# Antigua & Barbuda — Residency & Citizenship Conditions

> Source: https://residencyradar.org/conditions/antigua.html | Last checked: 2026-10-12 | Last updated: 2026-09-14

## Quick answer

- Remote workers: Nomad Digital Residence (ENDED): Was $50,000 income; $1,500 single / $2,000 couple / $3,000 family (Was 2 years) [source: https://nomad.gov.ag/ui/ndrVisa.php]
- Investment: Not separate — CBI grants direct citizenship: See #citizenship-by-investment
- Skilled workers: Work permit: Job offer; employer-sponsored (1 yr, renewable)
- Citizenship by investment: CBI Programme: NDF Donation $230,000 / Real Estate $300,000+ / Business $400,000+ / UWI $260,000 (3–6 months) [source: https://cip.gov.ag/citizenship]
- Citizenship by naturalisation: 7 years of legal residence

## Overview
Antigua & Barbuda operates a Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programme launched in 2013 under the Citizenship by Investment Act 2014. The programme offers four investment routes with citizenship granted in 3–6 months. A 5-day physical presence requirement applies within the first 5 years. The passport grants visa-free/visa-on-arrival access to ~150 countries including Schengen, UK, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Dual citizenship is recognized. ^[https://cip.gov.ag/citizenship]

A Nomad Digital Residence (NDR) visa was previously available but has ended. ^[https://nomad.gov.ag/ui/ndrVisa.php]

## Residency Programs

| Type | Official Program | Key Conditions | Duration | Detail |
|------|-----------------|----------------|----------|--------|
| investment_residency | Not separate — CBI grants direct citizenship | See [[#citizenship-by-investment]] | — | — |
| passive_income_residency | Not available | — | — | — |
| digital_nomad_visa | Nomad Digital Residence (ENDED) | Was $50,000 income; $1,500 single / $2,000 couple / $3,000 family | Was 2 years | [[#digital-nomad-visa]] |
| highly_skilled_employment | Work permit | Job offer; employer-sponsored | 1 yr, renewable | — |
| startup_entrepreneur | Not available | — | — | — |
| employment_residency | Work permit | Job offer from local employer | 1 yr, renewable | — |
| student_residency | Student visa | Enrollment in approved institution | Course duration | — |
| family_reunification | Dependent permit | Sponsor with valid permit | Matches principal | — |
| retired_residency | Not available | — | — | — |
| citizenship_by_investment | CBI Programme | NDF Donation $230,000 / Real Estate $300,000+ / Business $400,000+ / UWI $260,000 | 3–6 months | [[#citizenship-by-investment]] |

## Per-Program Detail

### citizenship_by_investment
- **Official name**: Antigua & Barbuda Citizenship by Investment Programme (CIP)
- **Conditions**: Four investment routes:
  - **NDF Donation** (National Development Fund): US$230,000 non-refundable contribution (family of up to 4); +$25,000 per additional dependent. ^[https://cip.gov.ag/citizenship]
  - **Real Estate**: Minimum US$300,000 in government-approved real estate; must hold 5 years. ^[https://cip.gov.ag/citizenship]
  - **Business Investment**: US$1,500,000 sole investor, or joint investment of US$5,000,000+ with each investor contributing minimum US$400,000. ^[https://cip.gov.ag/citizenship]
  - **UWI Fund** (University of the West Indies): US$260,000 minimum (family of 6+); includes 1-year tuition scholarship. ^[https://cip.gov.ag/citizenship]
  - Processing fee: US$30,000 for family of 4; due diligence: ~US$7,500 main applicant.
- **Duration / renewal**: Citizenship is permanent and irrevocable. Passport renewal every 5 years (now biometric). 5-day physical presence required within first 5 years of citizenship.
- **Path to citizenship**: Direct citizenship upon investment completion. No prior residence needed. No language exam. Mandatory interview (virtual or in-person) per 2024 OECS MoA.
- **Official source**: https://cip.gov.ag/citizenship
- **Community verdict**: Works well (mature programme; price increased August 2024 to $230,000 NDF and $300,000 real estate per OECS MoA; 5-day visit requirement is minimal friction).

### digital_nomad_visa
- **Official name**: Antigua & Barbuda Nomad Digital Residence (NDR)
- **Conditions**: Programme has ended. Previously required: age 18+, employed outside Antigua, minimum US$50,000 annual income, clean criminal record. Fees were $1,500 single / $2,000 couple / $3,000 family. ^[https://nomad.gov.ag/ui/ndrVisa.php]
- **Duration / renewal**: Was 2 years. Not currently accepting applications.
- **Path to citizenship**: N/A (programme ended).
- **Official source**: https://nomad.gov.ag/ui/ndrVisa.php
- **Community verdict**: Ended (programme discontinued; no replacement announced).

