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Antigua and Barbuda passport: Detailed citizenship by investment guide

29 October 2018

a most detailed guide to obtaining an Antigua and Barbuda citizenship with samples of documents needed for each stage.

In our detailed overview of obtaining an Antigua and Barbuda passport we will provide a step-by-step guide to applying for citizenship by investment in the National Development Fund and give the insights of specifics and peculiarities of the application process. Reviewing this information will take 10-15 minutes and it will give you the answers to any question that you might have. Just facts and specifics based on our experience of working with the program.

Stage 1

Preliminary check and signing the contract with Migronis

Duration:1–2 days

What does the applicant do?

Signs a contract with Migronis and pays 50% of the cost of the company’s services (the amount depends on the package of services chosen by the client).

What does the company do?

Reviews the applicant's documents before signing the contract in order to assess the chances and possible risks that may occur during application process. Prepares a contract.

The company’s experts carry out a free-of-charge preliminary check within one day.

Result 1 of stage:

Report on the preliminary check and signed contract.

Stage 2

Preparation of documents

Duration:15–30 days

What does the applicant do?

Provides the company with originals or notarized copies of all necessary documents, and fills out a questionnaire. Also, the investor and all his family members undergo health examinations, as well as get tested for HIV.

What does the company do?

Takes copies of original documents, arranges for their translation, legalization and apostilization. Arranges health examinations and HIV testing. Sends questionnaires to be filled out.

Stage 2 costs

$ 3,000– $ 10,000

for preparation of documents. The final amount will depend on the number of family members and the documents provided. These costs cover:

  • preparation of documents (obtaining a certificate of no criminal record, translation and legalization / apostillization);
  • passing the health examination and HIV testing.

The Antigua and Barbuda program provides for the mandatory apostilization of all civil documents. We assist with having the entire package apostilled in 2 days.

Certificates of no criminal record

Under normal procedure, a certificate of no criminal record is issued within a month, but there is a possibility to speed up the process for an additional fee and receive a certificate within 1 day.

When is it preferable to do obtain certificates

Some documents (conclusion of health examination, extracts and utility bills) have a “shelf life” of 3-6 months. It is better to obtain them closer to the date of filing.

Result 2 of stage:

Preparation of the entire package of documents according to the check-list, translation and legalization is carried out. Questionnaires for filling out state forms are sent to the client for signing.

Stage 3

Filling out government application forms

Duration:up to 3 weeks

What does the client do?

Fills out questionnaires (in Russian), information from which is necessary for filling out government forms for the application for an Antigua and Barbuda citizenship by investment. Signs government forms filled in by the company and ready for submission.

What does the company do?

Fills out the forms on behalf of the client, organizes and oversees the process of collecting all certificates, their translation and legalization.

Stage 3 costs

From $ 200

for the delivery of a package of documents to Antigua and Barbuda. The cost depends on the weight of the documents.

Verification of translations

While preparing the documents of an application for a second citizenship, investors often have recourse to third-party translators who can make mistakes. For this reason, documents often need to be re-translated and apostilled. We check every letter, which allows us to exclude possible errors. This ensures that our customers save significant time and money.

The signature on government forms must be notarized or certified by an attorney-at-law (we also assist with this procedure).

Result 3 of stage:

The package of documents is prepared according to a check-list, agreed with the CIU and ready to be sent.

Stage 4

Submission of documents to Antigua and Barbuda 3-4 weeks after the start of the process (when the case is fully prepared)

Duration:1-2 days

What does the applicant do?

Pays due diligence fees and government fees.

What does the company do?

Sends a package of documents to Antigua. Our lawyer on the island submits the case to the government.

What does the government do?

Accepts documents, issues a written confirmation of the acceptance of the case.

Stage 4 costs

$ 7,500

for due diligence of the main applicant;

$ 4,000 

for due diligence of each applicant over 16 years of age (the duration of examination of documents is 90 days);

$ 25,000 – fee for the application processing.

The personal presence of the applicant when submitting the case is not required. Documents are filed by the agents accredited by the Antigua and Barbuda government.

Result 4 of stage:

Receiving a confirmation of acceptance of the documents for consideration from CIU. Starting from this date, the 3-month examination period begins.

