Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia citizenship by investment
The Saint Lucia Citizenship by Investment Programme grants full citizenship to you and your family from a contribution of USD 240,000, with no need to move.
News · United States
The US visa bond is now permanent – Caribbean passports are not all equal
The US Department of State has made the bond for business and tourist visas permanent through a final rule. How a country grants citizenship is one of the criteria for choosing the countries concerned.
Summary
In brief
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The rule published in the Federal Register on 3 August 2026 and effective the same day establishes a permanent visa bond programme for B-1/B-2 (business and tourist) visas.
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The bond can be USD 10,000, 15,000 or 20,000; the expected default is USD 15,000.
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One criterion for choosing countries is the security of travel and civil documents, "including in the granting of citizenship".
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On the Department of State's list (last updated 13 May 2026), the Caribbean states offering citizenship by investment that appear are Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica and Grenada. Saint Lucia and Saint Kitts and Nevis do not.
Background
What happened
On 3 August 2026 the US Department of State turned the earlier pilot programme into a permanent one through a final rule. Consular officers may require nationals of listed countries to post a bond of USD 10,000, 15,000 or 20,000 as a condition of issuing a B-1/B-2 visa. According to the rule, the expected default amount is USD 15,000.
Under the rule, the criteria for selecting countries include the security of travel and civil documents, including in the granting of citizenship. The list may be amended on a rolling basis.
Of the Caribbean states offering citizenship by investment, the Department of State's 50-country bond list includes Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica from 21 January 2026, and Grenada from 2 April 2026. When checked on 23 September 2026 (list last updated 13 May 2026), Saint Lucia and Saint Kitts and Nevis were not on it. The page with the list still shows the pilot amounts of USD 5,000–15,000; the amounts under the final rule are USD 10,000, 15,000 and 20,000.
For you
What it means for you
- Not every Caribbean passport is the same: conditions for travel to the US differ by country. Compare them when choosing a passport.
- The list can change: the Department of State can amend it on a rolling basis. Before any decision, we check its current state.
- Saint Lucia: when checked on 23 September 2026, Saint Lucia was not among the countries subject to visa bonds.
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