Best in the world – Dominica Citizenship by Investment

Established in 1993, the Dominica Citizenship by Investment program is one of the most popular citizenship by investment (CBI) programs available in the immigration industry. 

The country’s overall political stability and growing tourism industry have given this island nation a good reputation. Its well formulated, straightforward citizenship by investment program offers many benefits contributing to its popularity as a coveted second citizenship amongst investors and business owners. 

With one of the lowest minimum investment amounts required on the pathway to a second citizenship and a strong second passport, Dominica Citizenship by Investment has been ranking top of the CBI Index for a few years now.

What is the CBI Index?

The CBI Index has been developed as a ranking system for all citizenship by investment programs available in the market. It is an assessment of the performance of a given citizenship by investment program and how attractive it is as an option for securing a second citizenship.  Across 9 key criteria, it appraises citizenship by investment programs for their competitiveness and effectiveness in that area.

Including the Dominica Citizenship by Investment program, to date, the CBI Index evaluates 12 other nations that are currently offering an operational citizenship by investment program: St Kitts and Nevis, Antigua and Barbuda, Austria, Cambodia, Egypt, Grenada, Jordan, Malta, Montenegro, St Lucia, Turkey, and Vanuatu. 

The 9 pillars across which these citizenship by investment programs are evaluated are:

1. Freedom of movement
2. Standard of living
3. Minimum investment required
4. Mandatory travel/residence requirements
5. Citizenship timeline
6. Ease of process
7. Due diligence
8. Family
9. Certainty of product

Based on these 9 pillars, a score from 1 to 10 is awarded in each category with the overall score determining the ranking of each citizenship by investment program.

Dominica’s CBI Index scores

For the 6th consecutive year, the Dominica Citizenship by Investment program has achieved the top spot as the best citizenship by investment program in the investment migration market.

Dominica’s CBI Index Score Total = 90%

What makes Dominica Citizenship by Investment one of the best in the world? A look at the 9 pillars of the CBI Index

 

1. 1. Freedom of movement – A qualifier for mobility, this pillar mainly evaluates the number of countries that a CBI program allows visa-free/visa-on-arrival travel to, including the merit of access to business hubs like the European Union. Dominica’s strong second passport gives visa-free/visa-on-arrival to 151 countries.

 

1. 1. Standard of living – This is measured taking into account the Gross National Income (GNI) and the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country. It also takes into account average life expectancy and the number of expected schooling years. Although Dominica has the highest average life expectancy of 78.2 years, it stands overall in the middle. The Covid’19 pandemic has affected these scores across the board as different countries have fared differently in various metrics.

 

1. 1. Minimum investment required – Dominica Citizenship by Investment receives a top score in this category for requiring one of the lowest minimum investment outlays with investment options starting as low as just $200,000.

 

1. 1. Mandatory travel/residence requirements – Again a top scorer in this category, the Dominica Citizenship by Investment program has no travel or residency requirements at any stage of the application process; not before nor after achieving dual citizenship.

 

1. 1. Citizenship timeline – This category measures the time-frame from applying for second citizenship to receiving its passport. Receiving a great score in this category, Dominica’s strong second passport and citizenship have a processing time of 3-6 months.

 

1. 1. Ease of process – With a perfect score, obtaining a second passport and second citizenship through the Dominica Citizenship by Investment is a very straightforward and easy process. This is made possible by using authorised immigration & naturalisation consultants to handle the application. The process can be handled remotely without the applicant even having to travel to Dominica.

 

1. 1. Due diligence – Once more, Dominica Citizenship by Investment program receives top marks for background checks and the use of international law enforcement agencies for exercising strict due diligence, and in some cases, stricter due diligence towards certain nationalities, in order to maintain the reputation of Dominican citizens.

 

1. 1. Family – In a category measuring family friendliness of the process for the eligible number of applicants, Dominica retains its top scores by allowing the main applicant, spouse, children, parents and grandparents to apply under one application.

 

1. Certainty of product – Factors contributing to the measurement of this pillar include the reputation of the citizenship by investment program, its age, the security it offers and the structure of its investment routes. Dominica heads the list for perfect scoring on all counts including the transparency and clarity it offers on its two tracks of investment options.

Summary

The Dominica Citizenship by Investment program has been leading the CBI Index for 6 years in a row by scoring top marks in 6 out of the 9 pillars of assessment.

It is one of the best programs available in the immigration by investment market. It is an efficient and effective for families looking to benefit from a second citizenship. It also suits well to as highly paid professionals, entrepreneurs and business owners looking for opportunities that can help them globalise.

For more details regarding the Dominica CBI program, please click here. 

About Dominica

Formally known as the Commonwealth of Dominica, this island country in the Caribbean is just 29 miles (47 km) long and 16 miles (26 km) wide. Like many of the islands in the Caribbean, Dominica is also volcanic in origin making this island a lush, mountainous beauty. 

It is one of the few places in the world where its indigenous people still live. Called the Carib, this ethnic community were the first people to inhabit the Caribbean islands. Traditional dances, customs and handicrafts are part of many tourist itineraries when visiting this island.

Home to the world famous Boiling Lake, a flooded fumarole and a World Heritage Site, this second largest boiling lake in the world, dramatically located in the Valley of Desolation lures many a tourist and researcher to its charms.

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