Citizenship by Investment Costs: Build a Complete Budget
Citizenship by investment costs should be calculated as a complete application and funding plan, not a passport price. Start with the qualifying contribution or asset, then identify government charges, assessment, documents, professional services, payment costs and any continuing ownership or procedural expenses.
The correct amount depends on the country, route, family and actual funding arrangement. The figures below were checked against the linked official references on 31 October 2026. They describe different qualifying components and must not be read as comparable all-inclusive totals.
Compare route components before comparing totals
Programme and example route | Published starting component | What the number represents |
Grenada NTF | USD 235,000 for a single applicant or specified eligible family up to four | Contribution; further charges remain |
Dominica EDF | USD 200,000 single; USD 250,000 applicant with up to three qualifying dependants | Contribution; apply the actual family |
Saint Lucia NEF | USD 240,000 applicant with up to three qualifying dependants | Contribution; further charges remain |
Antigua and Barbuda NDF | USD 230,000 | Contribution; processing and other expenses are separate |
St Kitts and Nevis SISC | USD 250,000 main applicant or eligible family up to four | Contribution; further charges remain |
Turkey property route | USD 400,000 | Qualifying asset purchase; transaction and application costs are additional |
The official references are Grenada IMA, Dominica CBIU, CIP Saint Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda CIU, St Kitts and Nevis CIU and the Turkish Investment Office. Verify the selected route and current case-specific requirements before committing funds.
Use one household schedule across every calculation
List the main applicant and every proposed relative with date of birth, relationship and any dependency question. Have eligibility assessed before deciding that a family allowance applies. Two households with the same headcount can have different charges and evidence needs.
Make the date and assumptions visible. A child reaching another age band or a relative joining the application can change the calculation. If another person supplies funds, establish whether that introduces an additional assessment rather than silently using a personal-savings example.
Distinguish a partial subtotal from a complete quotation
A partial calculation can be useful if its scope is clear. Contribution plus processing and due diligence is not a complete total if interviews, documents, passports, professional work or transaction charges remain unpriced. An unresolved charge should be labelled, not treated as zero.
For a property route, keep purchase capital separate from non-refundable expenses. Do not net off projected rent or an assumed sale price from the cash required. The household must be able to fund the transaction even if the most favourable investment illustration does not occur.
Ask what changes a provider's price
A written proposal should identify the services performed, responsible parties and third-party costs. Confirm whether it covers initial preparation, authorised submission, responses to later requests or post-decision coordination. The word administration should not conceal a different service scope.
Record cancellation and refund conditions separately for government charges, professional work and the investment or contribution. A broad refund promise should not be assumed to apply identically to every payment or event.
Keep a cash-flow reserve outside the headline budget
Show when each payment is due and the currency required. Distinguish the official charge from the exchange-rate assumption used for the household's planning. Bank deductions and payment shortfalls need an agreed treatment.
Maintain a reserve for household commitments and unresolved case-specific expenses. Funds committed to a qualifying asset cannot also be counted as readily available school fees or emergency liquidity. This matters even where the household's total assets comfortably exceed a published minimum.
Compare a citizenship-by-investment contribution with an approved real-estate investment using total cash committed, ownership rights, holding restrictions and the risk of recovering capital. A contribution usually represents a non-recoverable payment under the programme. A property subscription creates a separate investment exposure whose value and exit depend on the contract and market conditions.
The better fit depends on your household's finances and objectives. This guide provides a review framework for Caribbean programmes such as Grenada and Saint Lucia. Confirm that the proposed route and project remain approved for the particular application. Different countries apply different requirements, so a sales description cannot substitute for a programme-specific review.
Write down why you want the citizenship and how much money you can commit without affecting essential reserves. Separate the amount you can spend permanently from the amount you can hold in a less liquid investment. Include planned education, business expansion and other large household expenses.
Discuss whether you would want the proposed property if citizenship were not part of the transaction. An investment that looks unattractive on its own merits needs careful examination. A possible migration benefit does not remove construction, operational or resale risk.
Keep the assessment balanced. A contribution can involve substantial sunk cost, while a property route can involve a larger cash commitment and continuing obligations. Compare both with the option of delaying the application. You do not have to select a route simply because a promotion has a stated closing date.
Grenada's official programme distinguishes its NTF contribution from investments in approved projects. Saint Lucia's programme describes an NEF contribution and approved property, alongside other options. Approval for a citizenship route attaches to the relevant programme requirements; purchasing any overseas apartment does not establish a qualifying investment. Grenada official route information; Saint Lucia official route information.
Ask for the exact legal name of the route, the project and the investment vehicle. Check the current approval through the authority or authorised submission professional. Match the approval to the interest the contract offers you, including the amount, category and investor structure.
If the developer proposes an unusual discount, rebate or financing arrangement, obtain programme-specific legal advice before accepting it. A private agreement can affect whether the transaction satisfies the required investment. Keep all side agreements with the main contract and disclose them to the professionals reviewing the application.
Compare total cash rather than the entry figure
Prepare two budgets using the same family and review date. Include the qualifying payment, government charges, background checks, interviews, professional work, document preparation and transfer costs. Identify which amounts you must pay before an application decision and which arise later.
