Holding citizenship in Caribbean countries has been growing in popularity over the last decade. This trend makes sense given the numerous advantages holding citizenship in these courtesies gives, from greater global mobility to a more efficient tax system, but many potential applicants wonder if they’ll have to sacrifice citizenship in their own country to be a citizen of a Caribbean country.
In this article, we’ll discuss which Caribbean countries permit dual citizenship, how to obtain Caribbean citizenship, and the many benefits of being a citizen in multiple countries to ensure you have all the information before making a decision.
What is Dual Citizenship?
The most simple definition of dual citizenship is a legal status when a person is considered a national or a citizen of more than one country. It’s important to note that not all countries permit dual citizenship, and those that do often have radically different standards for being a citizen of two countries, as well as different laws for obtaining citizenship.
In general, there are four primary ways someone can get dual citizenship in another country:
Marriage
This path to citizenship in multiple countries is likely the most popular around the globe. Marriage gives near-automatic citizenship in a country, though there is usually a process to ensure it’s an authentic marriage. It’s also important to note that if the country doesn’t permit dual citizenship, then you may have to give up citizenship in your birth country.
Descent
Many countries give citizenship to those born to a parent who holds citizenship in that country. This means that if one of your birth parents is from a Caribbean country, then you also can hold citizenship. Different countries will have different processes to ensure you do, in fact, have a parent from that country. Also, this process can be time-consuming with a lot of paperwork and documentation needed.
Special Skill
Some countries will give citizenship to people who are exceptionally accomplished in a particular field, such as athletes, scientists, musicians, artists, or hold skills relevant to coveted labor. Usually, anyone who receives citizenship this way is gifted it and the many naturalization requirements, like language proficiency, are waived.
Investment
This path to citizenship is popular in some of the Caribbean countries and is a quicker route to obtaining dual citizenship, as several nations in the Caribbean offer a Citizenship by Investment programme. As with other paths to citizenship, each country has its own requirements for investment and dual citizenship.
What Caribbean Countries Permit Dual Citizenship?
There are several countries among the Caribbean islands that allow dual citizenship, but in this article, we’ll focus on three that offer the most benefits to the citizenship applicant.
Grenada
Grenada allows citizens to have dual citizenship with no restrictions or prohibitions. There are several ways a person can become a citizen of Grenada: by birth, by descent, by marriage or Citizenship by Investment.
Dominica
Dominica fully recognizes dual citizenship and does not force an applicant to renounce their existing citizenship.. There are four ways someone can gain citizenship in Dominica: birth or parentage, marriage, virtue of residence, and Citizenship by Investment.
St Kitts & Nevis
St. Kitts & Nevis allows for dual citizenship with no repercussion, though they have the restriction that to run for office, the citizen mustn’t hold any allegiance to a foreign power. This means they would need to renounce their dual citizenship and only hold that status in St. Kitts & Nevis. There are three ways a person can claim dual citizenship in this country: by birth or descent, marriage and the Citizenship by Investment programme.
How to Obtain Dual Citizenship via Caribbean Real Estate
The Citizenship by Investment programme is offered in Grenada, Dominica, and St. Kitts & Nevis. A country’s government offers citizenship to those who make a real estate investment or donation into the appropriate government fund. To be clear, the real estate project must be government-approved and tied to the country’s Citizenship by Investment programme.
We at Range Developments are the leading CBI developer in the Caribbean, with economic citizenship properties in all three countries discussed above that permit dual citizenship. To learn more about the Citizenship by Investment programme in each, we encourage you to explore the links below:
Dominica Citizenship by Investment | Range Developments
Grenada Citizenship by Investment | Range Developments
St Kitts Citizenship by Investment | Range Developments
Discover the advantages of being a citizen of two countries while enjoying the wide range of benefits that comes with being an economic citizenship investor. We have years of experience guiding investors through the CBI process and maintaining good working relationships with the governments of each of the Caribbean countries offering dual citizenship.
If you have any questions or concerns, we encourage you to speak with one of our CBI representatives by using the button below.