A and 7B on residency and a "genuine and effective link" to Grenada.
Residency and integration obligations in section 7A
We have read the text published by the Parliament of Grenada. For citizens under the Grenada citizenship by investment programme it provides:
- 30 days in five years: an aggregate of at least 30 days of physical presence in Grenada during the first five calendar years after the grant of citizenship. The aggregate may be met collectively by the main applicant and dependants, but a day on which several family members are present is counted once.
- Five days in the first 12 months: the main applicant and each dependant must individually be present for at least five days in the first 12 months after the grant.
- Integration programme: mandatory, and it may include civic education, cultural orientation or community service, and an in-person or virtual interview.
- First passport valid for five years: renewable for a full ten years only once compliance is certified. A Declaration of Presence must be filed before renewal and may be verified against immigration records.
- Exemptions: available in exceptional and compassionate circumstances, such as humanitarian necessity or a verified inability to travel for medical, age, conflict or security reasons, where the person has shown substantial ties to Grenada.
- Non-compliance: failure without reasonable excuse is a ground for starting the procedure to revoke citizenship and the passport.
Section 7B allows time spent lawfully resident in Grenada before the grant to count towards the requirement, once verified. The bill also requires annual financial and biennial operational audits and a shared regional database of denied and withdrawn applications.
Commencement and pending applications
The Act comes into force on a date appointed by the Minister by order in the Gazette. The residency requirement had been expected from 31 August 2026, but trade reports published on 1 September state that it has been postponed until ECCIRA is operational and the five member states agree a common start date. New applications continue under the existing rules for now.
Section 7B(6) states that the new sections "may be applied retroactively to pending applications at the discretion of the Minister, subject to transitional guidelines". Those guidelines have not been published.
What this means for applicants
Grenada remains the Caribbean programme with E-2 treaty investor access to the United States and is not named in US Proclamation 10998, which is why it interests US or Canadian residents holding passports from non-treaty countries. Those applicants now need to add a presence plan: five days per family member in the first year and 30 days in total over five years. Because shared days count once, a family travelling together still needs 30 calendar days.
Filing before commencement does not guarantee the old rules, given the Minister's discretion over pending files. We advise planning on the basis that the obligations will apply, and keeping travel records for each family member. The National Transformation Fund contribution of US$235,000 for a family of up to four is unchanged.
To build a Grenada application and presence schedule that meets the new requirements, book a consultation.