St. Lucia Citizenship by Investment Cost
Every published fee for St. Lucia citizenship by investment, family member by family member, with the official source beside each figure. From US$240,000 through the National Economic Fund, or US$300,000 in approved real estate.
Investment routes and minimums.
St. Lucia publishes four 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Economic Fund | US$240,000CIU source · checked 8 Nov 2026 | Main applicant alone or with up to three dependants | None (non-refundable contribution) |
| National Action Government Bonds | US$300,000CIU source · checked 8 Nov 2026 | Main applicant with any number of dependants | 5 years from the date of first issue (non-interest bearing) |
| Approved real estate project | US$300,000CIU source · checked 8 Nov 2026 | Main applicant with any number of dependants | Not stated on the CIU page. Confirm with the unit. |
| Enterprise project | US$250,000CIU source · checked 8 Nov 2026 | US$3,500,000 for a sole applicant or US$6,000,000 joint (each at least US$1,000,000) in an approved enterprise, or from US$250,000 plus fees under the unit’s third option | Not stated on the CIU page. Confirm with the unit. |
National Economic Fund by family size
| Who is on the application | Amount |
|---|---|
| Main applicant alone or with up to three dependants | US$240,000 |
| Each additional dependant under 18 | US$10,000 |
| Each additional dependant over 18 | US$20,000 |
Government and processing fees.
Charged by the government on top of the qualifying investment, and different for each route.
Administration fee
Applies to the National Action Government Bonds route.
| Who | Fee |
|---|---|
| Per application, non-refundable | US$50,000 |
Administration fees
Applies to the approved real estate project route.
| Who | Fee |
|---|---|
| Main applicant alone | US$30,000 |
| Main applicant with spouse | US$45,000 |
| Each dependant under 18 | US$5,000 |
| Each dependant over 18 | US$10,000 |
| Main applicant with spouse and more than four dependants: each dependant | US$10,000 |
Payable on the grant of citizenship and non-refundable. The CIU does not say whether the spouse counts towards the four; the calculator counts the other dependants only.
The CIU publishes no separate government fee for the National Economic Fund 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 | Application processing | Due diligence |
|---|---|---|
| Main applicant | US$2,000 | US$8,000 |
| Spouse | US$1,000 | US$5,000 |
| Child under 12 | US$1,000 | Nil |
| Child 12 to 15 | US$1,000 | Nil |
| Child 16 or 17 | US$1,000 | US$5,000 |
| Dependant 18 to 30 | US$1,000 | US$5,000 |
| Parent 55 or over | US$1,000 | US$5,000 |
As the unit publishes them:
- Application processing. Main applicant: US$2,000 · Each qualifying dependant: US$1,000. Payable on submission and non-refundable.
- Due diligence. Main applicant: US$8,000 · Each dependant above 16: US$5,000. Due diligence is conducted only on applicants above the age of 16. The calculator charges every child of 16 or 17, so a child of exactly 16 is counted as 17. The CIU’s FAQ page still shows US$7,500 for the main applicant; the investment options page shows US$8,000, which the calculator uses.
Listed without an amount
- Interview and identity verification. Payable by the main applicant only. The CIU gives no amount.
- Passport fees. Not stated. The authorised agent applies to the Immigration Department.
Biometrics
The CIU lists no biometric fee (checked 8 November 2026). Its interview and identity verification step is payable by the main applicant only and has no published amount.
Processing time
About 90 days to the grant of citizenship, counted from when the agent is told the application was accepted.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 (buyer’s share) | 2% of value | The same rate as a citizen pays. |
| Alien landholding licence | Certificate of Eligibility US$3,000 (1 year) or US$10,000 (10 years), then a licence fee by holding size | Licence fee: subdivided lot US$100; one acre or less US$2,500. Ask your lawyer whether it applies to a citizenship purchase. |
| Legal and conveyancing fees | Not published | Set by the law firm. VAT at 12.5% applies. |
Source: Stamp Duty Act; Aliens (Licensing) Act (verified 9-10 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 | National Economic Fund | Approved real estate project |
|---|---|---|
| Single applicant | US$250,000plus 2 items to confirm | US$346,000plus 4 items to confirm |
| Couple | US$256,000plus 2 items to confirm | US$367,000plus 4 items to confirm |
| Family of fourtwo children under 12 | US$258,000plus 2 items to confirm | US$379,000plus 4 items to confirm |
| Family of fivechildren 8 and 14, a student of 19 | US$284,000plus 2 items to confirm | US$395,000plus 4 items to confirm |
Figures change. Confirm before you commit. For any other family, use the cost calculator, or set St. Lucia against the other four on the cost comparison.
Official sources for this page
- CIU, Investment options, read 8 November 2026
- CIU, FAQs, read 8 November 2026
- Purchase costs: Stamp Duty Act; Aliens (Licensing) Act (verified 9-10 Aug 2026)
What St. Lucia 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. Lucia 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. Lucia citizenship costs: questions.
What is the minimum cost of St. Lucia citizenship by investment?
The lowest published minimum is US$240,000 through the National Economic Fund. The lowest real estate minimum is US$300,000. Government, due diligence and other fees sit on top of both.
What does St. Lucia citizenship cost for a family of four?
For a couple with two children under 12, the published figures add up to US$258,000 on the National Economic Fund and US$379,000 on the Approved real estate project 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?
Not stated on the CIU page. Confirm with the unit.
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.
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. Lucia: the programme guide, real estate for sale, and citizenship-approved real estate.