ECCIRA established as five Eastern Caribbean CBI countries tighten biometrics and a 30-day presence rule from 2026

Five member states of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) — Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis and Saint Lucia — have signed an agreement establishing the Eastern Caribbean Citizenship by Investment Regulatory Authority (ECCIRA). The authority sets common standards for the region’s CBI programmes: mandatory biometric collection, a minimum physical presence of 30 days over five years, and a minimum investment of US$200,000.

ECCIRA: the Eastern Caribbean CBI regulator

According to an OECS statement issued on 23 September 2025 in Castries, the Heads of Government of the five countries operating CBI programmes signed the Agreement establishing ECCIRA. Headquartered in Grenada, the authority has power to set binding standards for every national CBI Unit and licensed agent, to apply administrative measures, to revoke licences for breaches and to publish annual compliance reports.

In Dominica, parliament passed the ECCIRA Agreement Bill 2025 on 14 October 2025, giving the regional agreement force in domestic law. According to the Press Office of the Dominica Prime Minister’s Office, the bill gives ECCIRA authority over application processing, due diligence and compliance across all five member states, and establishes a framework of administrative fines of up to US$250,000 for breaches. According to the OECS, ECCIRA is expected to become operational during 2026 once all five countries have enacted the agreement.

Mandatory biometric requirements

ECCIRA’s core rules include mandatory collection of biometric data from every new applicant at interview, and from previously approved holders at the point of passport renewal. The OECS says these requirements were developed after two years of consultation with the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Commission.

Alongside this comes a mandatory interview for every applicant and adult dependant as part of the vetting process. Background checks are carried out by accredited international due diligence firms. According to the Press Office of the Dominica Prime Minister’s Office, the domestic bill also requires the use of designated escrow accounts for investment flows, to improve financial transparency and prevent abuse.

Minimum physical presence of 30 days over five years

Under the ECCIRA Agreement, approved applicants must be physically present in the country granting the passport for a total of at least 30 days within five years of approval. The main applicant must be present for at least five days in the first year, with the remaining days spread across family members in subsequent years. The OECS classes this under the heading of “genuine presence and connection” with the country granting citizenship.

Implementation of the 30-day rule has been put back to mid-2026. The general electionSaint Luciaheld on 1 December 2025 led to the reconstitution of parliament, leaving the country unable to ratify ECCIRA within the expected timeframe. Under the five countries’ joint implementation commitment, the physical presence rule takes effect only once all five members have ratified.

Minimum investment of US$200,000, and penalties

The OECS confirms that the region has adopted a minimum investment contribution of US$200,000 applying to every member state’s CBI programme. That matches the current threshold forDominica citizenship by investmentthrough the EDF fund and forGrenada citizenship by investment, and sits below the Sustainable Island State Contribution (SISC) threshold of US$250,000 currently applied inSaint Kitts and Nevis.

Alongside the common investment standard, ECCIRA requires a centralised regional register of applicants, licensed agents and property developers in order to prevent abuse. Information sharing is supported by the Joint Regional Communications Centre (JRCC) within CARICOM IMPACS, whose resources are being expanded from regional CBI revenue.

Saint Kitts and Nevis launches a national biometric programme in April 2026

Saint Kitts and Nevis formally launched its National Biometric Registration and Passport Modernisation Programme on 14 April 2026. According to the Saint Kitts and Nevis Citizenship Unit (CIU), every citizen, including those who obtained citizenship by investment, must complete biometric registration — fingerprints, a digital facial image and a digital signature — before 31 July 2027; passports not updated by that date will be invalid for international travel.

According to the Saint Kitts and Nevis CIU, the initial cost is US$2,500 for the first adult in a family, US$2,000 for the second adult and US$1,300 for children under 16. Registration must go through an Authorised Agent. Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada and Saint Lucia are currently completing the enactment of the ECCIRA Agreement along with the accompanying biometric rules.

Pressure from the EU and the United States

The OECS says these reforms are the product of continuing consultation with international partners, including the US — Caribbean Roundtable rounds in 2023 and 2024, work with the European Commission in Dominica in January 2024, and trilateral EU — UK — US consultations in Grenada in August 2024 and London in January 2025. A fourth round of dialogue between the United States and the region’s five CBI countries took place inAntigua and Barbudain late 2025, according to a statement from the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB).

In April 2025, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that Malta had breached EU law in granting citizenship under a CBI programme, for want of a genuine link between the applicant and the country. In late December 2025, the European Commission published its 8th Visa Suspension Mechanism Report, stating explicitly that the operation of a CBI programme by a visa-exempt third country may “in itself” be grounds for suspending Schengen visa-free access.

For its part, the United States tightened visa requirements for citizens of Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica and Grenada during 2025 through a visa bond pilot programme, requiring a deposit of between US$5,000 and US$15,000 for the B-1/B-2 category, citing concerns about the due diligence capacity of the CBI Units.