## Citizenship
- **By investment**: Direct upon qualifying investment + due diligence. 5-day physical presence in first 5 years.
- **By naturalization**: Available after 7 years of legal residence.
- **Dual citizenship**: Fully recognized.

## Tax
- No personal income tax (abolished 2016). No capital gains tax. No inheritance tax. No wealth tax. No worldwide income taxation.
- Corporate tax: 25%.

## IT / Digital Nomad
Nomad Digital Residence programme has ended. No current digital nomad visa. Remote workers may enter as tourists (visa-free for many, up to 6 months).

## Yacht / Maritime
Antigua & Barbuda operates an international ship registry. Yacht registration available. Major yachting hub — English Harbour and Falmouth Harbour are key Caribbean marinas.

## Notes for RU citizens
- CBI is open to Russian nationals but with enhanced due diligence post-2022. Some agents report longer processing.
- No visa-free Russia access with Antigua passport.
- No requirement to visit during application; 5-day visit within 5 years only.

## Community pulse
- CBI: Well-established, predictable. 2024 price increase aligned with OECS MoA. Processing 4–6 months typical.
- NDR programme: Discontinued — no replacement.
- Work permits: Small market; employer-driven.



## Country Snapshot

| Field | Value | Source / Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Population | ~101,000 (2024) | [World Bank](https://data.worldbank.org/country/antigua-and-barbuda) — hard/official |
| Main religion | Christianity (Anglican ~18%, Seventh-day Adventist ~12%, Pentecostal ~12%) | [CIA World Factbook](https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/antigua-and-barbuda/) — hard/official |
| Main language | English (official); Antiguan Creole widely spoken | [CIA World Factbook](https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/antigua-and-barbuda/) — hard/official |
| Main city (capital or largest) | St. John's | [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._John%27s,_Antigua_and_Barbuda) — hard/official |
| On the coast? | Yes (island nation; Caribbean Sea + Atlantic Ocean) | Geographical fact [soft/estimate] |
| Tourism impact in season | High — peak Dec–Apr; luxury resort market; cruise ship arrivals seasonal | [soft/estimate] |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | ~$26,000 (2023) | [World Bank](https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.PP.CD?locations=AG) — hard/official |
| Median net monthly salary | ~EC$ 2,500 (~$925) | [Numbeo](https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/country_result.jsp?country=Antigua+And+Barbuda) [soft/estimate] |
| Cost of living index | 67.2 (NYC=100, Numbeo 2025) | [Numbeo](https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/rankings_by_country.jsp?title=2025) [soft/estimate] |
| Monthly rent, 1-bedroom apartment | ~$800 | [Numbeo](https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/country_result.jsp?country=Antigua+And+Barbuda) [soft/estimate] |
| Effective personal tax rate for remote workers | 0% (no personal income tax) | See [[#tax]] |
| Remote-work / self-employment residence available? | Nomad Digital Residence ENDED; no current DN visa | See [[#digital-nomad-visa]] |
| Years to citizenship | CBI: immediate (3–6 months); naturalization: 7 years residence | See [[#citizenship]] |
| Maximum permitted absence during residence | CBI: 5 days physical presence in first 5 years | See [[#citizenship-by-investment]] |
| Passport strength after citizenship | ~150 visa-free destinations (Henley Q3 2025) | [Henley & Partners](https://www.henleyglobal.com/passport-index) — hard/official |
| Rule of Law Index | 0.62 (rank 42/142, WJP 2024) | [WJP](https://worldjusticeproject.org/rule-of-law-index/global/2024) — hard/official |
| Freedom House score | 84/100 (Free) | [Freedom House](https://freedomhouse.org/country/antigua-and-barbuda/freedom-world/2025) — hard/official |
| Average annual sunshine hours | ~2,900 h | [Wikipedia / Climate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antigua_and_Barbuda#Climate) — hard/official |
| Average annual temperature | ~27 °C | [Wikipedia / Climate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antigua_and_Barbuda#Climate) — hard/official |

