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Dominica has operated its Citizenship by Investment Programme since 1993, making it one of the longest-running programmes of its kind. Applicants may qualify through a contribution to the Economic Diversification Fund or an investment in government-approved real estate, subject to due diligence review and approval by the Citizenship by Investment Unit.
The programme remains open and operating in 2026, administered by the Citizenship by Investment Unit (CBIU) under the Ministry of Finance. Three developments are directly relevant to any applicant and are covered in full further down this page:
- ECCIRA — Dominica is one of five Eastern Caribbean CBI states that signed the agreement establishing the Eastern Caribbean Citizenship by Investment Regulatory Authority. Industry reporting refers to a possible cumulative 30-day physical presence requirement being introduced regionally; however, official Dominica CBIU guidance currently still states that no residence is required before or after citizenship is granted. The final Dominica-specific rule and commencement date should be confirmed before submission.
- European Commission phase-out request — in a letter dated 25 June 2026, the Commission formally asked Dominica, along with four other Eastern Caribbean states, to phase out their CBI programmes by 1 June 2028. The five governments met in Roseau on 10 July 2026 and issued a joint response seeking negotiated terms rather than accepting closure; the programme remains open, but the request materially raises the medium-term policy risk around European visa-free access.
- US Presidential Proclamation 10998 (effective 1 January 2026) — partially restricts new US visa issuance for Dominica nationals specifically, citing CBI-related concerns; it does not affect Schengen, UK, or other visa-free access.
Dominica Citizenship by Investment — 2026 Overview
The programme offers a route for foreign investors and their families to acquire citizenship of Dominica through a qualifying financial contribution or real estate investment. There is no residency requirement before or after citizenship is granted, and no language, education, or professional experience requirement for the main applicant.
Citizenship does not ordinarily expire once granted and may be transmitted by descent to eligible children, subject to the applicable statutory and registration conditions; renunciation, revocation, and loss provisions may nevertheless apply, as under any nationality law. Applications must be submitted through a CBIU-Authorised Agent; the Unit does not accept direct submissions.
Legal Framework
The programme is regulated under Section 101 of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Dominica, the Citizenship Act, and the Citizenship by Investment Regulations, administered by the Citizenship by Investment Unit (CBIU) under the Ministry of Finance. Dependant eligibility criteria were most recently updated by regulations effective 15 September 2022. Since September 2025, Dominica has also been party to the agreement establishing the Eastern Caribbean Citizenship by Investment Regulatory Authority (ECCIRA), whose functions and related procedural changes are being phased in during 2026.
Dominica Citizenship Investment Options 2026
Investors may apply through two investment routes. For both, the main applicant must be at least 18 years of age, in good health, and hold a clean criminal record:
| Route | Minimum Investment | Details |
|---|---|---|
| A — Economic Diversification Fund (EDF) Most Popular | $200,000 | Non-refundable contribution to the Government of Dominica's Economic Diversification Fund, supporting national development priorities including education, healthcare, and infrastructure. The final amount depends on the number of family members included. |
| B — Real Estate Investment | $200,000 | Investment in a government-approved project, subject to a minimum 3-year holding period (5 years if the property is subsequently sold to another Citizenship by Investment applicant). Separate government fees starting at $75,000 for the main applicant apply in addition to the property investment. |
Practical Note — Economic Diversification Fund
The EDF route is typically the most straightforward: a single, non-refundable contribution with no property management or resale considerations. Per the CBIU's published fee schedule, the EDF contribution itself is $200,000 for the main applicant, $250,000 for the main applicant plus up to three dependants, and a further $25,000 per additional dependant under 18 or $40,000 per additional dependant aged 18 and over. Separate additional fees apply: $1,000 processing, $7,500 due diligence for the main applicant ($4,000 per dependant aged 16+), $500 per person for the Certificate of Naturalisation, $1,000 per mandatory interview (applicants 16 and over), and a further $500 per passport once citizenship is granted. No separate government contribution is added to the EDF amount beyond these listed fees, though enhanced due diligence, banking, translation, notarisation, and professional fees may apply separately depending on the file.
Practical Note — Real Estate Investment
The real estate route suits investors seeking a tangible asset — typically a share in an approved hotel or resort development — with potential rental income alongside citizenship. Beyond the $200,000 minimum property investment, the CBIU's published government fees are $75,000 for the main applicant, $100,000 for the main applicant plus up to three dependants, and a further $25,000 or $40,000 per additional dependant under or over 18 respectively. The same processing, due diligence, certificate, interview, and $500-per-passport fees as the EDF route apply on top of this. The 3-year minimum holding period (5 years if reselling to another CBI applicant) and current government approval status of the specific project should be verified before any deposit is made; our in-house real estate coordination handles this verification directly with the CBIU's current list of approved projects.
