Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia Citizenship by Investment Programme (CIP)
Saint Lucia's CIP is a statutory economic-citizenship route administered by the government's Citizenship by Investment Unit under the Citizenship by Investment Act No. 14 of 2015. Following the 2024 Caribbean inter-governmental MoU floors, the entry point is a non-refundable USD 240,000 contribution to the National Economic Fund (single applicant or a family of up to four), with alternative routes via approved real estate (from USD 300,000), approved built real estate — an apartment or villa — at USD 500,000 plus a USD 30,000 administrative fee (S.I. No. 57 of 2026), non-interest-bearing National Action Bonds (from USD 300,000 plus a USD 50,000 administrative fee), or enterprise investment (from USD 3,500,000 solo, or USD 1,000,000 within a USD 6,000,000 joint venture; with dependents, from USD 250,000). Processing is targeted at approximately 90 days from acceptance and dual citizenship is permitted. Section 30A of the Citizenship by Investment Act, inserted by Act No. 22 of 2025 and in effect from 1 January 2026, requires the applicant and each dependant to comply with prescribed residency and genuine-link requirements; the requirements have not yet been prescribed by regulation, and the regional standard under the ECCIRA agreement is 30 days’ presence within the first five years. Until they are prescribed the CIU imposes no visit, and we confirm the position at engagement. Mandatory third-party due diligence and an online interview apply to all applicants aged 16 and over.
How you qualify.
Donation
National Economic Fund (NEF) — non-refundable contribution. Per the official Investment Options page: USD 240,000 for an applicant alone or with up to three other qualifying dependents. Each additional qualifying dependent: USD 10,000 (under 18) or USD 20,000 (18 and over). This is the lowest-cost and fastest route. The USD 240,000 figure is the current official minimum, raised from the former USD 100,000 under the 2024 Caribbean MoU floor.
Real Estate
Approved real estate — purchase of an interest in a government-approved project. Per the official page: USD 300,000 for an applicant applying with any number of dependents, plus the gazetted administrative fees (S.I. No. 57 of 2026, Schedule 1 item 6): USD 30,000 for an applicant applying alone; USD 45,000 for an applicant applying with a spouse alone; USD 5,000 for each additional qualifying dependant under 18; USD 10,000 for each additional qualifying dependant aged 18 or over; and USD 10,000 for each additional qualifying dependant of any age where the applicant applies with a spouse and more than four dependants. The administrative fees are payable on the grant of citizenship and are non-refundable. No NEW real-estate project has been approved since 1 December 2025, so only existing approved projects are available. The investor receives a title deed. A minimum 5-year holding period applies before resale.
Built Real Estate
Approved built real estate — an apartment or villa, added by S.I. No. 57 of 2026 (gazetted 23 March 2026). USD 500,000 plus a USD 30,000 administrative fee. As with the approved-project route, no new real-estate project has been approved since 1 December 2025.
Bonds
National Action Bond (NAB) — non-interest-bearing government bonds registered in the applicant's name. Per the official page: USD 300,000 for an applicant applying with any number of dependents, plus a non-refundable USD 50,000 administrative fee. The bonds earn no interest and are held for a fixed 5-year period, after which the capital is returned.
Enterprise
Approved Enterprise Project. Per the official page, three options: (1) solo investment minimum USD 3,500,000 plus a USD 50,000 administrative fee; (2) joint venture total minimum USD 6,000,000 with each investor contributing at least USD 1,000,000 plus a USD 50,000 administrative fee; (3) a USD 250,000 option plus applicable administration fees. Eligible sectors and minimum permanent-job-creation requirements are set out in the Enterprise Project guidelines.
Global mobility.
Currently visa-free for short stays — 90 days within any 180-day period across the Schengen Area, with ETIAS pre-travel authorisation additionally required once the EU system goes live. The position hardened in mid-2026: under Regulation (EU) 2025/2441 (in force 30 December 2025), operating an investor-citizenship scheme is now in itself a ground for suspending a country's visa exemption, and the European Commission is reported to have written to the five Caribbean CBI states on 25 June 2026 seeking a phase-out by 1 June 2028 — reportedly with reinforced vetting required by September 2026. We have not seen the letters themselves. No suspension has been enacted to date, and the five governments are seeking a negotiated transition (joint response, Roseau, 10 July 2026) — but a client acquiring this citizenship primarily for Schengen access must treat that benefit as at material risk across the 2026–2028 window. By contrast, Vanuatu's Schengen visa waiver was partially suspended from May 2022, fully suspended from 4 February 2023 and then made permanently a visa requirement by Regulation (EU) 2025/11 (adopted 19 December 2024, OJ L 2025/11 of 14 January 2025, in force 3 February 2025) — the precedent the mechanism now points at.
