Enhance St. Kitts citizenship with global security layer

St. Kitts Citizenship Unit continues to add new levels of security to protect the international security of its citizens and international partners.

Prime Minister and Minister Responsible for Immigration and Citizenship of Saint Kitts, Dr. Terence Drew, affirmed his country’s commitment to the new decisions after the second reading of the St. Kitts citizenship by investment project in 2024.

Under the St. Kitts Citizenship by Investment Programme, St. Kitts citizenship is granted to foreign investors after they invest in the social and economic development of the country.

A decision to add a layer for St. Kitts citizenship holders

St. Kitts has taken serious steps to enhance the security and reputation of its St. Kitts citizenship program and to protect its country’s global standing by establishing an international due diligence unit.

This decision and the formation of this unit were announced during the session of the National Assembly on 14 June 2024 by His Excellency Dr. Terence Drew, Prime Minister and Minister of Immigration of St. Kitts.

The new unit is called CIDD and is supposed to start operations at the end of July 2024, which will be based in Europe. This will be undertaken by the former Commissioner of the Royal Police Forces of St. Kitts and the current Ambassador of Eastern Caribbean countries to the Kingdom of Morocco, Mr. Ian Coeli.

The Prime Minister and Minister responsible for the St. Kitts Citizenship Program, Mr. Terence Drew, noted that his country is working hard through this step to generate confidence with its international partners regarding their security.

Why the decision issued for St. Kitts citizenship holders?

The Prime Minister and Citizenship Officer, Mr. Drew, said that the reason for the decision was due to several cases of mismanagement, which raised some concerns at the international level.

At present, the St. Kitts Citizenship Program Unit operates as a joint unit with the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration, with financial oversight from the Office of the Prime Minister. However, under the latest decision, the St. Kitts citizenship program unit will be a separate legal company and can file lawsuits in its own name.

This separation of the St. Kitts citizenship unit is in line with the recommendations made by the Financial Action Task Force and the OECD in a joint report on investment St. Kitts citizenship in 2023.

The goal of this move is to preserve and make the St. Kitts citizenship program sustainable. Mr. Drew confirmed this by saying that they have done many things over the past 21 months to support and preserve St. Kitts citizenship through the investment program.

✓ Monitoring citizens of Saint Kitts and Nevis who reside or work internationally by ensuring they comply with the local laws of the countries they visit or reside in.

✓ Ensure compliance with international legal standards for every person holding St. Kitts citizenship.

✓ Alert the St. Kitts National Security Unit if any St. Kitts citizen is under investigation or arrested for financial or other crimes abroad.

✓ Cooperate and report to international law enforcement and anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing agencies in the event that any citizen of St. Kitts is subject to investigation, legal proceedings or any crime deserve reporting.

✓ Facilitating the retrieval of passports issued by St. Kitts that have been canceled by national security, and adhering to the principles presented at the US-Caribbean meeting on St. Kitts citizenship by investment.

✓ Develop policies to mitigate and address any risks associated with St. Kitts citizens who obtain citizenship through the St. Kitts Citizenship by Investment Program.

Do you want to obtain St. Kitts citizenship by investment? Contact one of our advisors to explain the program details. It is worth noting that St. Kitts citizenship provides you with the opportunity to enter more than 150 countries without a visa, in addition to dozens of other benefits for the holder of a St. Kitts passport.

Global Citizen Consultants: Legal expert and accredited office for citizenship by investment worldwide.