Dominica · Citizenship by investment
Dominica Citizenship by Investment Programme
Open, priced exactly at the USD 200,000 OECS Memorandum of Agreement floor. Named in the US Presidential Proclamation of 16 December 2025, effective 1 January 2026, expressly because it 'has historically had CBI without residency'. Lost UK visa-free access in 2023. Suspended processing of Iranian applications by memorandum dated 23 March 2026.
Dominica is the price leader and shows you exactly what the discount buys: it is the only one of the five to have lost UK visa-free access, and it is one of only two named in the US travel proclamation. The cheapest passport in the world is cheap because two of the three destinations that matter have already withdrawn.
Qualifying routes
Single applicant. Main applicant plus up to three dependants: USD 250,000. Each additional dependant under 18: USD 25,000; aged 18+: USD 40,000. Non-refundable.
Approved project unit. Three-year holding period from grant of citizenship, or five years if the onward buyer is also a CBI applicant. Government fees of USD 75,000 (single) / USD 100,000 (family of up to four) sit on top.
The facts
- Minimum investment
- $200k
- Total landed cost
- EDF single applicant: USD 200,000 + USD 7,500 due diligence + USD 1,000 processing + USD 1,000 interview + USD 500 naturalisation certificate — roughly USD 210,000 before agent and legal fees, so realistically USD 230–250k all-in. Family of four: roughly USD 275–300k all-in. The real estate route is far more expensive than its USD 200,000 sticker: government fees alone add USD 75–100k, so a single applicant is realistically USD 300k-plus for a recoverable asset in a thin market.
- Timeline
- 4–18 months — 9.3 months average in Q4 2025 with the widest spread in the region. The official target is 3–4 months. The rejection rate was 6.5% in 2024 — the highest of the three the European Commission published, which is faint praise.
- Physical presence
- None required today. The regional ECCIRA 30-day rule would change this; commencement has slipped repeatedly and was not confirmed in force as at July 2026.
- Family
- spousechildren under 18dependent children 18–30dependent parents and grandparents over 65dependent siblings under 25 (conditions apply)
- Permanent residency
- n/a — citizenship is granted directly
- Citizenship
- Immediate on approval and payment; 4–18 months in practice
- Language test
- none
- Dual citizenship
- Permitted
- Requirements
- clean criminal recordverified lawful source of fundsmandatory interview for all applicants aged 16 and over (USD 1,000 per interview)enhanced due diligenceapplication via an Authorised Agentrestrictions apply to certain nationalities, including a suspension for Iranian nationals since March 2026
- The UK withdrew visa-free access for Dominican nationals in 2023 and the US suspended immigrant visas plus B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M and J visas from 1 January 2026, expressly on CBI grounds. State Department reciprocity schedules also cut B-1/B-2 validity to 3 months single-entry with a bond of up to USD 15,000. Of the three headline destinations a client buys this passport for, only Schengen remains — and the EU has said it expects these schemes to be discontinued.
- The CIU has revoked 68 CBI passports since 2024 for fraud. Revocation risk is not theoretical here: your citizenship is only as durable as the unit's willingness to defend the file it approved.
- Applications from Iranian nationals were suspended by CIU memorandum dated 23 March 2026, save in narrow cases requiring no Iranian residence for 10+ years and no financial or business ties. Nationality-based suspensions can appear with no notice and no grandfathering.
- Processing times range from 4 to 18 months — the widest and least predictable spread in the region, despite an official 3–4 month target.
- The real estate route's USD 200,000 sticker is misleading. Government fees of USD 75,000–100,000 sit on top, approved-project units are priced well above local market value, and the resale market is almost entirely other CBI buyers.
- Unlike St Kitts and Antigua, Dominica has a real personal income tax — up to 35% above XCD 80,000, on a XCD 30,000 personal allowance. Residents are taxed on income including income from overseas. Anyone who actually moves here needs advice; this is not a zero-tax jurisdiction.
- The OECD lists Dominica's CBI scheme as potentially high-risk for CRS circumvention.