Open 2013–present
Antigua and Barbuda citizenship by investment
Antigua and Barbuda publishes a qualifying amount of $230,000 for its contribution route. The qualifying family-of-four base amount is $230,000. The subtotal of itemised single-applicant charges is $248,800, before unlisted costs.
Five-day visit obligation after citizenship.
Evidence & review dates · 13 October 2026
Evidence reviewed Dated research; confirm current terms with the authority.
Antigua and Barbuda CIU ↗All sources & limitations →Suggest a correction →Media report · reviewed
Reported suspension risk — awaiting official confirmation
St Vincent Times reports that Antigua and Barbuda is considering suspending its citizenship investment programme following EU discussions about Schengen visa-free access. It describes 12 November 2026 as a deadline to commit to suspension and says Cabinet had not made a final decision.
The reported deadline is not a confirmed application cutoff or effective suspension date. This update does not establish a closure, new rules for pending applications or a change to Schengen visa-free access. The programme status shown here remains unchanged pending official confirmation.
St Vincent Times report · published 2026-10-25 ↗
Earlier official context: the government’s statement published on 7 July 2026 described an EU request for phase-out by 1 June 2028 and the government’s opposition at that time. That dated position does not confirm the outcome of the October discussions. Dated government statement ↗
- Legal outcome
- Citizenship subject to approval
- Base amount
- $230,000
- Family-of-four base
- $230,000
- Published single subtotal
- $248,800
- Presence
- 5 days in first 5 years
- Reported approval
- 16.8 months average · IMI Q2 2026
- Official guidance
- Not published here
Cost breakdown
| Published item | One applicant |
|---|---|
| NDF contribution | $230,000 |
| Processing | $10,000 |
| Principal diligence | $8,500 |
| Passport | $300 |
| Published subtotal | $248,800 |
Interview, document, agent and any enhanced checks are additional if applicable. Pinned open-data subtotals include only supported dated line items; comprehensive total and exact family acceptance remain unresolved. Different currencies remain separate.
Payments and money at risk
Payment milestones, refunds and capital exposure
- Submission versus approval
The current CIU fee page requires non-refundable due diligence and 10% of the processing fee on submission. For approved property, the property page places the processing balance and sums due to the developer after approval under the purchase agreement. Obtain written terms for withdrawal, rejection and developer default; do not infer a universal contractual refund from the government fee rules.
NDF and government fee schedule ↗ · Approved property: payment, title and holding rules ↗ · Checked 2026-10-25
Qualifying routes
| Route | Base amount | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| NDF contribution | $230,000 | Non-refundable |
| Approved property | $300,000 | 5-year hold |
| Joint business | $400,000 | Minimum participant share; joint project conditions |
Reported timing and passport access
Observed periods and publisher passport categories
Observed approval times
16.8 months average · 11–24 months reported range
Practitioner observations, Q2 2026 (April–June), as published by IMI. Small provider samples of recently approved files leave pending cases out. This is not an official target or a forecast for your application. Passport delivery is a separate stage.
How to read these averages and ranges → · Source checked 2026-10-23. Original publisher attribution is in the source notes below.
Passport Index snapshot
100 visa-free · 38 visa on arrival · 6 eTA
The publisher totals these as 144 destinations. This is a third-party index snapshot checked 2026-10-23, not a government guarantee. It concerns an ordinary national passport after citizenship and passport issuance; residence alone does not give these rights.
Publisher dashboard and destination list ↗ · Read the destination-government checks below before booking.
Current and upcoming changes
Official research update · 2026-10-23
Property and exit conditions: The CIU describes approved property from $300,000 and a five-year resale restriction, subject to its alternative-approved-property exception. It warns that the property transaction can lengthen processing. Approval for CBI does not establish the asset’s market value or resale liquidity. Checked 2026-10-22. Official source ↗
EU phase-out request: The government’s 7 July statement reports a Commission request to phase out the programme by 1 June 2028, while saying the programme will continue. This verifies the reported request; it is not an enacted closure or proof that visa-free travel has already been suspended. Checked 2026-10-23. Official source ↗
Each claim shows its own check date. Other profile facts retain their own dates.
Before buying a CBI property: eligibility, title, valuation and exit → · A second citizenship does not freeze travel rules →
Family of four
Household assumptions and eligibility
Principal, spouse and two children aged under 12. Eligibility, age definitions and dependency rules apply. Base amount: $230,000. Published-charge subtotal: $264,700.