EDF Contribution or Real Estate — Which Fits Your Plans?
Tell us about your family and what you actually want from the investment, and we will tell you honestly which of the two routes suits you better — no charge for the conversation.
Get in Touch Call Us: +90 532 132 92 33 [email protected]Dominica Citizenship by Investment — Step-by-Step Process
Our legal team manages every step of the application on your behalf, coordinated through a CBIU-Authorised Agent:
- Selection of a CBIU-Authorised Agent and preparation of required documentation, including a medical examination and notarised, legalised supporting documents
- Submission of the application to the CBIU by the Authorised Agent
- Comprehensive due diligence review, including background checks and, for applicants aged 16 and over, a mandatory interview, generally conducted virtually
- Granting of approval in principle
- Completion of the qualifying investment — EDF contribution or real estate purchase
- Issuance of the Certificate of Naturalisation
- Issuance and delivery of passports for all family members
Application Timeline
CBIU materials commonly refer to an overall processing period of approximately 3 to 6 months. Its more detailed process guide breaks this down further: roughly 2 to 6 weeks for document collection, 3 to 4 months for submission and review through to approval in principle, and a further 3 to 6 weeks for naturalisation once the investment is completed. The qualifying investment itself is made after approval in principle, before the Certificate of Naturalisation is issued. Actual completion time varies with documentation, due diligence, and the circumstances of each applicant, and is not guaranteed. There is no requirement to travel to Dominica at any stage of the process.
2026 Regulatory Developments
None of the three developments below belongs in a footnote. Each bears directly on how a family times an application, budgets for it, and thinks about where the resulting passport actually opens doors over the medium term.
ECCIRA — The New Regional Regulator
Dominica signed on in September 2025, alongside Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Saint Lucia, to create the Eastern Caribbean Citizenship by Investment Regulatory Authority — ECCIRA for short, based in Grenada. The aim is a single, consistently applied set of due diligence and oversight rules across all five programmes, replacing what had been five separate national standards for agents and applicants to track individually.
Industry reporting across the region has referred to a possible harmonised post-citizenship physical presence requirement — a cumulative 30 days within the first five years — being introduced as ECCIRA's framework is phased in. For Dominica specifically, this is not yet confirmed: the CBIU's own published guidance currently states plainly that no residence is required either before or after citizenship is granted. We have not located a Dominica-specific law, gazette notice, or CBIU announcement establishing a 30-day rule, its commencement date, or transitional treatment for pending applications. The Dominica-specific position should be confirmed directly with the CBIU or an Authorised Agent immediately before any application is submitted.
US Presidential Proclamation 10998
Effective 1 January 2026, Presidential Proclamation 10998 — issued by the United States on 16 December 2025 — cites concerns over citizenship by investment programmes as grounds for tightening visa access for nationals of several countries, Dominica among them. Immigrant visa issuance is suspended outright, and a defined set of nonimmigrant categories (B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J) is partially restricted. The measure is not retroactive: it applies to people who were outside the US without a valid visa already in hand on the effective date, and it comes with stated exceptions and a case-by-case waiver process rather than a blanket bar. Nothing here touches Schengen, UK, or other visa-free travel, and the proclamation is built to be reviewed after 180 days.
European Commission Request to Phase Out the Programme
The European Commission's Eighth Report under the Visa Suspension Mechanism, dated 19 December 2025, estimated around 107,000 passports had been issued collectively across the five Eastern Caribbean CBI jurisdictions, Dominica included, and identified the schemes themselves as a factor the EU could weigh in a future review of visa-free status. That Report did not itself set a closure date and did not suspend Schengen access — it was a monitoring position. The development below moved considerably beyond it.
In a letter dated 25 June 2026, European Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner formally requested that Dominica, along with Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Saint Lucia, phase out its Citizenship by Investment Programme by 1 June 2028. The Commission grounded the request in the EU's revised Visa Suspension Mechanism, under which the mere operation of a citizenship-by-investment scheme — regardless of how well it is administered — is now treated as a self-standing basis for a possible suspension of visa-free Schengen access. The letter offered a 24-month transition period and asked that interim measures, including the exclusion of persons subject to EU restrictive measures and reinforced vetting for applicants of all nationalities, be in place by September 2026.
