Antigua and Barbuda Citizenship: The Application Process and Documents Step by Step

Antigua is one of those programmes where the paperwork decides more than the money. A good file goes through due diligence calmly. A file with an expired certificate or an unexplained transfer comes back with questions, and each round costs weeks. Here is how I walk a family through it.

Step 1: a check before anything is signed

Before collecting documents, I look at the passports in the family, the countries where each person has lived, the source of the money and any old refusals. According to BRIDGES, applications from citizens of Russia and Belarus have not been accepted since 31 March 2023, so nationality is the first filter.

BRIDGES also lists the situations that most often cause trouble: a criminal record that was later expunged but not disclosed, previous visa or residence refusals left out of the forms, a politically exposed person who does not declare that status, and money whose path cannot be traced, including cryptocurrency without a clear history from purchase to conversion. My rule is simple: disclose everything and explain it. Concealment is worse than the fact itself.

Step 2: the licensed agent

The CIU accepts files only from agents it has licensed. The agent reviews the application, submits it in person with the payments due, acts as your contact with the CIU and receives the decision. The forms themselves (AB1 to AB4) are completed with the agent. BRIDGES notes that the CIU website shows only sample versions.

Step 3: the documents

Each family member gets a separate package, children included. Everything must be in English or come with a certified translation.

Identity and civil status

• a certified copy of every page of the passport, including blank pages, valid for at least 6 months at submission;
• a birth certificate, with an apostille if your country is a party to the Hague Convention;
• a marriage certificate, and divorce or name change documents where relevant;
• a national ID card if you have one;
• 8 recent colour passport photographs for each applicant.

Police certificates

A police certificate is needed for every person aged 18 and over, from every country of citizenship and every country where they have lived for more than 6 months in the last 10 years. It must not be older than 3 months at submission. If a country does not issue one, a statutory declaration explains why.

Source of funds

BRIDGES lists what is usually requested: bank statements for at least 6 months, proof of how the money was earned (salary, business, a sale of property, an inheritance), a bank reference letter, a professional reference from a lawyer, accountant or business partner, tax returns where relevant, company documents and an affidavit on the source of funds.

Medicals

A medical certificate on form AB3, completed by a doctor in English, for every applicant including small children. An HIV test result is attached for everyone aged 12 and over, done within 3 months. BRIDGES notes that the medical certificate is valid for 6 months, so timing matters.

Order of certification

BRIDGES describes the usual sequence: the apostille on the original first, then the official translation, then notarisation of the translation. Get the order wrong and the document has to be redone.

Step 4: filing and due diligence

With the file the agent pays the full due diligence fees, 10% of the government processing fee and the $1,500 interview fee. The CIU then runs its checks. It may ask for additional information, and the due diligence fee is not refunded if the application fails.

The interview

Since 15 December 2023 every application includes an interview. It is held remotely by an independent provider appointed by the CIU, after the investigative part of due diligence. All members of the application must be present, and everyone aged 16 and over is interviewed. Each person shows the identity documents filed with the application, including all passports they hold. Your agent does not take part.

Step 5: approval, payment and the oath

After the approval letter you pay the balance of the processing fee, the passport fees and the investment. For the NDF the contribution must reach the Government Special Fund within 30 days. For real estate, the remaining sums go to the developer so the title can be registered in your name. Then comes the oath of allegiance, the certificates of registration and the passports.

How I keep the timeline short

• Order police certificates first. BRIDGES calls them the slowest documents.
• Schedule medicals so they are still valid on the day of submission.
• Prepare the source of funds file before filing, not after the first question.
• Answer CIU requests within days.

The BRIDGES checklist on documents for Antigua and Barbuda citizenship goes into more detail. Who can go into one application is covered in my family guide. Last checked 21 October 2026.