With Caribbean passports under scrutiny, what options do global investors have?

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European visa-free travel has been a major draw for Caribbean citizenship-by-investment programmes; but its appeal is now being challenged by growing risk of travel restrictions…

A second passport once promised to open doors for investors and wealthy families. By 2027, the question facing them may be which doors will remain open. European pressure on Caribbean citizenship-by-investment programmes, tighter investment migration rules across Europe and an approaching US immigration deadline are reshaping the options for those seeking a second home, greater mobility and long-term security.

“Rich people can live with a price. What they struggle with is uncertainty. You cannot keep telling a family to wait another year when their children need schools, their business needs a base and their retirement plans are already made,” Rayad Kamal Ayub, an Indian expatriate and managing director of Dubai-based The Rayad Group, told Khaleej Times.

Countries such as Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Saint Lucia offer citizenship by investment (CBI) programmes, allowing successful applicants to obtain citizenship and, subsequently, a passport.

European visa-free travel has been a major draw for citizenship-by-investment programmes. But the appeal of Caribbean CBI passports is now being challenged by mounting international scrutiny and the growing risk of travel restrictions.

Dominica’s government said in October that the European Union had indicated that countries operating citizenship programmes must transition away from them by June 2028 to retain access to the Schengen Area without visas. Antigua and Barbuda has also confirmed receiving a European request to phase out its programme.

Ayub noted: “Negotiations continue, and a common shutdown date has not been agreed. But 2027 could become a decisive year for programmes that support government revenues, infrastructure and development.”

“The question a buyer asks is very straightforward,” said Michael Rosmer, founder of Offshore Citizen. “If I apply today, will the passport still give me the travel access I am paying for? Until that answer is clear, there is hesitation.”

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