Family allowed; dependants and government fees change total
Requirements
Eligibility, presence and exceptions
Five-day obligation can affect retention of citizenship. Due diligence and processing are additional.
- Presence
- At least 5 days in first 5 calendar years after citizenship
After approval
Retention, holding and passport renewal
Selected duties checked . Citizenship retention, asset holding and passport renewal are separate requirements.
Property alternative: US$300,000, held 5 years
- Visits and citizenship retention
The CIU says deprivation of citizenship may occur if the citizen does not spend at least five days in Antigua and Barbuda during the first five calendar years after citizenship, without repayment of the original investment, contribution or purchase price. Keep visit records. This retention condition is separate from the passport’s expiry date.
Citizenship: options and obligations ↗ · Checked 2026-10-25
- Passport renewal
The current CIU passport page describes an initial five-year passport and consideration for renewal subject to five days spent in the country during that period since citizenship. Obtain current renewal instructions and charges. The May 2020 AB10 form is a dated reference: this review did not establish its present fee schedule or procedural applicability, and the current forms index does not list it. That omission does not prove withdrawal.
Antigua and Barbuda passport: validity and renewal ↗ · AB10 five-year renewal form, version 3 May 2020 ↗ · Current application and passport forms index ↗ · Checked 2026-10-25
- Property holding
The current property page restricts resale until five years after purchase, with an exception for purchasing an alternative officially approved property. Preserve title and payment documents and obtain advice before any early disposal. The holding period runs from purchase, whereas the visit condition runs from citizenship.
Approved property: payment, title and holding rules ↗ · Checked 2026-10-25
- Evidence to retain
AB10 version 3 May 2020 illustrates retained-investment evidence for property/business, title or share-register documents, proof of visits and declarations about changes after citizenship. Keep your certificate, ownership and visit records, and ask which current documents are required. These are useful records to retain; the older checklist and its charges are not presented as a newly confirmed renewal procedure.
AB10 five-year renewal form, version 3 May 2020 ↗ · Current application and passport forms index ↗ · Checked 2026-10-25
Travel access
Destination rules, conditions and source dates
Ordinary national passport after nationality and passport issuance. Short visits; personal circumstances and entry conditions apply. Each rule retains its own check date.
- UK visits
- ETA / visit-visa exempt
Short visits on an ordinary national passport. ETA eligibility and visitor conditions apply.
Checked 2026-10-13.
- Appendix Visitor: visa national list ↗UK Home Office · Immigration rules · Checked
What this source supports
Current ordinary-passport visit-visa requirements. Rules updated 8 October 2026.
- Appendix Visitor: visa national list ↗UK Home Office · Immigration rules · Checked
- Schengen visits
- Visa-exempt · 90/180
Ordinary national passport, short visits; entry conditions and document validity still apply.
Checked 2026-10-13.
- Consolidated Regulation 2018/1806, 30 December 2025 ↗European Union EUR-Lex · Government guidance · Checked
What this source supports
Annexes I/II and qualifying footnotes; ordinary national passports only
- Consolidated Regulation 2018/1806, 30 December 2025 ↗European Union EUR-Lex · Government guidance · Checked
- USA visits
- Visa issuance restricted
Antigua and Dominica are subject to partial B1/B2 restrictions. Applies to persons outside the US without a valid visa on 1 January 2026; existing valid visas, dual-national and other exceptions apply.
Checked 2026-10-13.
- Visa Waiver Program participating nationalities ↗US Department of State · Government guidance · Checked
What this source supports
Ordinary-national-passport visitor rules; no current CBI nationality in the participating list
- Visa issuance suspension under Proclamation 10998 ↗US Department of State · Government guidance · Checked
What this source supports
Antigua and Dominica visitor visa restrictions effective January 2026; valid-visa and other exceptions
- Visa Waiver Program participating nationalities ↗US Department of State · Government guidance · Checked
- Canada visits
- Conditional air eTA
Only air travel / airport transit, plus Canadian visa held in past ten years OR a valid US nonimmigrant visa. Land/sea travel needs a visa; each traveller qualifies separately.
Checked 2026-10-13.
