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Pathway

Antigua Citizenship by Investment: Donation

Antigua and Barbuda Citizenship
Pathway overview

At a glance

You can apply for Antigua and Barbuda citizenship by making a non-refundable contribution through its Citizenship by Investment Program (CIP). The National Development Fund option starts at USD $230,000 per application. The University of the West Indies (UWI) option starts at USD $260,000 and requires at least six people in the application. Both involve background checks and additional costs.

Fund contribution
NDF: USD $230,000 per application, plus fees
Larger families
UWI: USD $260,000 for at least 6 applicants; additional charges may apply
Checks
Government background checks and approval required

Summary

Antigua and Barbuda’s contribution-based citizenship program lets eligible applicants seek citizenship through a government contribution, with a licensed agent submitting the application for government review. Applicants must pass the program's checks, and the contribution is made according to the Citizenship by Investment Unit's payment instructions. The contribution is not recoverable, and paying it does not guarantee citizenship.

The fund choice affects the total family cost. The UWI option includes processing for six people and a one-year tuition-only scholarship for one family member; extra dependents and other charges cost more. Request a written total covering government, background-check, agent, passport, and document fees before proceeding.

Select a contribution route, then follow the approval stages
  1. Choose NDF or the qualifying UWI option Check family size, dependent eligibility, and the complete contribution and fee schedule.
  2. Submit through the licensed channel Document identity, background, and source of funds for the CIU review.
  3. Complete the required contribution If approved Transfer it only when the official approval instructions require it.
  4. Complete citizenship formalities Follow registration, oath, passport, and post-grant presence requirements.

Contributions are non-refundable and are not the full cost. Approval depends on the official review.

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Eligibility

The main applicant must be at least 18 and must choose a current qualifying investment option. For the fund route, the practical eligibility questions are whether the applicant can pay the contribution and every additional charge, show how the money was earned or acquired legally and how it will be transferred, and pass the CIU's background checks.

The CIU's current dependent page says a family application may include:

The age limits are only part of the requirements. An adult child must meet the dependency rule; being under 31 is not enough by itself. A parent or grandparent must meet both the age and financial-dependency requirements. Each person needs the required birth, marriage, or other official records and must pass the relevant checks.

The CIU lists grounds that can make an applicant ineligible, including false information, specified criminal convictions or an active criminal investigation, national-security or reputational concerns, certain serious health findings, and an unresolved visa refusal from a country to which Antigua and Barbuda has visa-free travel. The current restricted-country policy lists Afghanistan, Iran, North Korea, Somalia, Yemen, and Sudan. A person connected to one of those countries is not necessarily barred, but must meet the exception described by the CIU, including the relevant residence and economic-ties test, and still pass full due diligence.

Payments are due at different stages. The NDF page says that background-check fees and 10% of the processing fee are paid when the application is submitted. After an approval letter, the remaining processing charge, passport fees, and contribution become due; the contribution must be paid to the designated government fund within the stated time. The UWI page uses its own sequence. Follow the written instructions for the chosen option rather than sending money based on a private marketing summary.

Policy watch 1 development we’re tracking
The EU has requested a phase-out of Antigua and Barbuda CBI
Announced — not currently law

The EU has requested a phase-out of Antigua and Barbuda CBI

Current official stage: Revised EU mechanism in force; regional phase-out request confirmed in Saint Lucia’s September 24 statement

Antigua and Barbuda says a European Commission letter dated 25 June 2026 requested that it phase out its CBI program by 1 June 2028. Its government says the program continues. The request is not itself an EU visa suspension or a domestic program closure; neither was identified in the sources reviewed.

Timing: Saint Lucia’s September 24, 2026 statement describes a June 2028 regional phase-out request and continuing dialogue. Antigua and Barbuda’s earlier account specifies June 1, 2028 for its program and a planned December 2026 Commission report. These are requested milestones, not enacted national closure dates.

Last checked
References
Read the full briefing

What This Route Allows

If the application is approved and all post-approval steps are completed, the applicant is registered as a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda. Approved qualifying family members in the same application receive their own certificates of registration. Those certificates can then support separate passport applications.

Citizenship allows a person to live in Antigua and Barbuda without an immigration permit and to use the rights available to citizens under local law. The program does not require ordinary pre-application residence. The official NDF and UWI pages also say the oath or affirmation of allegiance can be taken on the first visit or through an Antigua and Barbuda embassy, high commission, or consular office.

Antigua and Barbuda law recognizes dual citizenship in the situations described by its Constitution. Whether an applicant keeps another nationality also depends on the law of that other country; the CIU cannot promise the foreign-country result.

What This Route Is Not

This is not a refundable deposit or an investment that earns a financial return. The NDF and UWI payments are contributions. If the application fails or citizenship is later lost, the program should not be described as guaranteeing repayment.

It is not a flat USD $230,000 or USD $260,000 family price. Due-diligence and passport charges are per person where applicable, processing charges change with family size, and professional and document costs sit outside the published contribution.

It is not a way to avoid disclosure. The applicant must give complete information about identity, family, residence, employment, business interests, finances, litigation, criminal matters, sanctions exposure, and relevant visa refusals. A licensed agent screens and submits the file, but does not decide it; the CIU does.

Citizenship also comes with a post-approval presence obligation. The CIU warns that a citizen by investment may be deprived of citizenship for failing to spend at least five days in Antigua and Barbuda during the five calendar years after citizenship is obtained. That is more serious than a simple passport-renewal inconvenience. Each approved person should obtain written advice on how the rule and evidence of travel apply.

Next Steps

  1. Decide whether the NDF or the six-person-minimum UWI option actually fits the family. Do not use the UWI figure for a family of fewer than six.
  2. Check every proposed dependent against the current CIU definition, particularly adult-child dependency, parent or grandparent age and dependency, and sibling marital status.
  3. Review the CIU's published ineligibility and restricted-country rules before incurring non-refundable charges. Discuss any potential issue with your licensed agent.
  4. Select a person appearing on the CIU's current licensed-agent or authorized-representative pages. Confirm identity and payment instructions independently because the CIU warns that program promotion and submission are regulated.
  5. Request a written cost schedule showing the contribution, processing, due-diligence and passport fees for each family member, agent charges, document costs, and the stage at which each amount becomes non-refundable.
  6. Assemble civil records, passports, police certificates, medical material, financial statements, business and employment records, tax evidence, and a clear explanation of how you built your wealth and where the application money comes from. Use the CIU's current certification rules.
  7. Let the licensed channel submit the official forms and respond fully to requests for more evidence or an interview. Do not transfer the contribution until the official approval instructions require it.
  8. After approval, complete the contribution, registration, oath, and passport steps, then retain proof that each new citizen met the five-day presence obligation within the first five calendar years.

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Discussed in these reports

Other citizenship-by-investment options in Antigua and Barbuda and other countries.

Sources