What is Grenada's CBI, and why does the passport matter?
Grenada's Citizenship by Investment program grants a full second passport in roughly three to six months in exchange for a qualifying investment — a donation to the national fund from around $235,000 for a family of four, or an approved real-estate purchase from around $270,000 shared or $350,000 direct held for five years — and it is the only Caribbean CBI whose citizens can access the US E-2 investor visa, thanks to a treaty in force since 1989. That E-2 door is the single feature that sets Grenada apart from every other island program, and it is the reason ambitious families pay attention. But there is a genuine catch in 2026 that most brochures skip, and you need it up front: new citizens who acquired their status through CBI now generally have to establish three years of domicile in Grenada before they can apply for the E-2. The passport, the zero-tax profile, and the mobility are real and immediate. The E-2 is real too — just no longer instant. Read on before you build a plan around it.
Two routes in: the NTF donation versus approved real estate
Grenada offers a straightforward fork. The first route is a non-refundable donation to the National Transformation Fund (NTF), starting at approximately $235,000 for a family of up to four. It is the cleaner, faster, lower-total-cost path when you simply want the passport and the mobility, with nothing to manage or resell afterward.
The second route is an approved real-estate investment, starting at around $270,000 for a shared interest in a sanctioned project or roughly $350,000 for a direct purchase, held for a minimum of five years. This route puts your capital into an asset rather than a fee, and after the five-year hold you may exit — but treat the resale market and the government-approved project list as things to vet carefully, because "approved for CBI" is not the same as "easy to sell later." Add government, due-diligence, and professional fees on top of either headline figure. The donation suits those who want speed and simplicity; the real-estate route suits those who want their qualifying capital parked in something tangible and are comfortable with a medium-term hold.
The E-2 treaty — and the three-year domicile nuance
Here is the feature and the fine print together. Grenada has held an E-2 treaty with the United States since 1989, and no other Caribbean CBI nation has one. The E-2 lets a treaty-country national who makes a substantial, active investment in a US business live and operate in the United States on a renewable basis — a genuinely powerful route for an entrepreneur who wants a US footprint without the EB-5 price tag or queue.
The honest 2026 update: US rules now generally require a CBI-acquired citizen to have been domiciled in the treaty country for at least three years before qualifying for the E-2. In plain terms, you can no longer buy the passport on Monday and file the E-2 on Tuesday. This does not close the door — it changes the timeline and the planning. If US access is your primary goal, build the three-year runway into your strategy from day one, and confirm the current standard with qualified US immigration counsel, because this is exactly the kind of rule that keeps moving.
Zero tax and a passport that travels
Beyond the E-2, the core proposition is clean. Grenada levies no tax on worldwide income, no capital gains tax, and no inheritance tax on its citizens — a genuinely light structure for globally mobile earners. And the passport itself is strong: visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 147+ countries, including the Schengen Area, the United Kingdom, China, and Singapore — a rare combination that few second passports match. For a family that wants mobility, tax efficiency, and an optional long-game route into the US, the package is coherent.
Frequently asked questions
How fast can I get a Grenada passport? Typically three to six months from a complete application, subject to due diligence.
What is the cheapest way in? The NTF donation, from around $235,000 for a family of up to four — lower total cost than the real-estate route once fees are counted.
Can I still use the E-2 visa through Grenada? Yes, but new CBI citizens now generally must establish three years of domicile in Grenada first — plan the timeline accordingly and verify with US counsel.
Does Grenada tax my worldwide income? No — there is no worldwide income tax, no capital gains tax, and no inheritance tax for citizens.
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Grenada rewards the family that reads the E-2 fine print before falling for the headline — whether the donation or the five-year real-estate hold fits your goals, and whether the three-year domicile runway actually serves your US ambitions or works against them. That is Kev's work as an international advisor: matching the right route to your timeline, pressure-testing the E-2 path with independent US immigration and tax review, and lining up licensed Grenadian counsel so the passport genuinely works for you. When you're ready to weigh a Caribbean second citizenship the right way, start the conversation with us at the homepage.