Caribbean citizenship by investment
Saint Lucia
The widest choice of routes in the Caribbean, generous family rules and a unit that publishes its refusal figures.
From USD 240,000Government minimum. Agent and professional fees are additional.
Information checked 4 October 2026
- From
- USD 240,000
- Processing
- About 90 days, on an FAQ page that is otherwise out of date
- Residence
- Required by statute since 1 January 2026; terms not yet set
- Interview
- Required, in person or by video
- Schengen
- Visa-free short stays
- UK
- Visa required
Overview
The programme at a glance
Saint Lucia offers more routes than any other Caribbean programme: the National Economic Fund from USD 240,000, covering up to three dependants, two property routes, two enterprise options and a government bond.
Its unit publishes how many applications it refuses, and its statute already demands residency without yet saying what that means.
Benefits
What it offers, and what to weigh
Advantages
- Six routes, including a non-interest-bearing government bond held for five years.
- Children qualify without conditions up to 21.
- The unit publishes its approval and refusal figures.
Worth knowing
- A residence requirement is in the statute with no terms yet, so applicants cannot know what it will ask.
- UK visit visas required since March 2026.
- No new property projects can be approved after 1 December 2025.
Travel and the passport
Saint Lucians can still visit the Schengen area without a visa. The UK changed course in March 2026 and now requires visit visas, giving asylum claims rather than the citizenship programme as the reason.
Eligibility
Who can apply
No nationality is barred on the unit's pages. The 2025 amending Act instead lists grounds on which an application must be refused, including a visa denial by a country that grants Saint Lucians visa-free entry. Every applicant now swears an affidavit of minimum financial resources, whichever route is chosen.
No nationality is named as barred on the official page, checked 4 October 2026.
Family
Who can be included
Children up to 30 if supported, and siblings under 18
Saint Lucia is generous with children and siblings: a child up to 21 qualifies without conditions, up to 30 if fully supported, and an unmarried brother or sister under 18 can be included with a parent's consent.
Process
How the application runs
Only the processing and due diligence fees are paid with the application; the investment follows approval. Citizenship is granted when the investment is paid and the oath of allegiance signed. Since 2026 the programme caps approvals at 1,500 a year.
An agent files the application with the processing and due diligence fees.
The unit runs due diligence and an interview, in person or by video.
After approval, the investment is made.
Citizenship is granted once the investment is paid and the oath of allegiance signed.
UAE residents: print the document checklist before your consultation.
What the unit's own figures show
The unit's annual report for the year to 31 March 2025 records 2,957 applications received, 2,278 granted and 355 denied; the year before, 5,642 received, 1,171 granted and 77 denied. Our reading: the report does not break refusals down by reason or nationality, so the figures show that more files were turned down, not why.
Updates
What's changed
- S.I. 57 of 2026 (23 Mar 2026): annual cap of 1,500 approved applications
- Citizenship by Investment (Amendment) Act No. 22 of 2025 (10 Nov 2025): new qualifying-dependant definition; residency and genuine-link requirement from 1 Jan 2026; sworn financial-resources affidavit; mandatory denial grounds incl. visa denial by a visa-free country; discretionary denial if refused by another OECS state; 5-year bar on name changes; annual cap power; escrow for projects; 10–25% of CIU surplus to the Sovereign Wealth Fund
- ECCIRA treaty: Saint Lucia is a signatory to the Eastern Caribbean Citizenship by Investment Agreement that creates the regional regulator ECCIRA (agreement signed September 2025)
- S.I. 57 of 2026: Board retains 25% of each NEF contribution for marketing and promotion; 'marketing agent' renamed 'business advisory partner'
Questions people ask
Does Saint Lucia require you to live there?
Its law has required residency and a genuine link since 1 January 2026, but no regulation has yet set out what applicants must do, so the practical requirement is not known.
How many Saint Lucia applications are refused?
In the year to 31 March 2025 the unit reported 2,957 applications received, 2,278 granted and 355 denied. The year before, 77 were denied.
Can my brother or sister be included?
Yes, if they are unmarried and under 18, with a parent's or guardian's consent.