The United Kingdom withdrew visa-free and ETA access from Saint Lucia at 15:00 GMT on 5 March 2026 (Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules, Explanatory Memorandum HC 1691); Saint Lucia was added to the Appendix Visitor: Visa national list and a UK ETA is no longer valid. The transitional exception for existing ETA holders expired on 16 April 2026. A full Standard Visitor visa is now required.
Saint Lucia is not in the US Visa Waiver Program, so ESTA is not available; a B-1/B-2 (or other) US visa is required.
There is no visa-free access and no standalone eTA eligibility; a Canadian visa is needed, unless the traveller holds a valid US non-immigrant visa or has held a Canadian visa in the previous 10 years, in which case they may apply for an eTA instead.
Approximately 144 visa-free or visa-on-arrival destinations. The CIU's published figure of 146 predates two 2026 withdrawals and should not be quoted: the United Kingdom imposed a visit visa on 5 March 2026, and Ireland imposed a visa requirement on 15 June 2026 covering ordinary, diplomatic and service passports, with a transit visa required even to connect through an Irish airport. Australia is a further gap — Saint Lucia is on neither the ETA (subclass 601) nor the eVisitor (subclass 651) list, so a Visitor visa (subclass 600) applies. Schengen short-stay access remains visa-free, but the EU's strengthened visa-suspension mechanism names CBI programmes as a ground and this is the single most important caveat to flag. The USA and Canada both require visas.
Still want a European base? Pair it.
A Saint Lucia passport answers what most families come for first: stronger mobility and a considered fallback, secured for life and hereditary. Many families want a European base alongside it — somewhere to hold assets, spend time and give their children options. Those are two different jobs, and we build them as one plan rather than asking you to choose.
We pair the citizenship with an EU residence in a single structure — citizenship, passport and residence, built as one: the passport for mobility and standing, the residence for a euro-denominated base and, held over time, a lawful route to a European future.
Choose your structure
Structure selected: Saint Lucia citizenship only. Add a European base at any time — pick one above to see it quoted as a single structure.
Engage us on Saint Lucia
Leave your details and we come back to you personally — the confirmed current terms, the full costing for your family, and an introduction to vetted, admitted counsel for this programme.
Kestrel Private is a discreet private-client advisory led personally by Andrew J. Taylor, formerly Vice Chairman of Henley & Partners. He has served private clients from more than 30 countries, and at Kestrel you have one senior relationship from initial strategy through implementation.
What's involved in Saint Lucia citizenship.
- Family inclusion
- Per the official FAQ: the main applicant may include a spouse and qualifying dependents. Children qualify if 21 years of age or below, or up to age 30 if fully supported by the applicant, or any age if physically or mentally challenged and fully supported. Parents and grandparents qualify if above 55 years of age and fully supported, or any age if physically or mentally challenged and fully supported. Siblings qualify if an unmarried sister or brother below 18 years of age, with parental consent. The NEF base price of USD 240,000 covers the main applicant plus up to three qualifying dependents; further dependents are added at USD 10,000 (under 18) or USD 20,000 (18 and over). Minimum main-applicant age is 18.
- Due diligence
- Mandatory multi-source due diligence: government law-enforcement checks plus mandatory third-party international due-diligence firms, and an online interview, for every applicant and dependent aged 16 and over. Due-diligence fees: USD 8,000 (main applicant) and USD 5,000 per dependent aged 16 and over. Processing and application fees: USD 2,000 (main applicant) and USD 1,000 per dependent. Source-of-funds documentation is required via a dedicated Source of Funds form. Applicants must be of good character with no criminal record and in good health; minimum applicant age 18. Biometric data is taken from successful applicants (S.I. No. 57 of 2026). A confidential applicant register is maintained by the CIU.
- Timeline
- Approximately ninety (90) days from the date the application is accepted for processing to the grant of citizenship, per the official CIU FAQ. End to end — agent engagement, document collection, submission, due diligence and interview, approval, investment completion, and oath — typically runs approximately 4 to 6 months in practice.
