Saint Lucia citizenship by investment

Peculiarities of St Lucia citizenship by investment program

Saint Lucia is a small volcanic island that has a remarkable history. It suffices to recall that in the period from 16^th to 19^th centuries England and France had a confrontation over that Caribbean island resulting in it changing its “ownership” every 2 years. Saint Lucia is at peace now. Unique landscapes, tropical forests, national parks, sand beaches, clear ocean water and friendly hard-working local population attract up to 300,000 tourists annually.

St Lucia citizenship by investment program as it is now was established in 2015. Foreign investors have got truly unique opportunities.

St Lucia economic citizenship program allows to get St Lucia passport for minimum investment that will provide visa-free access to 139 countries, including Europe, the UK and Singapore, and beneficial taxation.

Benefits of St Lucia citizenship by investment program

1. Relatively low investment requirements. Minimum investment to obtain St Lucia citizenship amounts to $240,000.
2. Quick processing time. It usually takes up to 90 days for immigration authorities to process the application.
3. No need to come to St Lucia to obtain St Lucia’s passport. An authorised agent in the form of a reliable legal firm will communicate with the immigration authorities on the investor’s behalf, so you can obtain St Lucia second passport from the comfort of your home.
4. Full confidentiality. St Lucia’s government guarantees that no information about investor’s participation in St Lucia economic citizenship program will be disclosed.
5. Many investment options. In contrast to other similar programs, there are 4 investment options that allow to obtain Saint Lucia passport. Three of them enable investors to recover their money after 5 years.
6. No need to speak English or take a test in local culture or history.
7. You can include in your Saint Lucia citizenship application the following family members:

• Husband or wife;
• Children under 21, including children from previous marriage(s);
• Unmarried children up to 30 years old who are financially dependent on the main applicant;
• Mentally or physically disabled children of all ages who fully rely on their parents for support;
• Financially dependent parents and grandparents of both partners who are older than 55 or mentally or physically disabled parents of all ages who fully rely on the main applicant for support;
• Investor’s minor siblings if they get a written consent from parents or guardians and if they are financially dependent on the main applicant.

Requirements for foreign investors

1. The main applicant must be at least 18 years old.
2. Investor must demonstrate available, legally sourced funds that are enough to make a required investment, pay all government fees and pass due diligence test.
3. All applicants over 16 years old must pass due diligence test.
4. Investor must have clean criminal record for 10 years prior to applying for Saint Lucia citizenship.
5. The main applicant and dependants must be in good health.

Investment options under St Lucia citizenship program

St Lucia passport scheme offers 4 investment options: from non-refundable donation to the government fund to more complicated investments into real estate, financial assets or business. Under all investment schemes, you must also pay government and due diligence fees.

To provide you with more information about the costs of St Lucia economic citizenship program, our experts have compiled the table that shows the costs of St Lucia second passport for each investment group:

• single investor;
• married couple;
• family with two kids under 16;
• family of 6 including a married couple, two children and two parents.

1. Non-refundable contribution to National Economic Fund

Minimum investment – $240,000

It is the easiest way to obtain Saint Lucia citizenship by investment. The government will allocate your money to develop economic, social, infrastructural and scientific projects.

It is a good option for rich investors who, on the one hand, don’t want to “freeze” a large amount of their money for 5 years and, on the other hand, want to obtain St Lucia citizenship quickly and hassle-free: for some people, it is more convenient to make a single non-refundable investment to get St Lucia second passport and have no more worries about the issue later.

An applicant must be prepared to invest at least $240,000. This amount will allow to get St Lucia passports to an applicant themselves and up to their three dependants. For example, it can be their spouse and three children under the age of 18. You can add more people into the application. However, additional dependants will increase the minimum amount of contribution.

Contribution to National Economic Fund	$240,000	$240,000	$240,000	$280,000
Due diligence fee	$8,000	$13,000	$13,000	$23,000
Processing fee	$2,000	$3,000	$5,000	$7,000
Total:	$250,000	$256,000	$258,000	$310,000

* If you want to add investor’s parents to the application for the family with two kids, they will cost another $20,000 for each additional dependent over the age of 18 and $10,000 for kids under 18.

2. Investment in government bonds

Minimum investment – $300,000

Applicants can invest in non-interest-bearing government bonds for a minimum value of $300,000. Investment must be registered in the main applicant’s name and remain in at least 5-year holding bond from the date of first issue. In other words, you lend money to St Lucia’s government in exchange for St Lucia citizenship.

