The Economic Citizenship program of St. Kitts and Nevis is the oldest of its kind in the entire world, having been first established back in 1984. In addition to being the oldest program, it is also one of the fastest programs for immigrant investors that provides a second passport legally and citizenship through the naturalization process.
This area officially named by the constitution, The Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis, is found in the Eastern Caribbean and is made up of two different islands, Nevis and St. Kitts. In order to qualify for citizenship a person must make a contribution to the Sugar Industry Diversification Foundation, which is a public charity that is audited by the Pricewaterhouse Coopers. The qualifying requirements for a person to gain citizenship include:
- Single applicants must pay $250,000
- Applicant that has up to three dependents must pay $300,000
- Applicants that have up to five dependents must pay $350,000
- Applicants that have up to seven dependents must pay $450,000
- And an addition contribution of $50,000 must be made for every dependent over seven.
While these may seem like hefty amounts to invest for citizenship, the fact is that the benefits are vast. One of the biggest advantages that are offered by citizenship include that the person will receive a physical exemption during the actual application process. Additionally, there will be no interview necessary to accomplish the procedure that is legally required to be granted citizenship.
Some of the other benefits offered by citizenship include:
- You can receive your passport six months after your application has been lodged.
- There will be a passport supplied for each main applicant, as well as all eligible family members.
- There is no management experience, education or interview necessary.
- There is no requirement that you must travel to St. Kitts or Nevis when you apply.
- Dual citizenship is recognized by St Kitts and Nevis, which means you do not have to renounce other citizenships.
- You can travel, visa-free, to over 130 different countries, including Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Canada, Switzerland, Schengen and the United Kingdom.
- You do not have to reside inside of the country, unless you decide to.
- You will receive tax free status for all inheritance tax, wealth, gifts, capital gains and foreign income.
As you can see, there are a number of benefits offered by acquiring citizenship in St. Kitts and Nevis.
