Are you sure buying citizenship from a country I have never known or been to is legal?

22nd August 2014 was the day when I signed my first Citizenship by Investment application for Antigua & Barbuda, the gentleman from Lebanon started the meeting with a question "Are you sure buying citizenship from a country I have never known or been to is legal?"

Ten years younger me explained the legalities, the Citizenship by Investment Act and explained to him how St. Kitts & Nevis launched the first ever Citizenship by Investment program back in 1984 for the global investors that were looking for alternative citizenship or a second passport and how it still ranks as one of the world’s finest in the CBI.

Shared with him my personal experience of how gorgeous Antigua & Barbuda is, an island nation that has 365 stunning beaches (pink and white sandy beaches), their culture, the warmth, mountains, heritage sites, unique cuisine, diverse wildlife and a common destination for tourists from around the world, in general they are very peaceful and welcoming people. We closed the deal, signed the retainer, him and his family got their citizenship certificates and passports in few months. Upon receiving the passports, he immediately traveled to Antigua and since then he is in love with the Caribbean, not only he purchased a vacation home later in time but he keep introducing his family and friends to opt the Citizenship by Investment and he talks highly about how his life transformed after becoming a global citizen.

Coming back to now, earlier today I was sitting with an investor from Egypt who happens to be a Crypto enthusiast and she asked me the same question with a twist "Why would a country be giving away their citizenship and passport to someone who is not considering living in there?" I told her with a big smile on my face that someone asked me a similar question exactly ten years from today..., explained her how Citizenship by Investment program fuel economic growth in the Caribbean, how these programs contribute to annual revenue generated, told her how CBI revenue contributed to these country’s annual GDP "Commonwealth of Dominica with a staggering 31% - St. Kitts & Nevis 25.3% and Grenada 11.8%". Revenew generated is used as an instrument in funding various projects aimed at improving infrastructure, healthcare, education, and tourism, upscale hotel developments, renewable energy initiatives, maritime activities and likely. In return the countries offer these investors / individuals and their families the Citizenship and Passports allowing them to live a luxurious lifestyle, potential tax benefits, travel visa-free and going global.

Almost all of the Citizenship by Investment programs are a continues/ efforts to attract foreign direct investment to the offering Caribbean countries, we discussed about how these programs enhanced over time, maintaining high levels of integrity, almost all five of them have a digitalized (applications submitted through an online portal) the whole process and all five of the Caribbean countries offering Citizenship by Investment signed MoU for closer regulatory integration, unified investment threshold, discounts / non-approved investment option prevention, information sharing, mandatory interview, greater transparency standards, enhanced due diligence and much more.

For everyone else who is in the process of drafting their ‘Plan B’, I am just a call or a message away. Its not what I am offering its about what suits my clients need, the budget and his/her future goals, we often hear during the sales meetings or a sales pitch that "people by from people" and this is what is important to have a one-on-one consultation to understand your need and develop a relationship that is not limited to just assisting you with the services related to passport but the whole process of drafting your perfect plan B.