How to Become a Citizen of Saint Lucia
Would you like to have a second home country that is a tropical paradise? If so, we suggest that you should consider St Lucia, a stunning Caribbean island with breathtaking scenery and a strong economy. How could you legalize your stay in St Lucia if you wanted to spend more than a couple of weeks there? It’s easy: you can ‘buy’ citizenship of the country. Yes, St Lucia ‘sells’ passports to wealthy foreigners.
How can you apply for citizenship of St Lucia? What are the requirements? What stages does the process consist of? How much time would you have to spend in St Lucia to retain citizenship of the country? We answer these questions below and dwell on some other relevant issues.
Citizenship of St Lucia: the investment options
In comparison to other Caribbean countries that have citizenship-by-investment programs, St Lucia offers the largest number of investment options.
The most popular option is investment into real estate in the country. You have to buy a piece of property that costs at least US$ 300,000 to qualify for citizenship of St Lucia. Please note that you have to cover the due diligence and application processing costs in addition to the main investment. You have to hold the property in your possession for 5 years before you can resell it. When the period expires, you are free to sell your property in St Lucia while keeping the passport of the country.
The most affordable investment option is a non-returnable donation to the state economic development fund. For a single applicant, the required donation amount is only US$ 100,000. If a married couple is applying for citizenship of St Lucia, the donation amount is US$ 140,000. For a family of four, it is US$ 150,000. You have to pay US$ 20,000 more for each additional family member.
We would like to note that it is a bit cheaper for a family of four to acquire citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda rather than St Lucia if you don’t mind making a non-returnable donation. St Kitts and Nevis, Grenada, and Dominica also administer CBI programs and you should certainly investigate other opportunities too. You can find information about all citizenship-by-investment programs at the InternationalWealth website.
Another investment option is buying Government bonds. You have to put US$ 500,000 in interest-free bonds and keep them in your possession for 5 years. If a family of four is applying for citizenship of St Lucia, the investment amount increases to US$ 550,000. The return of the invested amount is guaranteed by the St Lucian Government. Please note that you have to make an additional non-returnable payment of US$ 50,000 if you want to use this investment option.
The last investment option is putting money in a business venture and creating at least three jobs in St Lucia. The required investment amount is US$ 3.5 million and the business project has to be approved by the Government. The Government of St Lucia prioritizes the pharmaceutical industry, restaurant business, agricultural production, road construction, and the education sector.
Family applications for citizenship of St Lucia
You can include your spouse, children (of up to 30), and parents (over 65) to a family application for St Lucian citizenship. The important condition is that adult children and your parents have to be financially dependent on you in order to qualify for citizenship of St Lucia.
Advantages of St Lucian citizenship
When becoming an economic citizen of St Lucia, you acquire the same rights that the native-born St Lucians enjoy and these rights are impressive. St Lucia is a member of CARICOM and this organization is similar to the European Union in the sense that citizens of each member state have the legal right to live, work, and have property in any other member state. Because most Caribbean countries are members of CARICOM, your St Lucian passport will legalize your indefinite stay in the whole of the Caribbean.
Beneficial tax treatment in St Lucia
Similarly to many other Caribbean countries, St Lucia is a tax haven. This means that you will be able to avoid paying some taxes associated with business activities and owning property if you choose to become a tax resident of St Lucia. You are not obliged to do so when ‘buying’ a St Lucian passport but you can do so.
Requirements to applicants for citizenship of St Lucia
An applicant for St Lucian citizenship has to meet some requirements. First, the main applicant has to be above 18. Second, all adult family members have to have clean police records. Third, the main applicant has to be able to prove his/ her solvency as well as the legality of the sources of investment capital.
Please note that knowledge of the English language (the official language in St Lucia) is not required. At the same time, the due diligence checks are strict and the application processing is going to take some time.
The process of applying for St Lucian citizenship
All the application documents can be submitted remotely. Hiring an immigration agent is a must as applications can be filed only via immigration agents. On the other hand, the agent is going to give you an exact list of application documents, which is very nice. A personal interview is required but it can be held online so you won’t ever have to visit St Lucia to become a citizen of the country. Your passport is going to be sent to the consulate of St Lucia closest to you and you will have to pick it in person.
Application processing timeframes
You have to realize that the immigration authorities of St Lucia need to conduct stringent due diligence checks before they can process your application for citizenship. The checks take time and you have to be prepared to wait. In the best scenario, you can obtain your passport in 3 or 4 months after applying for citizenship of St Lucia. In a more realistic scenario, you will have to wait for 6 to 12 months before you can pick your passport.
Dual citizenship regulations
You would not have to renounce your present citizenship when becoming a citizen of St Lucia: dual citizenship is allowed in the country. On the other hand, you have to find out if your home country allows dual citizenship because not all countries do. If you are lucky and you can legally hold two passports at a time, you can choose what identification document to use in each particular situation.
Conclusion
To ‘buy’ a St Lucian passport means to become a Caribbean citizen. The region is the most popular holiday destination in the world and the reasons for that are quite clear: fantastic climatic conditions and the beauty of nature. Living in the Caribbean is like living in paradise. Acquiring citizenship of St Lucia by investment is a way of legalizing your stay in the Caribbean. However, applying for St Lucian citizenship is not a trivial process and we suggest that you should seek professional assistance in the matter.
