St. Kitts & Nevis Citizenship by Investment Cost
Every published fee for St. Kitts & Nevis citizenship by investment, family member by family member, with the official source beside each figure. From US$250,000 through the Sustainable Island State Contribution, or US$325,000 in approved real estate.
Investment routes and minimums.
St. Kitts & Nevis publishes five routes. The minimum is what qualifies; it is not what you wire. Every fee in the sections below is added on top.
| Route | Minimum | Who it covers | Holding period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sustainable Island State Contribution | US$250,000CIU source · checked 8 Nov 2026 | Minimum contribution. The CIU page does not publish dependant pricing for this route. | None (non-refundable contribution) |
| Public Benefit Option | US$250,000CIU source · checked 8 Nov 2026 | Main applicant or a family of up to four | None (contribution to an approved project) |
| Developer’s Real Estate Option (approved development) | US$325,000CIU source · checked 8 Nov 2026 | Per main applicant | 7 years before resale |
| Private Real Estate: condominium unit or share | US$325,000CIU source · checked 8 Nov 2026 | Per main applicant | 7 years before resale |
| Private Real Estate: single-family home | US$600,000CIU source · checked 8 Nov 2026 | Per main applicant | 7 years before resale |
Government and processing fees.
Charged by the government on top of the qualifying investment, and different for each route.
Post-approval fees on the Public Benefit Option route
| Who | Fee |
|---|---|
| Spouse | US$15,000 |
| Each dependant under 18 | US$10,000 |
| Each dependant 18 or over | US$15,000 |
Post-approval fees on the real estate routes
| Who | Fee |
|---|---|
| Main applicant | US$25,000 |
| Spouse | US$15,000 |
| Each dependant under 18 | US$10,000 |
| Each dependant 18 or over | US$15,000 |
The CIU publishes no separate government fee for the Sustainable Island State Contribution route.
Due diligence fees by family member.
These apply on every route. They are charged by person and, for children, by age, so the same headline minimum costs a different amount for every family.
| Family member | Due diligence | Biometric enrolment |
|---|---|---|
| Main applicant | US$10,000 | US$2,500 |
| Spouse | US$7,500 | US$2,000as the second adult |
| Child under 12 | Nil | US$1,300 |
| Child 12 to 15 | Nil | US$1,300 |
| Child 16 or 17 | US$7,500 | US$2,000if the second adult; a third adult is not priced |
| Dependant 18 to 30 | US$7,500 | US$2,000if the second adult; a third adult is not priced |
| Parent 55 or over | US$7,500 | US$2,000if the second adult; a third adult is not priced |
As the unit publishes them:
- Due diligence. Main applicant: US$10,000 · Each dependant 16 or over: US$7,500 · Dependants under 16: Nil. Payable on submission and non-refundable.
- Biometric enrolment. Main adult applicant (16 or over): US$2,500 · Second adult applicant: US$2,000 · Each child under 16: US$1,300. Mandatory on every application submitted from 14 April 2026. It is booked once the application reaches approval in principle and taken at a designated enrolment centre. The CIU says the fee covers biometric enrolment and the passport upgrade. It lists no fee for a third adult, so the calculator leaves that to confirm. A 10% reduction applies to enrolment completed between 20 July and 31 December 2026; the CIU does not say whether it applies to new applicants, so the calculator uses the full fee.
Listed without an amount
- Processing fees. The CIU page says costs may include processing fees but gives no amount.
- Passport fees. The CIU’s biometrics page says its fee covers the passport upgrade, but does not say whether a new citizen’s first passport is included.
Biometrics
The CIU publishes a biometric enrolment fee, shown in the table above.
Processing time
120 to 180 days from the unit’s acknowledgment of a complete application.Source: CIU source · checked 8 Nov 2026
What buying the property costs.
On the real estate route the purchase carries its own costs, charged by the state on the transfer rather than by the citizenship unit.
| Charge | Rate | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Stamp duty | Depends on the development | Each development differs: developers often have a government concession on part of the usual stamp duty, and new developments often charge stamp duty to the buyer. Ask the developer and your lawyer before you sign. |
| Alien landholding licence | 10% of value, or $750 if greater | Two primary sources conflict on the rate, and a full exemption applies on the South East Peninsula for a single residence on up to two acres. Whether it applies to your purchase is a question for your lawyer. |
| Legal and conveyancing fees | Not published | Set by the law firm. VAT at 17% applies to legal services. |
Source: Stamps Act Cap. 20.40; Aliens Land Holding Regulation Act Cap. 10.01 (verified 10 Aug 2026). Rates checked 10 August 2026.
