St Kitts and Nevis is known for its strict due diligence on applicants seeking alternative citizenship

St Kitts and Nevis, the smallest country in the western hemisphere, is known for carrying out extensive due diligence checks on applicants for citizenship by investment programme. Its size has not let the country limit its capabilities.

The CBI Programme of the twin-island nation conducts the most vigorous, multi-layered background checks on all applicants seeking for second citizenship from the country.

The citizenship by investment programme of St Kitts and Nevis is considered the “Platinum Standard” of the CBI industry worldwide due to its multi-layered due diligence checks. Other than this, it also became the first country to establish an “economic citizenship programme” in 1984 and is the pioneer of the industry.

The twin-island federation has the oldest, safest and most secure, and transparent citizenship by investment programme.

According to the Citizenship by Investment Unit of St Kitts and Nevis, applicants’ documentation and other checks are properly scrutinized before processing of the application.

The government and third-party companies handle the due-diligence process and background checks to examine the applicants. The multi-layered approach utilized by the country assures that citizenship is granted only to reputed and honest individuals who have no criminal background and no links with any financial fraud. Rigorous screening procedures are conducted to assure and cross-check each and every detail provided by the applicant in his application. The background checks are so strict that they also verify the investor’s source of income. Other information about individuals seeking alternative citizenship, like their residency, source of funds and occupation, is also verified.

The due-diligence procedure is carried out by verifying some basic documents or materials, which are:

• Identifying documents (birth certificate, passport, or any other verification certificate)

• Financial materials (including bank account numbers, information about your income and other sources of wealth, employment history, etc)

• Personal references

• Criminal history

After the third party verification, due-diligence firms re-send the report back to CBI units, which then again cross-verifies the facts, and the final approval or rejection depends on the unit.

The citizenship by investment programme of St Kitts and Nevis is helping the nation to run socio-economic activities. Many sectors are directly or indirectly benefitted from the programme. 

The most widely used investment option under the citizenship by investment programme is the Sustainable Growth Fund (SGF), which is also called the “Fund Option”. 

The citizenship by investment programme revenues provides economic assistance towards the social programmes; it also helps in providing income support to the residents and many more.

The Fund Option allows making a contribution towards the economy and social prosperity of St Kitts and Nevis.

The Sustainable Growth Fund was established in 2018, and since then, it has been assisting the country in one way or another. Some of the benefits of SGF to residents include the following:

• Enhancing the quality of education

• Ensure the health and well-being of a growing population

• Promote St Kitts and Nevis’ thriving tourism industry

• Publicize the different cultural savour of the people

An investor can contribute a minimum of USD 150,000 to apply for citizenship by investment programme under the Sustainable Growth Fund option.

The alternative citizenship of St Kitts and Nevis may be attained by an individual whose age is more than 18 years. An applicant can also add additional dependents such as spouse and children.

The Citizenship by Investment Programme of the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis ranked highest in the CBI Index for being the fastest, safest and most secure. The CBI Index is annually published by the Financial Times’ Professional Wealth Management magazine.

The CBI Index rankings are based on the points earned in nine different pillars, whereas in the pillar of due diligence, St Kitts and Nevis topped the charts. 

St Kitts and Nevis is a small twin-island Federation, with a population of around 53,192. The country is loved by the tourists because of its stunning white sand beaches, sheer blue water and mesmerizing beauty sights; due to these natural gems, it is dubbed the “Paradise of the Caribbean”.

The maximum of the tourists visits the twin-island Federation through cruise ships, and now it is considered one of the most desired locations for the cruise ship travellers.