For property, add reservation payments, legal work, registration costs and any management or maintenance obligations stated in the contract. Ask who pays taxes and insurance and whether the developer's illustration assumes rental income. Avoid counting uncertain income as money available to pay a fixed contractual expense.
Show cash timing month by month. A route with a similar total cost may require more money earlier or leave less available for contingencies. Ask your bank about permitted payment arrangements and review the source-of-funds record before promising a transfer date to the seller.
Separate cost from capital at risk
Use three categories in your worksheet: amounts you do not expect to recover, money invested in an asset and ongoing or contingent obligations. The classification depends on the actual documents. A government charge, a refundable reservation deposit and a property subscription should not share a single “investment cost” label.
A hypothetical family compares a non-recoverable contribution with a larger property subscription. The property budget includes fees and assumes a future sale. To evaluate the proposal, the family writes down what happens if the sale produces less than the subscription or takes several extra years. It then checks whether essential household plans remain affordable.
This scenario does not predict a loss or recommend one route. It exposes the assumption behind calling a property option “cheaper because you get the money back”. Recovery depends on rights, restrictions, performance, expenses and an actual buyer, all of which need examination.
Review exactly what you will own
Ask whether you acquire registered title, a fractional interest, shares in a company, a contractual right or another form of participation. Have an independent lawyer explain the rights in plain language. The resort's marketing name may differ from the entity receiving the subscription and the entity owning the land.
Request the title or ownership evidence relevant to the structure, the sale agreement, constitutional documents where applicable and a clear explanation of security interests. Identify any lender or prior claim that could affect your interest. Ask what happens if the development or operating company fails.
Compare the signed documents with the sales presentation. If the presenter describes a particular room or villa, establish whether the contract gives you that interest. If you acquire shares, understand voting, distributions, transfer restrictions and information rights. Record material answers in the contract or an approved written amendment.
Examine construction and operational risk
For an incomplete development, ask for the construction stage, delivery obligations and remedy for delay. Identify who controls the money and whether the agreement provides an escrow or other protection. Have the reviewing lawyer explain how that arrangement works and what protection it actually gives you.
For an operating property, request evidence supporting revenue and expense claims. Understand occupancy assumptions, management arrangements and the costs deducted before any distribution. A rental yield in a brochure is a forecast unless the documents and actual record establish something more specific.
Treat a buyback promise as a contract question
Check the holding and exit rules
Consider the contribution route on its own terms
Put the questions into a comparison worksheet
Manage conflicts and responsibilities
For a citizenship-by-investment application, prepare two connected explanations: how you built your wealth and where the particular money for the application came from. A current bank balance can show that you hold money. You may also need records explaining the activity that generated it, who owns it and how it reached the paying account.
This guide provides an evidence-organising framework for families considering Caribbean citizenship programmes. It does not prescribe one document list for every country or promise that an authority or bank will accept a particular record. Ask the responsible authorised professional to adapt the checklist to the programme and your actual financial history.
Distinguish source of wealth from source of funds
Source of wealth concerns the development of your overall financial position. Source of funds concerns the origin of the money used for a particular transaction. Financial regulators make this distinction because an account location does not, by itself, explain how someone obtained the money. BVI Financial Services Commission explanation; HMRC guidance on funds and wealth.
A hypothetical applicant may have built wealth through employment and business ownership over twenty years, while funding the citizenship application from a recent property sale. The overall history and the sale-to-bank-payment history overlap, but they answer different questions. Preparing both helps the reviewer understand the proposed transaction.
Use separate summaries rather than one long narrative. The wealth summary should explain the main stages in your financial history. The transaction summary should identify the selected money, its ownership and the path to the proposed payment. Keep documentary references beside important statements.
Why citizenship programmes examine the record
Authorities conduct background and financial checks under their own programme requirements. Grenada's published personal requirements include lawful funds, and St. Kitts and Nevis lists proof of investment funds among the documents needed for its process. The FATF/OECD also identifies the importance of examining funds, wider wealth and transfers in investment-migration programmes. Grenada requirements; St. Kitts application process; FATF/OECD report.
The migration file and the receiving bank may involve separate reviews. Ask which institution needs which record and why. A document accepted during an earlier transaction may need updating or further explanation for the present application. Keep the advice specific to the authority, bank and payment under review.
Disclose an issue to the professional reviewing your case before deciding that it is irrelevant. An unexplained transfer, previous refusal or material legal dispute can change the assessment. The aim is to present an accurate record, including difficult facts, rather than create a smooth narrative that omits them.
Build a wealth timeline
Trace the selected payment
Match the evidence to the source
Business owners: separate company and personal money
Property sellers: reconcile the net proceeds
Discuss the plan with our Hong Kong team
For an initial English-language review, tell PremierVisa Group your current nationality and residence, the family members involved, the route being considered and the broad funding source. Identify the main question you want assessed and any existing quotation. This helps define a relevant review before detailed evidence is collected.
Request an initial assessment or call +852 3620 2559. The written proposal should identify the responsible professionals, scope, fees and next steps. Send detailed identity and financial records through an agreed secure process.
Related planning guides
Editorial update: 31 October 2026. General information from PremierVisa Group and the linked official references, not an individual eligibility decision. Confirm current requirements for the actual application; the responsible authorities decide outcomes.
Comments