- Physical presence
- Section 30A of the Citizenship by Investment Act (inserted by Act No. 22 of 2025, in effect from 1 January 2026) requires the applicant and each dependant to comply with prescribed residency and genuine-link requirements. Those requirements have not yet been prescribed by regulation; the regional standard under the ECCIRA agreement is 30 days’ presence within the first five years. Until they are prescribed the CIU imposes no residence period and no mandatory visit, and the position is confirmed at engagement. A mandatory applicant interview and identity-verification step applies (from 4 September 2023), conducted as part of processing rather than as a physical-presence test, and biometric data is taken from successful applicants (S.I. No. 57 of 2026). The Oath or Affirmation of Allegiance is taken on approval and can be administered abroad. Citizenship is for life and dual citizenship is permitted.
- Tax
- Saint Lucia operates a residence-based tax system: there is no tax on worldwide income for non-residents, and no inheritance, estate, gift, wealth or capital-gains tax on assets held outside Saint Lucia. Acquiring citizenship does not, by itself, make the holder Saint Lucia tax-resident — tax residency depends on physical presence and domicile. The passport is a mobility and Plan-B asset rather than an automatic tax-relocation vehicle. CRS reporting applies; a client's specific position should be confirmed with cross-border tax counsel.
- Statutory programme established by the Citizenship by Investment Act No. 14 of 2015; the Citizenship by Investment Unit (CIU) commenced operations on 1 October 2015.
- Five investment routes: National Economic Fund donation (from USD 240,000), approved real estate (from USD 300,000, 5-year hold), approved built real estate — apartment or villa (USD 500,000 plus a USD 30,000 administrative fee, added by S.I. No. 57 of 2026), National Action Bonds (from USD 300,000 plus USD 50,000 fee, 5-year hold, non-interest-bearing, refundable capital), and enterprise project (from USD 3,500,000 solo or USD 1,000,000 in a USD 6,000,000 JV; dependents option from USD 250,000).
- Minimums reflect the 2024 Caribbean inter-governmental MoU floors (NEF raised USD 100,000 to USD 240,000; real estate raised USD 200,000 to USD 300,000) implemented via the 2024 pricing Regulations.
- Section 30A (inserted by Act No. 22 of 2025, in effect from 1 January 2026) requires the applicant and each dependant to comply with prescribed residency and genuine-link requirements; the requirements are not yet prescribed, and until they are the CIU imposes no residence period and no mandatory visit. The oath can be sworn abroad; dual citizenship is permitted; citizenship is for life and passes to descendants.
- Mandatory third-party due diligence and online interview for all applicants 16 and over; biometric enrolment for successful applicants (S.I. No. 57 of 2026); minimum applicant age 18; good-character and good-health requirements; source-of-funds documentation required.
- Target processing time of approximately 90 days from acceptance to grant.
- Most recent legislative changes: Citizenship by Investment (Amendment) Act No. 22 of 2025 (s.30A residency and genuine link, from 1 January 2026) and S.I. No. 57 of 2026 (built real-estate route at USD 500,000; no new real-estate project approvals after 1 December 2025; mandatory biometrics), gazetted 23 March 2026.
- Document Checklist (Form SL1)
- Principal Applicant Form (Form SL2A)
- Dependent Applicant Form (Form SL2B), one per dependent
- Photograph and Signature Certificate (Form SL3)
- Investment Confirmation Form (Form SL4)
- Source of Funds declaration and supporting evidence
- Certified copy of valid passport(s) for applicant and all dependents
- Birth certificates for applicant and dependents
- Marriage certificate (if including a spouse)
- Police clearance / certificate of no criminal record from country of citizenship and residence (applicants 16 and over)
- Medical certificate / health questionnaire including HIV test (as prescribed)
- Professional and bank reference letters
- Proof of residential address
- Passport-style photographs meeting the published Photograph Guidelines
- Oath or Affirmation of Allegiance (sworn on approval)
- Evidence of the qualifying investment (NEF receipt / real estate purchase agreement / bond subscription / enterprise agreement)
The governing law — in our library.
Citizenship by Investment Act No. 14 of 2015 (principal Act), read with the Citizenship by Investment (Saint Lucia) Regulations S.I. No. 89 of 2015 (as amended). Amending Acts: Citizenship by Investment (Amendment) Act No. 12 of 2019; Citizenship by Investment (Amendment) Act No. 4 of 2020; and Citizenship by Investment (Amendment) Act No. 22 of 2025. The National Economic Fund donation route is governed by the Saint Lucia National Economic Fund Act No. 18 of 2019. Pricing and fees are set by amending Regulations, the most recent being S.I. No. 28 of 2024, the Citizenship by Investment (Amendment) (No. 106) Regulations of 2024, and S.I. No. 57 of 2026 (gazetted 23 March 2026), which added the built real-estate route at USD 500,000, closed new real-estate project approvals after 1 December 2025 and made biometric enrolment mandatory for successful applicants. All instruments are individually listed on the official CIU legislation page. · Administered by Citizenship by Investment Unit (CIU), Saint Lucia — the government unit administering the programme under the Minister responsible for Citizenship by Investment; applications are assessed by the Citizenship by Investment Board..
