A COMPARISON OF THE ST LUCIA CITIZENSHIP VS DOMINICA CITIZENSHIP BY INVESTMENT PROGRAMS FOR AMERICANS AND OTHER NATIONALITIES

Citizenship by investment (CBI) programs have become increasingly popular around the world. The Caribbean is home to several countries that offer CBI programs, including St. Lucia and Dominica. In this article, we will compare and contrast the CBI programs of these two nations, St. Lucia and Dominica.

KEY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BOTH CITIZENSHIP PROGRAMS

1. Citizenship Benefits: Both Saint-Lucia and Dominica offer lifelong citizenship, visa-free travel to 140+ countries, and favorable tax regimes.
2. Investment Options and Costs: Dominica allows donations or real estate investments, while St. Lucia adds government bonds as an option. Costs vary, but St. Lucia can be more affordable for larger families.
3. Eligibility and Qualification: St. Lucia has more flexible criteria, including dependent children up to age 30 and older parents/siblings. Dominica has stricter age limits.
4. Additional Costs: Both programs have fees for due diligence, processing, and other expenses. St. Lucia requires an extra administrative fee for government bonds.
5. Processing Time: Both St. Lucia and Dominica take around 4 to 8 months to process citizenship applications. Residency or language requirements are not mandatory for either program.

ST. LUCIA CITIZENSHIP BENEFITS AND DOMINICA CITIZENSHIP BENEFITS

In terms of benefits, the advantages are significant, but very similar.

Both grant citizenship for life to you, all those covered by the application, and future generations.
Both passports give access to more than 140 countries, including the Schengen area, visa-free or with a visa on arrival. St. Lucia and Dominica both have favourable tax regimes with no wealth tax, no capital gains tax and no inheritance tax. Dominica has no gift taxes as well.

INVESTMENT OPTIONS: ST. LUCIA CITIZENSHIP COSTS AND DOMINICA CITIZENSHIP COSTS

For Dominica, it is either a donation or a real estate investment.

For St. Lucia, it can be a donation, real estate, or government bonds.

DONATION INVESTMENT AMOUNTS: ST. LUCIA CITIZENSHIP COSTS AND DOMINICA CITIZENSHIP COSTS

For the donation option, in both cases the minimum donation for a single applicant is USD 100,000 to the Dominican Economic Diversification Fund or to the St. Lucia National Economic Fund, respectively.
However, for an applicant and spouse it is USD 150,000 for Dominica and USD 140,000 for St. Lucia.

For additional dependents, it is USD 25,000 if they are under 18 and USD 50,000 if they are over 18 for Dominica.

By contrast it is USD 15,000 per person for St. Lucia. St. Lucia citizenship program can be more affordable for a large family.

Qualification is also slightly liberal in some respects for St. Lucia, which includes dependent children up to age 30 and parents or grandparents who are over 55 and unmarried siblings under 18.

For Dominica, it is children up to age 18, and up to 30 only if they are students and still supported, or up to 25 if they are female and still living with the applicant.

Parents and grandparents must be over 65 years of age in Dominica, not 55 as in St. Lucia.

Lastly, St. Lucia also offers a third investment option in bonds of USD 300,000, which Dominica does not. This is an investment in government bonds, with no interest, and a 100% guaranteed payback after 5 years.

ST. LUCIA CITIZENSHIP BY REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT AND DOMINICA CITIZENSHIP BY REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT

The second option for Dominica is to purchase a government-approved real estate investment with a value of at least USD 200,000 and hold it for a minimum of 3 years.

For more information please visit: https://harveylawcorporation.com/secret-bay-resort-dominica-citizenship/

If you want to know more information on the latest terms for the St Lucia real estate options and approved projects, please contact us at info@harveylawcorporation.com

ADDITIONAL COSTS: ST. LUCIA CITIZENSHIP COSTS AND DOMINICA CITIZENSHIP

In both cases, additional fees apply.

For St. Lucia government bonds option, there is a set administrative fee of USD 50,000 that is non-refundable. Like Dominica, there are fees for due diligence, the application, processing, and other government fees. These fees vary over time and with the number of people included in the application. Dominica may be more affordable for small families, while St. Lucia may be preferred by larger families.

ST. LUCIA CITIZENSHIP ELIGIBILITY AND DOMINICA CITIZENSHIP ELIGIBILITY

Applicants for either citizenship program will not be subject to any residency requirements nor will they need to visit the country in order to activate or obtain their citizenship.

Likewise, there are no language, no education, and no work experience requirements.

Again, both Caribbean passports allow you and your dependents to live and work anywhere among the Caricom countries. Both countries allow dual citizenship (second passports), so you can continue to live and work overseas, if you wish, or anywhere that you have legal residency status.

ST. LUCIA CITIZENSHIP PROCESSING TIME AND DOMINICA CITIZENSHIP PROCESSING TIME

St. Lucia Citizenship processing time is around 4 to 8 months whereas, Dominica Citizenship processing time is also approximately 4 to 8 months.

Both are beautiful countries with similar lifestyles and affordability, though, as mentioned, there is no requirement to live there.

ST. LUCIA CITIZENSHIP BENEFITS AND COSTS VERSUS DOMINICA CITIZENSHIP BENEFITS AND COSTS

In general, there is clearly not a huge difference, although there can be some tens of thousands of US dollars saved for larger families by choosing St. Lucia. Ultimately, the choice between the two programs will depend on the individual’s financial situation, travel needs and investment preferences.

REQUEST MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ST LUCIA CITIZENSHIP VS DOMINICA CITIZENSHIP BY INVESTMENT VISA

If applying for either St. Lucia or Dominica interests you, please feel free to contact us without hesitation.

Harvey Law Group (HLG) has been advising on Immigration and Business Law for more than three decades. With 20 offices around the world including in the United States.

To schedule a free consultation, contact us at +1 352 331 7554 or contact@harveylawcorporation.com to schedule a visit at
Harvey Law Group USA office located at 1395 Brickell Avenue, Miami, Florida 33131.

For more information on both programs visit these websites:
Dominica: https://harveylawcorporation.com/dominica-citizenship-by-investment/
St. Lucia: https://harveylawcorporation.com/saint-lucia-citizenship/