Stage 5

Examination of the case, verification of documents

Duration:up to 90 days

What does the applicant do?

Contributes a donation to the National Development Fund. Pays the rest of the cost of Migronis' services.

What does the company do?

Sends additional notifications to the client - confirmation letters from the Citizenship by Investment Unit. After the completion of the due diligence procedure the company sends the investor a positive decision on the grant of citizenship and instructions on making a donation to the government fund.

What does the government do?

Examines documents, carries out the due diligence procedure. At each stage of examination sends to the applicant confirmation letters (transition to the second stage, approval of the petition).

Stage 5 costs

$ 100,000

for payment of a non-refundable contribution (the amount of contribution is the same for one applicant and for a family of 4);

Payment for Migronis’ services (the remaining 50% or 100% depending on the selected package).

The payment of the investment amount is made only upon approval of the application by the Government of Antigua and Barbuda. The full amount must be transferred from the personal account of the investor or the company in which the investor is the beneficiary. Payment through a licensed agent is also acceptable.

Result 5 of stage:

Receiving the letter of approval of the petition.

Stage 6

Grant of citizenship

Duration:up to 1 month

What does the applicant do?

Pays the fees for issuance of a passport and a certificate of naturalization.

What does the company do?

Follows up payment of invoices by the client.

Stage 6 costs

$ 300

per applicant payment of the passport fee for each applicant

The government of Antigua and Barbuda requests each new citizen to spend 5 days on the island during the 5-year period in order to get acquainted with the local culture. The Antigua authorities believe that after becoming familiar with the island’s atmosphere, an investor will want to stay here forever.

Result 6 of stage:

Obtaining certificates of naturalization and passport.

Difficulties in obtaining a citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda and solutions thereto

  • The applicant must file a certificate of no criminal record from his native country, as well as from any country in which the applicant has resided for 6 months in total in the past 10 years.

    Solution:

    We help to obtain certificates of no criminal record in all countries where the client lived earlier or had a residence permit. In most cases, the participation of the client at this stage is not required. In our practice, apart from the CIS countries, there have been cases of obtaining certificates from Switzerland, Israel, England, the United States, Spain, Italy, Poland, Latvia, the United Arab Emirates and other countries.

  • When filling out state forms, translators may make minor spelling mistakes. Correction of mistake takes time and money.

    Solution:

    We independently prepare a case, translate and legalize documents, so the case is prepared quickly and without errors, and thereafter successfully passes the examination at the Citizenship by Investment Unit.

  • During the due diligence procedure, there may be delays in receiving notifications from the Government of Antigua and Barbuda. The government issues decisions with delays or requests additional documents. This happens in 1 of 10 cases.

    Solution:

    You initially provide a full package of documents. Delays may occur during the period of high demand for citizenship, for example, in times when special offers are valid.

  • Passport of Antigua and Barbuda is valid for 5 years. After a five-year period, it must be renewed.

    Solution:

    We will remind you about the necessity to renew your passport six months prior the expiration date, and we will arrange for a replacement without visiting the island and taking active actions by the applicant. The process takes from one to two weeks. The renewal procedure takes up to 7 days - the passport form, the original passport, a copy of the certificate of naturalization are submitted and the passport fee is paid.

Expert recommendation

Kristina Kurkuliak

Expert in Antigua and Barbuda Citizenship by Investment program

“In summer 2017, the Antigua and Barbuda program was ranked 4-th in the rating of the Financial Times’ Professional Wealth Management (PWM) magazine. The country is ahead of 8 EU and Caribbean countries providing citizenship by investment, including Austria, Cyprus, Malta and Saint Lucia. The experts highly appreciated the accessibility of the program, the simplicity and speed of obtaining citizenship, the quality of a due diligence check. The program is the most accessible for the family of four. On October 12, 2018, the CIU extended the special offer by one year. Passport holders receive visa-free access to 150+ countries of the world, and can enjoy social and political security, tax preferences and complete confidentiality. Any person eligible for the program can obtain citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda. At the same time, it is important to understand that the final result and the speed of consideration of the case depend on the accuracy and completeness of the submitted documents.”

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