The five governments did not treat the request as a closing argument. Their heads of government met in Roseau, Dominica, on 10 July 2026 — under the chairmanship of Dominica's own Prime Minister, Roosevelt Skerrit — and issued a joint statement seeking a negotiated, "balanced and durable" outcome rather than accepting the 2028 closure premise outright, while pointing to reforms already under way, including ECCIRA itself, mandatory applicant interviews, and the proposed regional physical-presence requirement, as evidence the programmes can be brought in line with EU concerns without being closed entirely. The leaders agreed to send a high-level joint mission to Brussels, and the Commission has indicated it will reflect the outcome in its next Visa Suspension Mechanism Report, expected in December 2026.
Nothing about this request has closed the Dominica programme, altered the investment routes described above, or suspended Schengen access as of this page's last review. It does, however, materially change the medium-term policy position: an applicant weighing this programme now should understand that its European visa-free access carries a live, EU-driven closure request attached to it, not merely a monitoring note. This position should be verified against the CBIU and the Government of Dominica's own published statements before any commitment is made.
Benefits of Dominica Citizenship
- One of the world's longest-running citizenship-by-investment programmes, in operation since 1993
- Visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to a broad range of destinations, including the Schengen Area, Singapore, Hong Kong, and China, subject to current immigration rules at each destination
- Dual and multiple citizenship permitted
- No wealth tax, gift tax, inheritance tax, or capital gains tax; non-resident citizens are not taxed on worldwide income, though Dominica does maintain a personal income tax system for residents — see the tax section below
- Broad family inclusion, subject to the current CBIU dependant criteria set out below
- No residency requirement under the programme itself, before or after citizenship is granted
- No language, education, or professional experience requirement
- Citizenship may be transmitted by descent to eligible children, subject to the applicable rules
Eligible Family Members
Following the CBIU's 2022 update to dependant eligibility, an application may include:
- The main applicant's spouse
- A child under 18 years of age
- A child aged 18 to 30 who is in full-time attendance at a recognised institution of higher learning and financially supported by the main applicant or spouse
- An unmarried daughter under 25 years of age, living with and fully supported by the main applicant or spouse (no education requirement applies to this category)
- A child aged 18 or over who is physically or mentally challenged and substantially supported by the main applicant or spouse
- A parent or grandparent of the main applicant or spouse aged 65 or over, substantially supported by the main applicant; where such a parent or grandparent's own spouse is under 65, that spouse also qualifies
Siblings are not eligible dependants under the current regulations, unlike in some of the other Caribbean CBI programmes. Every dependant included, whatever the category, goes through their own documentary and financial vetting as part of the same due diligence process.
Tax Considerations for Dominica Citizens and Residents
Obtaining Dominica citizenship does not by itself establish tax residence there. Dominica does not levy wealth tax, gift tax, inheritance tax, or capital gains tax, and a non-resident citizen is not taxed on worldwide income. This should not be read as meaning Dominica has no income tax system: residents are assessed on worldwide income and non-residents on Dominica-source income under the Inland Revenue Division's personal income tax rules, currently progressive up to 35%. In its 2026–2027 budget, presented in early August 2026, the Government announced that these progressive rates will be replaced by a single flat rate of 10%, effective 1 January 2027. Actual tax obligations depend on where an individual is genuinely resident, the source of their income, and any Dominica-connected property or business activity, and this general summary should not be relied upon in place of current, Dominica-specific tax advice.
Why Choose Ketenci & Ketenci for Dominica Citizenship by Investment?
Ketenci & Ketenci has built more than four decades of legal practice, and Caribbean citizenship work sits alongside our core Turkish and European immigration practice rather than apart from it — the same international team handles both.
- Current regulatory awareness: we track ECCIRA's phased implementation and the evolving US and EU regulatory position, so clients are not caught by a rule change mid-application
- End-to-end service: from route selection and documentation to passport issuance, coordinated through our CBIU-Authorised Agent partners
- In-house real estate coordination: we verify CBIU-approved project status before any deposit is made
- Multilingual support: our team assists clients in English, Turkish, Arabic, and Mandarin
- Transparent fee structure: full cost breakdown provided upfront
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Frequently Asked Questions – Dominica Citizenship by Investment
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This page was last reviewed in August 2026 and is provided for general informational purposes only; it does not constitute legal advice. Investment thresholds, dependant eligibility, physical presence requirements, tax rules, and international visa policy are subject to change, including during 2026 as ECCIRA's framework is phased in and as the European Commission's phase-out request is negotiated. For advice specific to your circumstances, please contact our legal team directly.