The Cabinet of Antigua and Barbuda wishes to reiterate its positon as it relates to the countries that are not allowed to apply for citizenship under the Citizenship by Investment Programme (CIP).
According to a decision by the Cabinet of Antigua and Barbuda, at its meeting held on Thursday, 11th December 2014, the Restricted Country List and Current Policy are as follows:
- Iran
- Afghanistan
- Iraq
- North Korea
- Somalia
- Yemen
As an exception, nationals of the above-mentioned countries who are lawful permanent residents of Canada, the United States of America or the United Kingdom, will be allowed to make application providing that their status as lawful residents is established.
In addition, all applicants are required to fully comply with the Programme’s due diligence requirements.
The Cabinet of Antigua and Barbuda has taken this position to safeguard the integrity of the Antigua and Barbuda passport and ensure that only persons whose past behaviour will not threaten the very well-being of the Citizenship Programme, can be accepted.
Additionally, the Government of Antigua and Barbuda takes this opportunity to inform all citizens of the introduction of biometric passports as of January, 2017. All Citizens, upon the expiration of their travel documents after this date, will be issued with this new travel document.
A biometric passport, also known as an e-passport, or a digital passport, is a combined paper and electronic document that contains unique biological traits, such as fingerprints, that can be used to confirm the identity of travelers.