Documents marked “held by Kestrel” are mirrored on our own servers from the official source, so the reference is always available.
Saint Lucia, answered.
- How much does Saint Lucia citizenship by investment cost?
- The lowest qualifying investment is USD 240,000 via the Donation route. Government, due-diligence and professional fees are additional. Every figure is confirmed in writing before you commit to anything.
- How long does the Saint Lucia citizenship process take?
- Approximately ninety (90) days from the date the application is accepted for processing to the grant of citizenship, per the official CIU FAQ. End to end — agent engagement, document collection, submission, due diligence and interview, approval, investment completion, and oath — typically runs approximately 4 to 6 months in practice.
- Does the Saint Lucia passport allow visa-free travel to the Schengen Area?
- Currently visa-free for short stays — 90 days within any 180-day period across the Schengen Area, with ETIAS pre-travel authorisation additionally required once the EU system goes live. The position hardened in mid-2026: under Regulation (EU) 2025/2441 (in force 30 December 2025), operating an investor-citizenship scheme is now in itself a ground for suspending a country's visa exemption, and the European Commission is reported to have written to the five Caribbean CBI states on 25 June 2026 seeking a phase-out by 1 June 2028 — reportedly with reinforced vetting required by September 2026. We have not seen the letters themselves. No suspension has been enacted to date, and the five governments are seeking a negotiated transition (joint response, Roseau, 10 July 2026) — but a client acquiring this citizenship primarily for Schengen access must treat that benefit as at material risk across the 2026–2028 window. By contrast, Vanuatu's Schengen visa waiver was partially suspended from May 2022, fully suspended from 4 February 2023 and then made permanently a visa requirement by Regulation (EU) 2025/11 (adopted 19 December 2024, OJ L 2025/11 of 14 January 2025, in force 3 February 2025) — the precedent the mechanism now points at.
- Can I include my family in the Saint Lucia application?
- Per the official FAQ: the main applicant may include a spouse and qualifying dependents. Children qualify if 21 years of age or below, or up to age 30 if fully supported by the applicant, or any age if physically or mentally challenged and fully supported. Parents and grandparents qualify if above 55 years of age and fully supported, or any age if physically or mentally challenged and fully supported. Siblings qualify if an unmarried sister or brother below 18 years of age, with parental consent. The NEF base price of USD 240,000 covers the main applicant plus up to three qualifying dependents; further dependents are added at USD 10,000 (under 18) or USD 20,000 (18 and over). Minimum main-applicant age is 18.
- What due diligence does Saint Lucia require?
- Mandatory multi-source due diligence: government law-enforcement checks plus mandatory third-party international due-diligence firms, and an online interview, for every applicant and dependent aged 16 and over. Due-diligence fees: USD 8,000 (main applicant) and USD 5,000 per dependent aged 16 and over. Processing and application fees: USD 2,000 (main applicant) and USD 1,000 per dependent. Source-of-funds documentation is required via a dedicated Source of Funds form. Applicants must be of good character with no criminal record and in good health; minimum applicant age 18. Biometric data is taken from successful applicants (S.I. No. 57 of 2026). A confidential applicant register is maintained by the CIU.
- Does Saint Lucia citizenship grant the right to live in the European Union?
- No. Saint Lucia citizenship can confer a second passport and visa-free or visa-on-arrival travel, but it grants no right to live, work or settle in the EU and no path to an EU passport. For a European foothold, residence by investment is the direct route.
General guidance, not legal, tax or immigration advice. Figures are verified to 2026 against official primary sources, and eligibility, thresholds and timelines are confirmed in writing before you commit to anything.
The programme you apply under is the one that exists on the day you file.
For residence applications, we generally plan on approximately two to three months to approval and three to six months from instruction to residence card.
Citizenship applications vary more widely. A straightforward application may receive approval within approximately three months, but six to nine months to passport issuance is a more prudent planning assumption.
Programme rules, government fees and processing times can change. We therefore reconfirm the applicable terms immediately before an application is filed.
Neither approval nor timing can be guaranteed.
If Saint Lucia is the route you want, we can start your file.
A first conversation, not a commitment. Tell us who would be included and what you already hold, and we come back with the route, the confirmed terms and the timeline for Saint Lucia — or tell you honestly if another programme fits you better.