## Extended Snapshot

_Coverage: 49/55 fields. Only facts verifiable against official sources or published indices; practice-dependent topics (bank attitudes, real-world acceptance of Russian applicants, flights, policy mood) are deliberately excluded until community-sourced data is collected._

| Block | Field | Value | Source / Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Geography & size | Area | 440 km² (2024) | [World Bank](https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/AG.SRF.TOTL.K2?locations=AG) — hard/official |
| Geography & size | Population density | 213 /km² (2024) | [World Bank](https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EN.POP.DNST?locations=AG) — hard/official |
| Geography & size | Urban population | 24% (2025) | [World Bank](https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS?locations=AG) — hard/official |
| Geography & size | Coastline | 153 km (CIA World Factbook) | [source](https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/antigua-and-barbuda/) — hard/official |
| Geography & size | Highest point | Boggy Peak (Mount Obama), 402 m | [source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Antigua_and_Barbuda) — soft/estimate |
| Geography & size | Type | archipelago (island nation) | [source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antigua_and_Barbuda) — soft/estimate |
| Geography & size | Time zone | UTC-4 (AST), no DST; Moscow -7h | [source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_in_Antigua_and_Barbuda) — soft/estimate |
| Climate | Avg precipitation | 1030 mm/yr (2022) | [World Bank](https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/AG.LND.PRCP.MM?locations=AG) — hard/official |
| Climate | PM2.5 exposure | 8.4 µg/m³ (2023) | [World Bank](https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EN.ATM.PM25.MC.M3?locations=AG) — hard/official |
| Climate | Climate zone | Tropical savanna (Aw), warm year-round | [source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Antigua_and_Barbuda) — soft/estimate |
| Climate | Temp winter / summer | St. John's: Jan avg 25°C, Jul avg 28°C | [source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_John's,_Antigua_and_Barbuda#Climate) — soft/estimate |
| Climate | Rainy days | ~110 days/year (St. John's) | [source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_John's,_Antigua_and_Barbuda#Climate) — soft/estimate |
| Climate | Humidity | ~79% avg annual | [source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_John's,_Antigua_and_Barbuda#Climate) — soft/estimate |
| Climate | Natural hazards | Hurricanes, tropical storms; INFORM Risk not rated (small island) | [source](https://drmkc.jrc.ec.europa.eu/inform-index) — hard/official |
| Climate | Air quality | ~8 µg/m³ PM2.5 annual mean (IQAir 2023 estimate) | [source](https://www.iqair.com/world-most-polluted-countries) — soft/estimate |
| Economy | GDP (nominal) | $2.3B (2025) | [World Bank](https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.CD?locations=AG) — hard/official |
| Economy | GDP growth | 5.0% (2025) | [World Bank](https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.KD.ZG?locations=AG) — hard/official |
| Economy | Inflation (CPI) | 1.4% (2025) | [World Bank](https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/FP.CPI.TOTL.ZG?locations=AG) — hard/official |
| Economy | Unemployment | No reliable data | — |
| Economy | Central govt debt | No reliable data | — |
| Economy | Gini index | No reliable data | — |
| Economy | Tourism receipts | 70% of exports (2020) | [World Bank](https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/ST.INT.RCPT.XP.ZS?locations=AG) — hard/official |
| Economy | Remittances | 0.9% of GDP (2025) | [World Bank](https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/BX.TRF.PWKR.DT.GD.ZS?locations=AG) — hard/official |
| Economy | Credit rating | Not rated by S&P/Moody's/Fitch | [source](https://www.theglobaleconomy.com/Antigua-and-Barbuda/credit_rating) — soft/estimate |
| Economy | Currency | XCD (East Caribbean Dollar), pegged to USD at 2.70 | [source](https://www.state.gov/reports/2025-investment-climate-statements/antigua-and-barbuda) — hard/official |
| Economy | Top industries | Tourism ~60% GDP, financial services, construction | [source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Antigua_and_Barbuda) — soft/estimate |
| Economy | Economic Complexity | Not ranked (small island state) | [source](https://atlas.hks.harvard.edu/rankings) — soft/estimate |
| Technology | Internet users | 73% of population (2024) | [World Bank](https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/IT.NET.USER.ZS?locations=AG) — hard/official |
| Technology | Fixed broadband subs | 10.7 per 100 people (2022) | [World Bank](https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/IT.NET.BBND.P2?locations=AG) — hard/official |
| Technology | High-tech exports | 0.0% of manufactured exports (2024) | [World Bank](https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/TX.VAL.TECH.MF.ZS?locations=AG) — hard/official |
| Technology | R&D spend | No reliable data | — |
| Technology | Global Innovation Index | Not ranked (GII, small state) | [source](https://www.wipo.int/web-publications/global-innovation-index-2024/en/gii-2024-results.html) — hard/official |
| Technology | E-Government (UN EGDI) | 0.5535, rank 121 (UN EGDI 2024) | [source](https://publicadministration.un.org/egovkb/en-us/Data/Country-Information/id/8-Antigua-and-Barbuda) — hard/official |
| Technology | Median broadband speed | Not in Ookla Global Index; ~40 Mbps estimated | [source](https://www.speedtest.net/global-index) — hard/official |
| Technology | 5G | 5G launched 2021 (Flow, Digicel) | [source](https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Regional-Presence/Americas/) — soft/estimate |
| Technology | Online payments | Stripe not available; PayPal available | [source](https://stripe.com/global) — soft/estimate |
| Technology | Startup ecosystem | Not ranked (small state) | [source](https://www.startupblink.com/) — soft/estimate |
| Human development & health | Life expectancy | 77.8 years (2024) | [World Bank](https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.LE00.IN?locations=AG) — hard/official |
| Human development & health | Hospital beds | 3.4 per 1000 (2023) | [World Bank](https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.MED.BEDS.ZS?locations=AG) — hard/official |
| Human development & health | HDI | 0.838, rank 55 (UNDP HDI 2023) | [source](https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/specific-country-data) — hard/official |
| Safety | Global Peace Index | Not ranked (GPI, small state) | unsourced/unverified |
| Safety | US travel advisory | Level 1: Exercise normal precautions (2024) | [source](https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/antigua-and-barbuda-travel-advisory.html) — hard/official |
| Money & tax | FATF status | Not on FATF black or grey list (as of 2026-06-19) | [source](https://www.fatf-gafi.org/en/countries/black-and-grey-lists.html) — hard/official |
| Money & tax | CRS exchange | No reliable data | — |
| Money & tax | Tax treaty with Russia | No reliable data | — |
| Money & tax | Wealth / inheritance / CGT | No wealth tax; no inheritance tax; capital gains tax varies (PwC) | [source](https://taxsummaries.pwc.com/antigua-and-barbuda) — soft/estimate |
| Money & tax | CFC rules | No CFC rules | [source](https://taxsummaries.pwc.com/antigua-and-barbuda) — soft/estimate |
| Business | Company setup | ~19 days; cost ~10% GNI per capita (WB Doing Business) | [source](https://archive.doingbusiness.org/en/data/exploreeconomies/antigua-and-barbuda) — soft/estimate |
| Business | Corporate tax | 25% (standard rate) | [source](https://taxsummaries.pwc.com/antigua-and-barbuda) — soft/estimate |
| Family & education | Top university | University of the West Indies (Open Campus); not QS ranked | [source](https://www.topuniversities.com/world-university-rankings) — hard/official |
| Connectivity | Visa-free for Russians | Visa-free for Russian citizens up to 180 days (as of 2025) | [source](https://embassies.net/russia-passport-visa-free-countries) — soft/estimate |
| For Russian citizens | Sanctions position | Generally aligned with UN positions; CBI program under scrutiny | unsourced/unverified |
| Quality of life | World Happiness rank | Not ranked (World Happiness Report, small state) | [source](https://worldhappiness.report/ed/2025/) — hard/official |
| Quality of life | Expat friendliness | Not listed (Expat Insider) | [source](https://www.internations.org/expat-insider/) — soft/estimate |
| Quality of life | Local language need | EF EPI not ranked; English is the official language | [source](https://www.ef.com/wwen/epi/) — soft/estimate |

