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Pathway

Antigua Citizenship by Investment: Donation

Antigua and Barbuda Citizenship
Pathway overview

At a glance

The contribution route starts with a USD $230,000 non-refundable NDF payment, or USD $260,000 through the UWI option for a qualifying family of six or more. Full fees, due diligence, approval, oath, and the post-approval visit obligation still apply.

NDF minimum
USD $230,000 per application, plus fees
UWI family option
USD $260,000 for a family of 6 or more
Decision
Discretionary after full due diligence
After approval
Oath and at least 5 days in-country within 5 calendar years
Minimum investment
USD $230,000
Investment choices
National Development Fund; UWI fund for families of six or more

Summary

Antigua and Barbuda's Citizenship by Investment Programme (CIP) has two fund-contribution options. The ordinary National Development Fund (NDF) option requires a non-refundable contribution of at least USD $230,000 per application. The University of the West Indies (UWI) fund option requires USD $260,000 and is available only where the application contains at least six people. The UWI amount includes the processing fees for a family of six and gives one family member a one-year tuition-only UWI scholarship; a seventh or later dependent adds a processing fee.

These figures are not the full price. Due-diligence, passport, licensed-agent, certification, translation, and other costs still apply. Under the current fee schedule, the NDF processing charge is USD $10,000 for one applicant or USD $20,000 for a family of up to four, then USD $10,000 for each additional dependent beginning with the fifth. Fees can change, so a family needs a written current calculation before it relies on a total.

The contribution buys no guaranteed outcome. The Citizenship by Investment Unit (CIU) reviews the main applicant and every family member, may request more information or an interview, and can refuse the case. An application must be submitted through the program's authorized channels; it is not a direct online purchase of citizenship.

Pathway fit check

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 a lawful source and transfer path for the money, and satisfy the CIU's due-diligence rules.

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

The wording is precise. 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 included person has civil-record and screening requirements.

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.

Payment sequencing matters. The NDF page says that due-diligence 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
EU visa-free travel is under policy scrutiny
Announced — not currently law

EU visa-free travel is under policy scrutiny

Current official stage: Annual EU visa-suspension monitoring; no suspension decision announced

Antigua and Barbuda citizenship still carries the current EU short-stay treatment, but the Commission is monitoring its investor-citizenship program under a mechanism that can suspend visa-free access. No suspension has been announced.

Timing: The revised EU mechanism has applied since 31 December 2025, but it does not automatically suspend travel. The Commission has not announced a suspension for Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis or Saint Lucia. It continues annual monitoring and country engagement.

Current pathway rules still apply.

Last checked European Commission — Eighth Visa Suspension Mechanism ReportEuropean Union — Regulation 2025/2441 revising the visa-suspension mechanismCouncil of the EU — explanation of the revised suspension mechanismEuropean Commission — Eastern Caribbean follow-up and recommendations
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. Disclose a possible issue to a properly authorized professional; do not try to solve it by omitting the fact.
  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 source-of-wealth and source-of-funds explanation. 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.
Compare your options

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

Sources