St Lucia launched a new ‘passport-by-investment’ programme in 2015 offering passport to foreign investors . Saint Lucia’s Citizenship by Investment Program (CIP) was launched in December 2015 following the passage of Act No. 14 of 2015, the Citizenship by Investment Act on 24th August 2015.
St Lucia passport is widely regarded the “Best Second Passport” in the world as it is cost-effective, quick and hassle free procedure. St lucia CIP is also the “cheapest family citizenship by investment program” compared to other caribbean nations such as Grenada, Dominica, St Kitts and Antigua.
The following investments qualify for passport and citizenship in Saint Lucia.
- Donation ($100,000)
- Property investment ($300,000)
- Government Bonds ($500,000)
- Business Investment ($3.5 million)
Once the investment is complete, the whole procedure takes 2 months of processing time leading to passport. The cheapest investment route to saint lucia passport under the CIP is donation route which is $100,000 investment to become ‘Citizen of Saint Lucia’. Those who apply for citizenship in Saint Lucia, must have clean criminal record and must pass the due diligence vetting process before being approved for a passport. There is no requirement to visit the country or live permanently in the country to apply for the St lucia passport.
In 2017, St Lucia passport has visa free access to 127 countries in the World including 26 EU Schengen countries, United Kingdom according to Visa Restrictions Index.
About St Lucia
St Lucia’s capital city (Castries) is located in the northern section of the island and represents approximately 40% of the population and populated places include Vieux-Fort and Gros-Islet. Here are some useful information about St Lucia. Rodney Bay known for its internationally acclaimed restaurants, offering a variety of cuisines to the tranquil natural surroundings of Soufrierre which caters more to the spontaneous excursionist and adventure seeker, everyone can find their niche. Saint Lucia currently ranks 77th out of 183 economies in the Doing Business Report published by the World Bank.
- Population: Approximately 183, 657
- Area: 238 sq miles/616.4 sq km
- Official Language: English
- Local Language: French Creole
- GDP Per Capita: 6,847.6 (2014)
- Adult Literacy: 72.8% (2010 Census)
- Currency: Eastern Caribbean Dollar (EC$)
- Exchange Rate: US $1 = EC $2.70
- Time Zone: EST +1, GMT -4
Tourism accounts for approximately 65% of GDP and has been established as the highest foreign exchange earner next to agriculture. Saint Lucia Value Added Tax VAT rate is 12.5%.
