Benefits

St. Lucia citizenship has many benefits including:

• A St. Lucian passport provides visa-free or visa-on-arrival travel to 145 destinations, including Europe’s Schengen Area, Hong Kong, Singapore, the UK, and many others.
• No residence or visitation is required.
• A range of options are available.
• The program has attractive investment and processing costs.
• St. Lucia recognizes dual citizenship.

Qualification Criteria and Requirements

The program requires applicants to make a significant economic contribution to the country. In exchange, and subject to a stringent application process and due diligence checks, the applicants and their families are granted full citizenship.

The main applicant must be at least 18 years of age to qualify, meet the application requirements, and select one of the following investment options:

1. An investment in an approved real estate development with a minimum value of USD 300,000 which must be held for a minimum period of five years. Additional costs may also be incurred depending on the real estate developer.
2. An investment in an approved enterprise project (as set out in the regulations) with a minimum investment of USD 3.5 million, plus the creation of no less than three permanent jobs. Alternatively, a joint contribution of USD 6 million (with each applicant contributing a minimum of USD 1 million), plus the creation of no fewer than six permanent jobs.

For the above two options, the following government administration fees will also apply:

• Main applicant — USD 50,000
• Spouse — USD 35,000
• Dependent under 18 years — USD 25,000
• Dependent 18 years and older — USD 35,000

1. A non-refundable contribution to the NEF of USD 100,000 (for a single applicant). An applicant may make the contribution under one of the four following categories:

• Main applicant — USD 100,000
• Main applicant and spouse — USD 165,000
• Main applicant, spouse, and up to two other qualifying dependents — USD 190,000
• Each additional qualifying dependent of any age — USD 25,000

1. Investment in non-interest-bearing government bonds, which must be held for five years:

• Main applicant — USD 500,000
• Main applicant and spouse — USD 535,000
• Main applicant, spouse, and up to two other qualifying dependents — USD 550,000
• Each additional qualifying dependent of any age — USD 25,000
• Government administration fee — USD 50,000

Already approved citizens may add dependents within five years of their application being approved. A donation of USD 35,000 applies to spouses, while a donation of USD 25,000 applies to each additional qualifying dependent of any age.

In addition, there is a USD 5,000 due diligence fee for each qualifying dependent aged 16 and older. The government processing fee is USD 1,000 for each qualifying dependent. All qualifying dependents must have a clean personal background with no criminal record and not be under any criminal investigation (other than in respect of a minor offense). A person that is deemed a potential security risk or who is or has been involved in any activity that is likely to bring disrepute to St. Lucia shall not be approved for citizenship.

Procedure and Timeline

The application process should take no longer than three months from submission of the application to issuance of the certificate of citizenship, assuming there are no areas of concern with the application. Under the real estate option, the time frame may vary depending on the development.