St. Lucia

St. Lucia Citizenship by Investment

A qualifying investment must satisfy the minimum investment level in either the Saint Lucia National Economic Fund, an approved real estate project, an approved enterprise project or the purchase of government bonds.”

The following guidelines are made subject to the provisions of the Citizenship by Investment Act No. 14 of 2015 (‘‘the Act’’) and the Citizenship by Investment Regulations No. 89 of 2015 (‘‘the Regulations’’) which guide the operation of the Citizenship by Investment Unit (‘‘the Unit’’).

The principal applicant MUST:

• Be at least 18 years of age
• Have a net worth of at least US $3,000,000
• Satisfy a minimum qualifying investment in one of the four categories -
  • The Saint Lucia National Economic Fund
  • An approved real estate project
  • An approved enterprise project or
  • The purchase of Government bonds
• Pass a diligence background check. Please note that the principal applicant’s spouse and other qualifying dependents over the age of 16, MUST also pass a diligence background check.
• Provide full and frank disclosure on all matters pertaining to the application; and
• Pay the requisite non-refundable processing, due diligence and administrative fees upon application.

The principal applicant MAY:

• Apply for their qualifying dependent(s)
  For our purposes, a qualifying dependent is defined as:
  1. A spouse of the principal applicant. A spouse means an individual of the opposite sex to the principal applicant who is legally married to the applicant and in the case of legal polygamy. ‘Spouse’ shall mean the first husband or wife
  2. A child of the principal applicant or of his or her spouse who is less than eighteen years of age
  3. A child of the principal applicant or of his or her spouse who is no more than twenty-five years of age, who is fully supported by the principal applicant and is in full time attendance at a recognized institution of higher learning
  4. A child of the principal applicant or his or her spouse, of any age, who is physically or mentally challenged and fully supported by the principal applicant
  5. A parent of the principal applicant or of his or her spouse over the age of sixty-five who habitually lives with and is fully supported by the principal applicant
  6. A parent of any age, of the principal applicant or his or her spouse, who is physically or mentally challenged and fully supported by the principal applicant.
• Be required to attend an interview in Saint Lucia or at an embassy or High Commission of Saint Lucia prior to the consideration of his or her application for citizenship by the Board.

The principal applicant MUST NOT:

• Have been convicted of a criminal offence except a minor traffic offence
• Have been denied any category of visa to a country to which Saint Lucia has visa free access and been unsuccessful in subsequently obtaining visa
• Have been declared bankrupt by a court
• Have been declared, by a court or qualified health practitioner to be mentally incapacitated

Application Process:

• The Citizenship by Investment Board will consider an application for citizenship and the outcome may either be to grant, deny or delay for cause, an application for citizenship by investment.
• The average processing time from receipt of an application to notification of the outcome is three (3) months. Where, in exceptional cases, it is expected that the processing time will be longer than three (3) months, the authorized agent will be informed of the reason for the anticipated delay
• An application for citizenship by investment must be submitted in electronic and printed form by an authorized agent on behalf of an applicant.
• All applications must be completed in English.
• All documents submitted with the application must be in the English Language or an authenticated translation into the English Language.
NB: An authenticated translation means a translation effected by either a professional translator who is officially accredited to a court of law, a government agency, an international organization or similar official institution, or if effected in a country where there are no official accredited translators, a translation effected by a company whose role or business is effecting professional translations.
• ALL requisite supporting documents must be attached to applications before they can be processed by the Unit.
• All applications must be accompanied by the requisite non-refundable processing and due diligence fees for the principal applicant, his or her spouse and each qualifying dependent.
• Incomplete application forms will be returned to the authorized agent.
• Where an application for citizenship by investment has been granted, the Unit will notify the authorized agent that the qualifying investment and requisite government administration fees must be paid before the Certificate of Citizenship can be granted.
• Where an application has been denied, the applicant may, in writing, request a review by the Minister.

Issuance of a Certificate of Citizenship:

• The principal applicant must make the qualifying investment within sixty (60) calendar days after notice by the Unit to the authorized agent of approval of their application.
• In the case of an investment in an approved real estate or enterprise project, the principal applicant must pay the government administrative fees due within 60 full days after notice by the Unit to the authorized agent of approval of their application.
• An applicant who is granted citizenship by investment must take the oath or affirmation of allegiance to Saint Lucia in person in Saint Lucia or at any Saint Lucia Embassy, High Commission or Consulate, as prescribed by the Minister.
• The Minister may, by order, revoke a grant of citizenship in exceptional circumstances as may be deemed necessary.

Life in St. Lucia

Location
St. Lucia lies in the eastern Caribbean Sea on the boundary with the Atlantic Ocean. Part of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of St. Vincent, northwest of Barbados, and south of Martinique.

People
The island’s population is 184,000. About 70% of the population is Roman Catholic, influenced from the days of French Catholic colonization and evangelization. Most of the rest belong to other Christian denominations, including Seventh-day Adventism (7%), Pentecostalism (6%), Anglicanism (2%), and other types of Evangelical Christianity (2%); in addition, about 2% of the population adheres to the Rastafari movement.

Language
The official language is English. Saint Lucian Creole French. which is colloquially referred to as "Patwa" (Patois), is spoken by 95% of the population.

Climate
The local climate is tropical, moderated by northeast trade winds, with a dry season from December to May and a wet season from June to November. Average daytime temperatures are around 29 °C (84.2 °F), and average nighttime temperatures are around 18 °C (64.4 °F). Since it is fairly close to the equator, the temperature does not fluctuate much between winter and summer.

Capital
The capital of St. Lucia is Castries.

Time
The island has a time difference of 4 hours behind GMT, 1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during standard time.

Economy
St. Lucia has been able to attract foreign business and investment, especially in its offshore banking and tourism industries, which is the country’s main source of revenue and vital to its economy. The island is popular due to its tropical weather and scenery and its numerous beaches and resorts. St. Lucia's currency is the East Caribbean dollar, a regional currency shared among members of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union, and which is pegged to the US dollar. Traveler’s checks can be exchanged in banks and in larger hotels without issue.

How to get there?

• St. Lucia has two airports: Hewanorra International Airport in Vieux Fort is at the remote southern tip of the island, 40 miles from the capital of Castries. It handles flights from North America, the UK and Europe plus a few regional flights. George F.L. Charles Airport is conveniently located in Castries, but due to the short runway is only served by regional flights on prop planes.
• Flying times from major cities to Hewannorra are about three and half hours from Miami, four and a half hours from Atlanta, five hours from New York City, and eight hours from London.
• Visitors from the United States can fly to St. Lucia on American Airlines with service from Miami and via San Juan Puerto Rico on American Eagle, and Newark on Continental, while Air Jamaica offers direct flights from New York, and Caribbean Star offers service for various Caribbean destinations. There are direct flights originate from many cities of the eastern half of the US and from many cities worldwide.
• St. Lucia is also served by a number of cruise lines as well as local passenger/freight lines.
• There are three sheltered ports with first-class docking facilities ready to accommodate vessels of every size.
• Caribbean Express operates modern high-speed catamaran service between St. Lucia, Martinique, Dominica and Guadeloupe.

Will I be liable to any taxes in St. Lucia?
With tax planning, you can enjoy tax-free status on inheritance tax, worldwide income, and capital gains tax.