Citizenship by Investment in Latin America: Programs, Costs, and Benefits

Citizenship by investment (CBI) is a legal pathway to a second passport: you make a qualifying investment in a country's economy, and in return you receive full citizenship, with the right to live, work, and travel there. The investment can be a donation to a government fund, a real estate purchase, or an investment in a local business.

For the country, these programs attract capital and create jobs. For you, they buy mobility, security, and options. And in Latin America and the Caribbean, the price of entry is considerably lower than in Europe's better-known programs, with a range of qualifying investments (real estate, government bonds, local businesses) that makes the region attractive for investors who want a second citizenship without an exorbitant financial commitment.

The programs and their minimums

As of 2023, these countries in the region offer CBI. The figures below are minimum qualifying investments per program:

• Dominica: from $100,000 USD
• Antigua and Barbuda: from $100,000 USD
• St. Kitts and Nevis: from $150,000 USD
• Grenada: from $150,000 USD
• Panama: from $300,000 USD, set to rise to $500,000 in October 2023

What a second passport gets you

Travel freedom. These countries hold visa-free travel agreements with a wide range of destinations, including major business and tourist hubs. That matters if your current passport limits where you can go without paperwork.

Favorable taxes. Several programs come with attractive tax regimes: low or no capital gains tax, no wealth tax, or exemptions on foreign income. For investors doing serious tax planning, these terms can change the math on where wealth is held.

Privacy and security. Strong privacy laws in many of these jurisdictions protect personal and financial information, and a second citizenship is a genuine safeguard during political or economic instability at home. If conditions deteriorate, you and your family already have somewhere to go, legally and permanently.

Business access. Citizenship gives you standing to establish or expand a business in the region, with direct access to local markets, resources, and networks.

Quality of life. The practical draw of the region holds here too: an affordable, high standard of living for you and your family, in some of the most livable places in the hemisphere.

Speed. CBI processing often completes in a matter of months, against the years that traditional residency-to-citizenship pathways usually take. For anyone who needs to establish themselves in the region quickly, for business or for family reasons, that timeline is the whole argument. A functioning plan B soon beats a theoretical one someday.

How to start

Begin with expert advice, before you commit money to any program. The right country and investment type depend on your passport, your tax situation, and your family's plans, and the application process involves legal requirements and documentation that are easy to get wrong from abroad. A good advisor helps you choose the program, prepare the application and supporting documentation, and handle roadblocks like language barriers and unfamiliar legal procedures, so you go in fully informed about the requirements and options available to you.

A second passport is one of the strongest plan B assets a family can hold, and in this region it's more attainable than most people assume. If you're weighing CBI against residency-based routes, our team at LATAM Plan B can walk you through which path fits your situation.