The Commonwealth of Dominica is often mistaken for the Dominican Republic, which does not operate an Economic Citizenship Program.

Launched in 1993, the Dominican Economic Citizenship Program offers foreign investors the ability to legally obtain citizenship by investment from only $100,000 for a single applicant – without even needing to visit Dominica to apply. Under this Program, a foreign national can become a citizen of Dominica on the basis of a once-off, non-refundable contribution to the Dominica Economic Diversification Fund, or on the basis of an investment in government approved real estate in Dominica and the payment of an associated government fee.

The Program follows in the footsteps of the St Kitts and Nevis Economic Citizenship Program, which was launched in 1984, and was the second program of its kind to launch in the Caribbean. The Program is managed by the Citizenship By Investment Unit (Dominica CBIU), which processes all CBI applications and commissions due diligence on applicants.

The due diligence process is typically outsourced to one of more third party firms, hence a due diligence fee is payable upon application to the Program.

The current legal framework governing the Dominican Golden Passport Program includes the:

• Commonwealth of Dominica Citizenship by Investment (Amendment) Regulations, 2017

• The Commonwealth of Dominica Citizenship by Investment (Amendment) Regulations, 2016

• The Commonwealth of Dominica Citizenship by Investment Regulations, 2014.

As of December 2019, applicants to the program must meet the following requirements:

• You must be 18 years or older.

• You must have a clear police record, and must not be on any government watch or sanctions lists.

• You must not have been banned from entering the EU, UK, USA or Canada.

• You must be able to prove that the source of funds being used for the citizenship application was legally sourced.

• You must be a person of good international standing

• You must be in good health.

ESTABLISHEDNESS OF THE PROGRAM: The Dominica CIP is one of the oldest programs in the world, and as such has developed a sound reputation for effective outcomes and the predictability of its processes. The application process typically takes between 3 and 6 months.

EU VISA FREE ACCESS: A Dominican passport gives you visa free access rights (or a visa upon arrival), for over 135 countries around the world, including Schengen area, the UK, Ireland (the latter two being a major plus), some South American countries, Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Hong. It does however, not give you access to Morocco, China and South Africa, and it’s not the ideal passport if your core focus is getting into the Americas.

TAXATION: Unlike St Kitts and Nevis, which is a tax haven in the true sense of the term, Dominica does have income taxes, especially if you’re going to be settling there as a tax resident. If tax optimisation is your key focus, you may therefore want to look at the St Kitts and Nevis program instead. 

PROGRAM COSTS: For single applicants looking for an affordable, fast and straight forward solution, the Dominica program may be well suited. If you’re married or have dependent children, however, you may wish to look at alternative Caribbean passport programs as well.

• Certified copies of the Birth Certificates for all applicants

• Certified copies of all applicants’ current passports

• Police clearance certificates from your country of birth and country of residence (if different)

• Two personal references for the primary applicant

• A marriage certificate (if applicable)

• One professional reference for the primary applicant

• A bank reference letter

• A letter of employment (if applicable)

• Audited financial statements for your business (if applicable)

• Proof of education qualification (notarized)

• An affidavit or declaration of source of funds

• Your most recent tax return

• Your curriculum vitae

• A detailed business background report

• Eight passport photos per each applicant.

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