Many UAE residents who look at a second citizenship are thinking about more than themselves. They want their parents covered, or a younger brother or sister, sometimes a grandparent. The programmes differ more on this than on almost anything else, and the differences are not obvious from headline prices. This post puts the family rules of all nine programmes side by side, using the definitions each government publishes.
One note before the table. Including a relative usually adds cost, through extra contributions, due diligence or processing for each person. We do not price those here. The figure that matters for comparison is each programme's starting price, shown at the end, and a licensed agent can set out the full cost for your family.
First, children: the age limits
Every programme covers children, but the age at which an adult child stops counting varies widely, and that often decides whether a family applies together. Children under 18 are covered everywhere. Beyond 18:
- Nauru sets no age limit in its Act's definition of a child.
- Antigua and Barbuda and São Tomé and Príncipe accept children up to 30.
- Dominica accepts children 18 to 30 in higher education and fully supported, and unmarried daughters under 25 living at home.
- Grenada accepts children under 30 supported by the applicant or spouse; St Kitts and Nevis accepts unmarried, supported children aged 18 to 29.
- Saint Lucia accepts children up to 21 without conditions and up to 30 if fully supported.
- Vanuatu accepts children of 18 to 25 who live with the applicant and study full time.
- Türkiye covers minor children and dependent children, without defining dependency for adults.
Parents
Eight of the nine programmes allow parents in some form; Türkiye is the exception, covering only the investor's spouse and minor or dependent children. The conditions vary mainly by age and by whether the parent must depend on you financially.
- The strictest age line is Dominica's: parents and grandparents must be over 65 and substantially supported.
- St Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda and São Tomé and Príncipe set the line at 55, with support conditions in most.
- Vanuatu accepts parents over 50 who live with and depend on the applicant.
- Grenada and Nauru include parents without a minimum age in the published definition; Grenada requires them to be fully supported.
Brothers and sisters
Siblings are where the programmes split most sharply. Four include them, each with different limits. Grenada takes siblings of the applicant or spouse who are adults, single and without children. Saint Lucia takes unmarried siblings of the applicant under 18, with a parent's or guardian's consent. Antigua and Barbuda accepts unmarried siblings both under 18, with consent, and over 18. Nauru added siblings of the applicant or spouse to its definition of a dependant in December 2025.
St Kitts and Nevis and Türkiye do not include siblings. Dominica, Vanuatu and São Tomé and Príncipe do not list them in the published definitions we checked.
Grandparents
Grandparents appear in fewer definitions. Dominica includes them on the same terms as parents, over 65 and substantially supported. Grenada and Antigua and Barbuda group them with parents. São Tomé and Príncipe accepts grandparents from 55, and Nauru names them explicitly. St Kitts and Nevis is the awkward case: one of its unit's property FAQs mentions grandparents, but the regulatory definition of a dependant does not, so we treat them as not included.
All nine programmes side by side
| Programme | Parents | Siblings | Other relatives |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dominica | Parents or grandparents of main applicant or spouse, aged over 65 and substantially supported | Not published | Grandparents (over 65, substantially supported); post-citizenship additions of newborn/adopted children, later spouses and omitted dependants |
| Grenada | Parents/grandparents of main applicant or spouse, fully supported; some carry an extra cost | Siblings of main applicant or spouse aged 18+, single with no children; some carry an extra cost | Not published |
| St Kitts and Nevis | Parents of the main applicant or spouse aged 55+, living with and fully supported by the main applicant | Not included | Grandparents: not in the regulatory dependant definition, although a CIU real estate FAQ mentions them |
| Saint Lucia | Parents of the applicant or spouse above 55 and fully supported | Unmarried siblings of the applicant below 18, with parent/guardian consent | Any individual of any age who is physically or mentally challenged and fully supported by the applicant |
| Antigua and Barbuda | Parents or grandparents of the main applicant or spouse aged 55+ and fully supported; any age if incapacitated | Unmarried brothers/sisters of the main applicant or spouse: under 18 with parent/guardian consent, or over 18 | Spouse or child of a dependant child; a dependant child's spouse or child added after approval if the dependant is 35 or under; some carry an extra cost |
| Vanuatu | Yes — parents of applicant or spouse over 50, residing with and dependent on the applicant | Not published | Not published |
| Türkiye | Not included | Not included | Not published |
| São Tomé and Príncipe | Parents and grandparents aged 55 and above | Not published | Future dependants can be added after approval (fees apply); some carry an extra cost |
| Nauru | Yes - parents of the principal applicant or spouse | Yes - siblings of the principal applicant or spouse/de facto partner; some carry an extra cost | Grandparents of the principal applicant or spouse |
How to read “supported” and “dependent”
Most definitions require parents, and sometimes adult children, to be supported by the main applicant or spouse. The wording varies: “substantially supported”, “fully supported”, “living with and dependent on”. These are different tests, and the stricter ones add a condition about where the parent lives, not just who pays. Ask the agent what evidence of support the programme accepts before you assume a parent qualifies on age alone.
Adding people later
Leaving a relative off the first application to add them later is rarely a saving. Several programmes allow additions after citizenship, such as newborn children or a later spouse, but they price those additions separately. If a parent or sibling may want to come with you, include them in the first conversation with your agent.
Which programme suits a larger family?
There is no single answer, because the programmes that are generous on siblings are not always generous on parents. Our reading: Antigua and Barbuda and Nauru have the widest definitions in the table; Saint Lucia suits families with younger siblings; Dominica suits families whose parents are already over 65; and Türkiye suits a couple with children only. Starting prices for a single applicant, which are government minimums before agent and professional fees, are:
- São Tomé and Príncipe: From USD 90,000
- Nauru: From USD 90,000
- Vanuatu: From USD 130,000
- Dominica: From USD 200,000
- Antigua and Barbuda: From USD 230,000
- Grenada: From USD 235,000
- Saint Lucia: From USD 240,000
- St Kitts and Nevis: From USD 250,000
- Türkiye: From USD 400,000
To see the family rules next to processing times and travel, use the comparison tool, or answer five questions in the programme match, which takes your family into account.