What the published figures add up to.
Totals at the minimum investment, with every published government, due diligence and per-person fee, and on the real estate route the purchase costs that have a published rate. Agent fees are not included, and legal fees only where the law sets a maximum.
| Family | Sustainable Island State Contribution | Developer’s Real Estate Option |
|---|---|---|
| Single applicant | US$262,500plus 2 items to confirm | US$362,500plus 5 items to confirm |
| Couple | US$272,000plus 3 items to confirm | US$387,000plus 5 items to confirm |
| Family of fourtwo children under 12 | US$274,600plus 3 items to confirm | US$409,600plus 5 items to confirm |
| Family of fivechildren 8 and 14, a student of 19 | US$282,100plus 4 items to confirm | US$432,100plus 6 items to confirm |
Figures change. Confirm before you commit. For any other family, use the cost calculator, or set St. Kitts & Nevis against the other four on the cost comparison.
Official sources for this page
- CIU, How to obtain St. Kitts and Nevis citizenship (modified 7 Aug 2026), read 8 November 2026
- CIU, Biometric enrolment (modified 6 Nov 2026), read 8 November 2026
- Purchase costs: Stamps Act Cap. 20.40; Aliens Land Holding Regulation Act Cap. 10.01 (verified 10 Aug 2026)
What St. Kitts & Nevis citizenship does for a US family.
Plan B, not a tax play. The reason most American families do this is security: a second passport for every member of the family on the application, a place with the legal right to live, and a document that does not depend on any one government’s politics.
Dual citizenship. St. Kitts & Nevis allows dual citizenship, and the United States does not ask you to give anything up when you add a second nationality. You keep your US passport and enter the United States on it.
Buying from the US. The application is filed through an agent authorised by the CIU; nobody files directly. Due diligence covers every adult on the file, including the source of the funds, so the paperwork starts with your bank statements and tax returns. On the real estate route, ask before you pay a deposit whether it is held in escrow by a lawyer or a regulated agent rather than paid to the developer, and when it is released.
Your US tax position does not change. The US taxes its citizens on worldwide income wherever they live, and none of the five Caribbean citizenship countries has a US income tax treaty. Owning property abroad can add reporting. Ask a US tax professional who works with foreign assets before you fund anything; that conversation is theirs, not a property adviser’s.
The wider case is set out in second citizenship for Americans.
St. Kitts & Nevis citizenship costs: questions.
What is the minimum cost of St. Kitts & Nevis citizenship by investment?
The lowest published minimum is US$250,000 through the Sustainable Island State Contribution. The lowest real estate minimum is US$325,000. Government, due diligence and other fees sit on top of both.
What does St. Kitts & Nevis citizenship cost for a family of four?
For a couple with two children under 12, the published figures add up to US$274,600 on the Sustainable Island State Contribution and US$409,600 on the Developer’s Real Estate Option route at the minimum price, including the purchase costs with a published rate. Agent fees and any item the unit does not price are extra.
How long must the real estate be held?
7 years before resale.
Where do these figures come from?
From the Citizenship by Investment Unit’s own published pages, read on 8 November 2026, and for purchase costs from the statutes, verified 10 August 2026. Figures change. Confirm before you commit.
Do post-approval fees apply on the Sustainable Island State Contribution?
The CIU says post-approval fees apply under the Public Benefit Option and both real estate options. It lists none for the Sustainable Island State Contribution, and it does not publish dependant pricing for that route either, so confirm the schedule for your family with the unit.
Is there an interview?
Yes. Every main applicant must attend a mandatory interview, which the CIU says may be held virtually, in St. Kitts and Nevis, or at another approved location.
Get the figures for your own family.
The tables above are the schedule. The calculator works it for your family, and the cost sheet puts every line in writing with its source. When you want to talk through routes and properties, apply for private access.
More on St. Kitts & Nevis: the programme guide, real estate for sale, and citizenship-approved real estate.