## Country Card

### General description
Antigua & Barbuda is a twin-island eastern Caribbean nation and one of the five OECS Citizenship by Investment (CBI) states. Its CBI programme, launched in 2013, is mature and well-regarded, offering direct citizenship in 3–6 months with four investment routes from US$230,000 (NDF donation) or US$300,000+ (real estate). The passport provides visa-free/visa-on-arrival access to ~150 destinations, including Schengen, UK, and Singapore. The country has zero personal income tax (abolished 2016) and requires just 5 days of physical presence in the first 5 years after citizenship. Its Nomad Digital Residence programme has ended.

### Well-known strong points
- CBI: direct citizenship in 3–6 months; no prior residence required
- Strong passport: ~150 visa-free destinations including Schengen, UK, Singapore
- Zero personal income tax, capital gains tax, inheritance tax, wealth tax
- Minimal physical presence: 5 days in 5 years after citizenship
- English-speaking with stable democracy (FH 84/100)
- Major Caribbean yachting hub (English Harbour, Falmouth Harbour)

### Well-known problems
- CBI is expensive: US$230,000 NDF donation minimum (family of 4)
- Investment thresholds raised August 2024 under OECS MoA; price-sensitive market
- Nomad Digital Residence programme ended — no current digital nomad visa
- No mid-tier residence options; must go CBI or standard work permit
- Small island economy; limited job market outside tourism/finance
- Hurricane risk; infrastructure vulnerability
## Status
- **Last monitored**: 2026-10-12
- Last change: August 1, 2024 — investment thresholds raised (NDF $230,000, Real Estate $300,000); NDR programme ended.
- Last monitored: 2026-09-14.
- No open watch items.

## Official and primary sources
- https://cip.gov.ag/citizenship
- https://nomad.gov.ag/ui/ndrVisa.php