St. Lucia is a wonderful tropical destination that offers guests a front seat to its natural beauty as well as an array of leisure activities. Its coastline makes the island nation ideal for snorkeling and scuba diving, while its National Rain Forest reserve will appeal to those that prefer to hike and enjoy some bird watching. The island is home to twin volcanic peaks, called ‘The Pitons’, which were cited as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005.
St. Lucia is ranked 36th globally on the Henley & Partners Visa Restrictions Index 2017, a highly-regarded index which the firm publishes annually in cooperation with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) — which maintains the world’s largest database of travel information. St Lucia offers its citizens visa-free access to 127 countries, including the EU’s Schengen area, the UK, Singapore and Hong Kong.
On the Henley & Partners – Kochenov Quality of Nationality Index (QNI), St. Lucia is ranked 86th, performing well in terms of its Human Development and Diversity of Travel Freedom scores.
St. Lucia Citizenship-by-Investment Program
- A St. Lucian passport provides visa-free travel to 127 countries, including Europe’s Schengen area, the UK, Hong Kong and Singapore
- There are no residence or visitation requirements
- St. Lucia recognizes dual citizenship
- Citizenship can be passed on to future generations by descent
- Three diverse ways to qualify
- The capital requirement and processing costs are reasonable
There are currently three routes to citizenship through the program:
1. A purchase of approved real estate with a minimum value of USD 300,000, which must be held for a minimum period of five years (additional costs may also be incurred, depending on the real estate developer)
2. A capital injection into an approved Enterprise Project (as set out in the regulations) or at least USD 3.5 million plus the creation of no fewer than three permanent jobs; or a joint investment of USD 6 million (with each applicant contributing a minimum of USD 1 million) plus the creation of no fewer than six permanent jobs
3. A non-refundable contribution to the National Economic Fund (NEF) of USD 100,000 (for a single applicant)
Options 1 and 2 are subject to various government administration fees when applying.
The requirements of the St. Lucia Citizenship-by-Investment Program are strict but reasonable and the procedures are efficient.
The application process takes no longer than four months from the submission of the application to the issuance of the passport, assuming there are no areas of concern. In addition, under the real estate option, the time frame may vary depending on the development chosen.
Saint Lucia |
|
---|---|
Flag
Coat of arms
|
|
Motto: “The Land, The People, The Light”
|
|
Anthem: Sons and Daughters of Saint Lucia
|
|
Location of Saint Lucia (circled in red)in the Caribbean (light yellow) |
|
Capital and largest city |
Castries 14°1′N 60°59′W |
Official languages | English |
Vernacular languages |
Saint Lucian Creole French[1] |
Ethnic groups(2010[2]) |
|
Demonym | Saint Lucian |
Government | Parliamentary democracyunder constitutional monarchy |
• Monarch
|
Elizabeth II |
• Governor-General
|
Dame Pearlette Louisy |
• Prime Minister
|
Allen Chastanet |
Legislature | Parliament |
• Upper house
|
Senate |
• Lower house
|
House of Assembly |
Independence | |
• Associated State
|
1 March 1967 |
• from the United Kingdom
|
22 February 1979 |
Area | |
• Total
|
617 km2 (238 sq mi) (191st) |
• Water (%)
|
1.6 |
Population | |
• 2015 UN estimate
|
184,999 |
• 2010 census
|
165,595 |
• Density
|
300/km2 (777.0/sq mi) |
GDP (PPP) | 2016 estimate |
• Total
|
$2.083 billion[3] |
• Per capita
|
$11,970[3] |
GDP (nominal) | 2016 estimate |
• Total
|
$1.439 billion[3] |
• Per capita
|
$8,268[3] |
HDI (2014) | 0.729[4] high · 89th |
Currency | East Caribbean dollar(XCD) |
Time zone | (UTC−4) |
Drives on the | left |
Calling code | +1 758 |
ISO 3166 code | LC |
Internet TLD | .lc |