- Visa-required travellers who may qualify for an eTA ↗Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada · Government guidance · Checked
What this source supports
Antigua, St Kitts and St Lucia: conditional air-travel eTA; past Canadian visa or valid US nonimmigrant visa required
- Visa-required travellers who may qualify for an eTA ↗Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada · Government guidance · Checked
Global category counts, where shown above, are attributed publisher snapshots. The selected destination rules here use government evidence. Recognition of a document is separate from visa exemption.
Sources
Publications, supporting claims and review dates
Checked means the cited material was reviewed, not that the authority published a new rule that day. Source authority and retrieval limitations are recorded below.
NDF and government fee scheduleAntigua and Barbuda CIU · Checked
Government guidance
NDF contribution, processing, due diligence and passport fees for principal and dependants. | Published contribution and fee schedule; applicant age bands and per-person/application distinctions
Citizenship: options and obligationsAntigua and Barbuda CIU · Checked
Government guidance
US$230,000 NDF; US$300,000 property; five days in first five years; family and screening.
National Development FundAntigua and Barbuda CIU · Checked
Government guidance
US$230,000 contribution; US$10,000 single processing; US$20,000 family processing.
Appendix Visitor: visa national listUK Home Office · Checked
Immigration rules
Current ordinary-passport visit-visa requirements. Rules updated 8 October 2026.
Visa Waiver Program participating nationalitiesUS Department of State · Checked
Government guidance
Ordinary-national-passport visitor rules; no current CBI nationality in the participating list
Visa issuance suspension under Proclamation 10998US Department of State · Checked
Government guidance
Antigua and Dominica visitor visa restrictions effective January 2026; valid-visa and other exceptions
Visa-required travellers who may qualify for an eTAImmigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada · Checked
Government guidance
Antigua, St Kitts and St Lucia: conditional air-travel eTA; past Canadian visa or valid US nonimmigrant visa required
Consolidated Regulation 2018/1806, 30 December 2025European Union EUR-Lex · Checked
Government guidance
Annexes I/II and qualifying footnotes; ordinary national passports only
Approved real-estate investment routeAntigua and Barbuda CIU · Checked
Official publication
Minimum $300,000 approved real estate, holding/resale conditions and property-related processing delays; programme eligibility is not investment-quality assurance.
Government response to EU communication on CBIAntigua and Barbuda, Office of the Prime Minister · Checked
Official government statement
Government reports a 25 June Commission letter requesting phase-out by 1 June 2028 and a 24-month transition; government says its programme will continue.
AB10 five-year renewal form, version 3 May 2020Antigua and Barbuda CIU · Checked
Dated government form
Checklist records investment-retention/title/share-register evidence, visit evidence and personal-change declarations. This older form remains accessible but is absent from the current forms index reviewed; its fee amounts and continued procedural applicability are not established by this review. Use as a dated illustration and obtain current instructions.
Current application and passport forms indexAntigua and Barbuda CIU · Checked
Government forms index
Lists current passport L/M forms and application samples; does not list AB10 in the index retrieved on 25 October 2026. This absence does not prove AB10 withdrawn.
Antigua and Barbuda passport: validity and renewalAntigua and Barbuda CIU · Checked
Government guidance
Initial five-year passport and renewal consideration conditional on five days in Antigua and Barbuda within that period since citizenship. This page does not supply a complete current renewal fee schedule.
Approved property: payment, title and holding rulesAntigua and Barbuda CIU · Checked
Government guidance
Binding purchase agreement subject to citizenship grant; screening and 10% processing on submission; processing balance and developer sums following approval; title registration; five-year resale restriction with an alternative approved-property exception.
IMI reported processing times: Q2 2026IMI Research Unit · Checked
Reported processing series with identified source types · Publisher attribution; original charts may require membership.
Selected reported averages and ranges for recently approved applications during April–June 2026.
Antigua and Barbuda passport dashboardPassport Index / Arton Capital · Checked
Publisher passport-access snapshot
Publisher-reported destinations on an ordinary national passport: visa-free, visa on arrival and eTA are separate categories. Their sum is the publisher mobility score; it is not a visa-free-only count or a government entitlement.
No sources match. Try a country, authority or a different word.
Open research data
These programme claims are pinned to release 2026-10-25.2. Partial evidence, missing fields and conflicting official statements remain visible.
Claim revisions, conditions and source dates · Release manifest and checksums