With its very low pandemic rate, laid-back lifestyle and 365 breathtaking beaches (one for each day of the year) and following the success achieved by its seven-year-old Citizenship by Investment Programme, Antigua & Barbuda unveils a residency programme allowing foreigners to live in, and work remotely from, the Caribbean island.
Unveiled by the government of the twin-island nation of Antigua & Barbuda in September 2020, the now-operational Nomad Digital Residence (NDR) programme offers eligible persons the world over the opportunity to live in Antigua and Barbuda for up to 24 months.
In announcing the NDR Programme, Antiguan Prime Minister Gaston Browne said that applications for nomad digital residency can be made from anywhere in the world and must be made to a dedicated government website.
Making up for the lost tourism dollars caused by the pandemic
The purpose of the programme, according to PM Gaston Browne, is to attract to the Caribbean island persons who can work remotely and yet service the requirements of their employers or their clients if they are self-employed. And, in turn, “these persons will rent accommodation, lease motor vehicles, shop in supermarkets, eat in restaurants, visit places of entertainment and help to put money in the pockets of Antigua and Barbudans, and aid the economy”, explained PM Gaston Browne.
Like most countries where tourism is a mainstay of its economy, Antigua & Barbuda has suffered economically during the pandemic (tourism accounts for 60% of the country’s GDP), the pandemic wiping out such revenues. And this initiative has been set up to help replace some of those lost tourism dollars.
He adds: “This is an opportunity for the country to earn some of the money that we have lost from the decline in the tourism sector that has affected everyone.”
Attracting investors who wish to work remotely in a safe place
It’s also an opportunity for people worldwide, an increasing amount of whom are working remotely and digitally, to work and live in a beautiful, friendly and safe environment, with 365 beaches to choose from (that’s a different one for each day of the year), mountains to climb and rainforests to explore.
It’s especially attractive considering the country’s winning record regarding the pandemic, with only 98 reported cases and just three deaths (at the time of going to press, September 26th).
“Antigua & Barbuda is in a unique position to offer the Nomad Digital Residence programme because, with our very low fatalities from Covid-19, very small number of active cases and our effective system of containing community spread, our country is one of the safest environments in the world,” explains PM Gaston Browne.
He further pointed out that “the government has invested in modern medical facilities, including a state-of-the-art infectious Disease Clinic and Personal Protective Equipment for a brigade of medical personnel”.
The PM stressed that those entering Antigua & Barbuda for the NDR Programme “will be required to comply with all our protocols regarding Covid-19 in their own interest as much as for the welfare of the Antigua and Barbuda community”.
For more information on the Entrepreneurship Visa Program, click here
Antigua & Barbuda’s Citizenship by Investment Programme
The new NDR programme joins Antigua & Barbuda’s successful Citizenship by Investment Programme, which allows eligible foreigners to secure Antiguan citizenship in exchange for funding or investment.
Established for seven years, Antigua’s CIP requires one of the lowest-cost contribution options, a minimum outlay of US$100,000, and with an application processing time of three months. Citizenship of Antigua gives you and your family visa-free movement to 147 countries, including the UK, Brazil and Hong Kong.
There are four routes to citizenship, including donating US$100,000 to the National Development Fund; investing US$200,000 or more into a government-approved real estate project for five years (or a joint investment with a related party, investing a combined minimum of US$400,000); investing US$1.5 million into an eligible government-approved business project; or, for families of at least six members, investing US$150,000 into the University of the West Indies Fund (UWIF).
This latter option has recently been restructured in terms of its fees, making it one of the most affordable routes to second citizenship for large families.
This year, Antigua’s CIU aligned the processing fees under three of the four options to US$30,000, with the processing fees for the fourth option, the UWI option, included in the investment amount.
In fact, it’s the only CBI Programme worldwide to offer a scholarship to a university place for one family member as part of its donation to the University of the West Indies (UWI) fund.
While there is no mandated interview or knowledge-based text, Antigua & Barbuda does require applicants to travel to the nation, or to an embassy or consulate, to sign an oath of allegiance. In addition, the applicant must spend five days in the country within five years of obtaining citizenship.
According to the latest CBI Index 2020, the annual CBI report from the Financial Times, Antigua & Barbuda’s seven-year-young Citizenship by Investment Programme achieved a very high score in the Certainty of Product criteria, coming second only to Dominica and Saint Kitts, proving that when it comes to changing with the times, it really is on the CBI ball.
Find out more about the Antigua & Barbuda’s citizenship by investment programme from our country profile by clicking here