Antigua and Barbuda likely to suspend citizenship by investment programme on November 12
Prime Minister Gaston Browne says the move would protect visa-free access to the Schengen area, and has called a meeting of leaders of other CIP states.
ST JOHN'S, Antigua. Antigua and Barbuda's government has signalled plans to suspend its Citizenship by Investment Programme (CIP), saying it would rather do so than see the European Union (EU) remove visa-free travel for its citizens.
The CIP has been a key source of revenue for Antigua and Barbuda and Eastern Caribbean neighbours including St Kitts, St Lucia, Dominica and Grenada for much of the past decade. The United States and the EU have been pressing participating states to abandon the schemes, arguing that foreigners with dubious backgrounds use the passports to enter the EU.
Speaking on his weekend radio programme, Prime Minister Gaston Browne said the cabinet is considering November 12 as the date for suspension.
"No final determination has been made, but based on the preliminary discussions, it's very likely that Antigua and Barbuda will suspend its CIP program come November 12th," he said.
"So I've called for a meeting of the heads for early next week so that we could try and come to a consensus. Even if there's no consensus, then each country obviously will have to take an independent decision."
"We can continue our programs as we wish, but we would not continue to enjoy visa-free access into the Schengen area," Browne added.
EU deadline
It is not clear whether any of Antigua's neighbours will follow. The EU has given the islands until mid-2028 to phase out their programmes completely, citing security concerns about foreigners who would not otherwise qualify for visas travelling on local passports.
Visa-free access allows citizens of the sub-region to travel to EU member states and stay for up to 180 days without a visa.
Antigua and Barbuda has operated its CIP since 2013, one of the first to do so. Officials argue the revenue is needed to replace taxes lost from regional duty-free trade and the collapse of sugar and banana exports to the EU. Foreigners can pay as little as US$100,000 for citizenship, in addition to investment in sectors including real estate.
Other states
St Vincent and the Grenadines' government, in office for nearly a year, has announced plans to establish a CIP, while St Lucia has vowed to resist a complete abolition.
"I will tell you that Saint Lucia has no intention of stopping the CIP program," Prime Minister Phillip Pierre said last month. "It's a program that we would not like to lose because it has done quite a bit for our country."
