(Business Today) - Passport Power: As the dark cloud of the pandemic shows its first signs of clearing and the blue skies of freshly reopened borders emerge, international travel is on everyone’s minds. Particularly for the modern entrepreneur for whom building connections with new people and being inspired by different places is paramount. After a year trapped in situ, most business leaders will be itching to explore the world once again, and what better way to do so than by investing in a new passport.
When it comes to offering new ways of life, Caribbean islands certainly have a lot to offer, with their makeup an intriguing blend of European, Latin American and African culture. One such island is the Eastern Caribbean nation of St. Kitts and Nevis. In recent years, millions of tourists from a wide range of countries, including African ones, have flocked to the lush twin island paradise. And it is not just tourists, businessmen from across the globe have looked to acquire Caribbean citizenship through dedicated investment programmes.
After travel plans being suspended for so long, people now crave the ability to travel the globe on their own terms with confidence and flexibility. A St. Kitts and Nevis passport can grant just that, the island’s Citizenship by Investment programme offers successful applicants visa-free access to 157 countries, including the UK and various EU countries, andis recognised as a market leader in independent, global rankings.
In fact, St. Kitts and Nevis offers the most powerful passport of any CBI programme in the Caribbean, according to Henley & Partners’ Passport Index 2021 (24th strongest in the world).
In contrast, African professionals have been hampered in unlocking international opportunities and business ventures due to discriminatory passport and immigration policies, despite having highly competitive business ambitions. African passports consistently score low in global indices, for example in Henley & Partners’ Passport Index 2021, South Sudan ranks 103rd globally with access to 44 visa-free destinations, Ethiopia 102nd with 45 visa-free destinations, Rwanda 87th with 61 visa-free destinations and Kenya 77th with 72 visa-free destinations, compared to St. Kitts and Nevis’ 24th place with visa-free access to 157 destinations.
The increased business potential of global mobility, especially during a pandemic, is a strong reason why the popularity of the CBI programme has increased in the past year.
Investing in travel is always a good idea but the gradual lifting of travel restrictions coupled with countries thirsty for business and economic stimulation has created an unprecedented opportunity. Accelerated by COVID-19, the digitally nomad lifestyle is more accepted than ever before opening the door to a truly international lifestyle.
This is one of the reasons why our CBI programme in St. Kitts and Nevis has extended its limited time offer through the Sustainable Growth Fund route until 31 December 2021, decreasing the price of citizenship for high-net-worth businessmen and their families from USD195,000 to USD150,000 for a family of up to four.
Wide-reaching by nature, the benefits of St. Kitts and Nevis’ citizenship does not stop at travel. Alongside worldwide mobility benefits its passport also represents a unique opportunity to invest in a global lifestyle, a tenet of which for many is foreign education. Whether you’re hoping to enroll in an MBA programme abroad to enhance your career or give your children a new perspective, a St. Kitts and Nevis passport can open a world of educational opportunity.
In addition, St. Kitts and Nevis has a fast-growing economy, according to the United Nations Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, St. Kitts and Nevis had the strongest projected growth rate in the Eastern Caribbean of 3.5% before the COVID-19 pandemic. Applicants are given the opportunity to invest in prime luxury real estate on the island giving them the opportunity to acquire a global asset to diversify their investment portfolio.
Offering a myriad of attractive investment opportunities, obtaining citizenship does not impose any income or wealth tax or come with any residency requirements. With the best interests of investors in mind, St. Kitts and Nevis is also committed to due diligence and security of the highest standards when it comes to its platinum CBI programme.
As the world’s oldest CBI programme, we are committed to upholding our established world-class standard of economic citizenship. For us, this means international standards and having a robust due diligence system in place.
Africa’s business scene is one of the fastest-paced and most exciting in the world. As founders continue to raise impressive amounts of funding and seek to grow their companies not only will they seek unique investment opportunities, but a greater international presence will also be key. We believe a St. Kitts and Nevis citizenship can provide many of the assets a modern entrepreneur is looking for consolidated into one very attractive package. There isn’t a better time to invest.