Applicant must also pay government, due diligence and processing fees.

Purchase of government bond	$300,000	$300,000	$300,000	$300,000
Government fee	$50,000	$50,000	$50,000	$50,000
Due diligence fee	$8,000	$13,000	$13,000	$23,000
Processing fee	$2,000	$3,000	$5,000	$7,000
Total:	$360,000	$366,000	$368,000	$380,000
Non-refundable costs:	$60,000	$66,000	$68,000	80 000

3. Purchase of real estate in St Lucia

Minimum investment – $300,000

Half of Saint Lucia budget comes from the tourism sector. That’s why, the island has a lot of large-scale construction projects of elite housing and luxury holiday resorts. All these projects need foreign investments, so you can become citizen of St Lucia if you buy a share in a hotel under construction, luxury villa or any other government approved project.

This approach allows to minimise risks and protects investors from unscrupulous developers. Minimum purchase value must amount to $300,000. You won’t be able to sell the real estate for at least 5 years after the purchase.

Imperial & Legal experienced advisors will help you to choose the real estate and property management company as well as to get some monthly rental income from your purchase.

Purchase of real estate	$300,000	$300,000	$300,000	$300,000
Government fee	$50,000	$70,000	$90,000	$130,000
Due diligence fee	$8,000	$13,000	$13,000	$23,000
Processing fee	$2,000	$3,000	$5,000	$7,000
Total:	$350,000	$386,000	$408,000	$460,000
Non-refundable costs:	$50,000	$86,000	$108,000	$160,000

4. Investment in business

Minimum investment – $1,000,000

Under this scheme, investor can choose to invest into one of the government approved business projects and create several permanent jobs.

1. If you are a single investor, you must invest at least $3,000,000 and create at least 3 permanent jobs in Saint Lucia.
2. If it is a joint investment, уou must contribute at least $1,000,000 to the whole investment of minimum $6,000,000 and create at least 6 permanent jobs.

Foreign investments are approved and required in the following fields:

• specialty restaurants;
• cruise port and marina construction;
• agro-processing;
• pharmaceutical industry;
• bridge and road construction and other infrastructural projects;
• research and development;
• offshore universities.

Five years after you have obtained St Lucia passport, you will be able to sell your share in the company and recover the costs.

Business investment	$1,000,000	$1,000,000	$1,000,000	$1,000,000
Government fee	$65,000	$70,000	$80,000	$100,000
Due diligence fee	$8,000	$13,000	$13,000	$23,000
Processing fee	$2,000	$3,000	$5,000	$7,000
Total:	$1,575,000	$1,586,000	$1,598,000	$1,630,000
Non-refundable costs:	$75,000	$86,000	$98,000	$130,000

St Lucia economic citizenship program offers a wide range of investment options and allows to add additional dependents to the application after you have already obtained St Lucia citizenship. You will get your St Lucia passport from the comfort of your home.

Why invest in Saint Lucia passport?

Worldwide mobility

With St Lucia passport, you can cross borders of 139 countries, including the UK, the EU and Singapore. You can stay in the EU without a visa for 90 days in a row, in the UK – for 180 days. The USA grants business visas to St Lucia citizens for up to 6 months.

High–quality education for children in the UK

Since St Lucia is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and is formally headed by the Crown, your children can use a unique opportunity to apply to the UK colleges and universities on favourable terms.

New business opportunities

St Lucia is an offshore zone that offers favourable opportunities to register an international company since St Lucia-registered companies trading abroad don’t pay tax on foreign profit.

With St Lucia second passport, it is easier to work with large international banks. You can benefit from low-cost credits and simplified schemes of transactions with foreign counteragents.

Tax optimisation

If you obtain St Lucia citizenship, as St Lucia tax resident you can take advantage of a flexible tax regime. There are no taxes on foreign income, inheritance, wealth, capital gains and interest.

Plan “B”

In contrast to most of other Caribbean jurisdictions, Saint Lucia has stable political and economic environment, low crime rate and relatively high standards of living. This calm picturesque and remote island with mild climate can become your second home if there are problems in your home country.

Saint Lucia economic citizenship with Imperial & Legal

Imperial & Legal qualified advisors will assist you in any issue concerning St Lucia citizenship by investment program. Imperial & Legal adopts personalised approach since all our clients and their personal circumstances are unique.

It normally takes more than 3 months to prepare and submit the application and get St Lucia passport. Standard processing can be divided into 5 steps.