Paying the investment does not buy a passport. Every programme on this site runs background checks first, and every government keeps the right to say no. Most also publish, in their law or on their unit's website, the circumstances in which they must or may refuse. Reading those lists before you apply is the best way to avoid an expensive surprise: in Antigua and Barbuda, for example, the due diligence fee is paid in full on submission and is non-refundable, and in Vanuatu the quarter of the government fee paid up front is kept if the application is refused.
This post sets out the grounds each programme publishes, then the patterns that run across them. It does not cover how a particular file is assessed; only the government and your agent can tell you that.
The grounds, programme by programme
Dominica. Its 2024 regulations say an applicant will not be approved if they have a criminal record other than for a minor offence; are under a criminal investigation they knew or should have known about and did not disclose; have been denied citizenship by another country; have been refused an EU or UK visa; have been refused a visa by a country Dominica has visa-free access to and not later obtained one; are a potential security risk; gave materially false information; or have been involved in activity likely to bring Dominica into disrepute. Someone approved despite one of these can later be deprived of citizenship.
Grenada. The government refuses anyone who gives false information on the application; has a conviction anywhere for an offence that would carry more than six months' imprisonment in Grenada, unless pardoned; is under criminal investigation; is considered a potential national security risk to Grenada or any other country; is involved in activity likely to bring Grenada into disrepute; or who was refused a visa by a country Grenada has visa-free travel with, and has not since obtained one.
St Kitts and Nevis. Its regulations are unusual in setting grounds at two stages. Some stop a person from applying at all: a past citizenship refusal elsewhere, a visa refusal by a visa-free country not since overturned, a criminal record, an open investigation, bankruptcy, or activity likely to bring disrepute. Others apply at the due diligence stage: false or concealed information, a national security risk, or insufficient proof of the source of funds.
Antigua and Barbuda. The unit lists as ineligible anyone who gave false information; whose family members are certified by a doctor to have a contagious disease or serious health problems; who was convicted anywhere of an offence carrying more than six months' imprisonment, without a free pardon; who is under criminal investigation; who is a potential security risk; who is involved in activity likely to bring disrepute; or who was refused a visa by a visa-free country and has not since obtained one.
Saint Lucia. A 2025 amending Act introduced mandatory refusal grounds, including a visa refusal by a country that grants Saint Lucians visa-free entry, and a discretionary ground where another Eastern Caribbean state has refused the applicant.
Vanuatu. The Development Support Program regulations bar approval for anyone with a criminal conviction, with no threshold. Applicants from a “restricted country” can be accepted only if they have not lived there for the last five years and hold permanent residence elsewhere; the regulations we read do not define which countries are restricted.
Nauru. Its 2024 regulations set thirteen criteria an applicant must meet before an application is even considered: screening by an approved due diligence firm, police certificates, no conviction carrying twelve months or more, never charged by the International Criminal Court, not listed with Interpol, Europol or a similar agency, no links to terrorism or proliferation financing, no conviction for a sexual offence against a child, no UN targeted sanctions, no threat to the country's security, public interest or health, and no pending charge or investigation for serious offences. Since March 2026 the minister can also refuse an application directly, without taking it to Cabinet.
Türkiye. The citizenship law sets one test for the investor route: the applicant must pose no obstacle on national security or public order grounds. Applications from people who do are rejected by the interior ministry. The law lists no other specific grounds for this route.
São Tomé and Príncipe. The official site lists eligibility rather than refusal grounds: no criminal record, a legitimate source of funds and passing due diligence. It warns that missing or inaccurate information can lead to rejection. The statutory grounds would sit in the 2025 decree-law, which is not hosted on a government site.
The patterns across programmes
Four themes recur, and they are worth checking against your own history before you pay anything:
- Previous visa refusals. Dominica, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, Antigua and Barbuda and Saint Lucia all treat a visa refusal by a country their passport can enter visa-free as a ground for refusal, and Dominica names EU and UK refusals specifically. If you have ever been refused a Schengen, UK or Canadian visa, tell your agent first.
- Criminal records. The thresholds differ: any conviction in Vanuatu, any but a minor offence in Dominica, more than six months' imprisonment in Grenada and Antigua and Barbuda, twelve months or more in Nauru.
- Honesty of the file. False or concealed information is an explicit ground in Dominica, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis and Antigua and Barbuda, and São Tomé warns that inaccurate files can be rejected. In Dominica even an undisclosed investigation you ought to have known about counts.
- Security and reputation. Most programmes name security risks as a ground, and Dominica, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis and Antigua and Barbuda add a broader “disrepute” ground that gives the government wide discretion.
How often are applications refused?
Only one government in this set publishes refusal figures. Saint Lucia's unit reported that in its financial year to 31 March 2025 it received 2,957 applications, granted 2,278 and denied 355. The year before, it received 5,642, granted 1,171 and denied 77. The report does not break refusals down by reason or nationality, so the figures show how many files were turned down, not why.
We have not found official refusal statistics for the other eight programmes. Figures quoted elsewhere without a government source should be treated with caution.
Before you apply
A refusal costs money and can follow you: several programmes treat a refusal by another country as a ground in itself. That makes it worth an honest conversation with your agent about your history before anything is filed. Our guide to checking an agent explains how to confirm they are licensed, and the programme match excludes programmes that bar your nationality outright. Each programme page, such as Dominica or Grenada, sets out who can apply in more detail.