Beyond Portugal: Caribbean Citizenship by Investment and New Zealand Residency Options for Investors in 2025
A practical guide to Caribbean citizenship by investment and New Zealand Active Investor Plus residency for investors navigating complex global mobility decisions in 2025
Looking for a trusted network of high-net-worth peers? Apply now to join Long Angle, a vetted community where successful investors, entrepreneurs, and professionals connect. Access confidential discussions, live events, peer advisory groups, and curated investment opportunities.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Why investors consider a “Plan B”
Snapshot of program categories
Caribbean Citizenship Qualifications, Process & Rights
New Zealand Active Investor Plus: Qualifications, Process & Rights
Tax and Policy Questions Raised in the Q&A
Considerations: Risks, Tradeoffs, and Due Diligence
Conclusion
Join the Conversation
Frequently Asked Questions
Introduction
In a recent Long Angle webinar, La Vida’s COO, Daniel Twomey, outlined two areas members ask about most after Portugal: Caribbean citizenship by investment and New Zealand’s Active Investor Plus residency. The discussion focused on practical mechanics, timelines, family add-ons, and the role these programs can play in mobility, lifestyle planning, and geopolitical risk management.
Why investors consider a “Plan B”
Common motivations include:
Mobility and travel: Visa-free access expansion and easier entry logistics for frequent international travel.
Lifestyle and education options: Optionality for future living, schooling, or work.
Legacy planning: Multi-generational benefits when citizenship can pass to descendants.
Asset protection and privacy: Jurisdictions with trust infrastructure and favorable tax regimes.
Geopolitical diversification: Reducing single-country exposure, similar in spirit to portfolio diversification.
High-Net-Worth Asset Allocation Report
Long Angle's annual high-net-worth asset allocation report presents the latest investment trends and strategies for portfolios ranging from high-net-worth to ultra-high-net-worth investors.
Snapshot of Program Categories
Residency by investment (RBI): A residence permit with potential future citizenship. Often includes minimum-stay rules.
Citizenship by investment (CBI): A direct path to citizenship through a qualifying contribution or investment, typically without relocation.
What to Know About Caribbean Citizenship
Who offers CBI: Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia.
Core proposition: Direct citizenship without relocation. Most programs do not require pre-approval travel and have historically processed applications within months.
Post-approval minimum stay: A 30-day in-country requirement within the first five years is rolling out across programs, intended to encourage real engagement with the country after citizenship is granted.
Family inclusion: Spouses, dependent children, and often dependent parents. Some programs allow siblings. In many cases, citizenship can pass to future generations.
After five years: Investors who qualified through real estate can generally exit the investment without affecting citizenship status.
Why the Caribbean comes up often:
Political nonalignment compared with major power blocs.
Visa-free access to a broad set of countries, with variations by program.
Potential residence rights across regional blocs once a Caribbean citizenship is held.
Paths to qualify: donation, real estate, or bonds
Government donation:
A non-refundable contribution to a national fund.
Price schedules increased in 2024, narrowing the gap with real estate.
Real estate investment:
Typically into government-approved hotel or resort projects that aim to support tourism development.
Minimums vary by country. The appeal is potential usage nights, distributions, and capital recovery upon exit after the hold period.
In some jurisdictions, freehold residential purchases can qualify, usually at higher minimums.
Government bonds (St. Lucia only):
A principal-protected, non-income-producing instrument held for a fixed term.
Less common among applicants compared with real estate due to lack of current yield.
Processing, costs, and family eligibility
Typical steps:
Pre-screen and background check to confirm eligibility.
Dossier preparation and submission to the national CBI unit.
Due diligence and interview, which are reported as cordial and focused on basic verification.
Approval in principle followed by funding the donation or investment.
Issuance and courier delivery of citizenship certificates and passports.
Meet minimum stay during the first five years for renewal where required.
After five years, real estate investors can usually exit.
Processing time: Often within 3–6 months, sometimes faster, depending on workload and case specifics.
Cost ranges: Beyond the qualifying investment or donation, expect government fees, due diligence fees, and professional fees that can bring the total outlay to roughly six figures above the minimum, scaling with family size.
Mobility, OECS and CARICOM residency rights
Holding citizenship in one OECS country often enables residency rights across fellow OECS states, and CARICOM offers similar regional mobility subject to a skills certificate step. The practical takeaway is that you choose a program based on fit, not only the specific country you might visit most.
What to Know About New Zealand Citizenship
Core idea: A fast, remote-first path to long-term New Zealand status for qualified investors who want a high-quality, geographically isolated Plan B.
Two investment routes:
Growth category: NZD 5 million in approved managed funds or direct businesses. Three-year holding period and 21 days total in New Zealand across those three years to qualify for permanent residency.
Balanced category: NZD 10 million into listed equities, some commercial real estate, or government bonds. Five-year holding period and 105 days total in New Zealand across those five years.
What the timeline looks like:
Application can be lodged and processed remotely.
Decisions have been issued in as little as 11–14 days according to the presenter’s experience.
You fund the investment after receiving approval in principle, with a six-month window to deploy.
The three-year “clock” toward permanent residency starts when funds are invested.
Permanent residency has no ongoing presence requirement and allows exit from the investment after conditions are lifted.
Citizenship is available from year five for those who actually relocate and meet presence rules, which are substantial.
Family: Spouse and dependent children can be included under the primary applicant.
Positioning: High quality of life, strong rule of law, and distance from global flashpoints. It is intentionally exclusive due to minimums, but the structure prioritizes speed, remote processing, and limited in-country days for permanent residency.
Tax and Policy Questions Raised in the Q&A
Alternative citizenship and residency programs raise complex tax and policy questions requiring careful consideration:
Citizenship-Based Taxation
The United States and Eritrea uniquely tax citizens on worldwide income regardless of residence location. Most other nations implement residence-based taxation, triggering tax obligations only when individuals establish tax residence through physical presence or other connecting factors.
Caribbean citizenship alone generally creates no tax obligations for individuals who maintain primary residence elsewhere. However, individuals should evaluate their existing citizenship tax obligations and how additional citizenship might interact with home country reporting requirements.
A theoretical shift toward citizenship-based taxation in CBI jurisdictions would represent a fundamental policy change. Should such an unexpected development occur, most jurisdictions permit citizenship renunciation subject to administrative procedures and requirements.
New Zealand Tax Residence
For investors obtaining New Zealand permanent residency through Active Investor Plus without actual relocation, New Zealand tax consequences typically remain minimal. Tax residence determination depends on physical presence thresholds and residential ties rather than immigration status alone.
Investors who maintain primary residence elsewhere, avoid establishing significant New Zealand residential ties, and limit physical presence generally would not trigger New Zealand tax residence. However, New Zealand-source income or New Zealand bank accounts may create specific tax obligations requiring evaluation.
U.S. citizens remain subject to U.S. worldwide income taxation regardless of New Zealand residency status. Tax treaty provisions coordinate these obligations, though professional guidance on specific structuring remains essential.
U.S. Dual Citizenship Considerations
The United States recognizes dual citizenship and millions of Americans currently hold multiple passports. Forced "one passport only" scenarios remain extremely unlikely given this established precedent and administrative reality.
U.S. citizens should ensure proper disclosure of foreign citizenship acquisition and foreign financial accounts as required by U.S. tax and reporting obligations, but dual citizenship itself creates no inherent issues under current policy frameworks.
Trans-Tasman Mobility
New Zealand citizens enjoy automatic work and residence rights in Australia through trans-Tasman arrangements. This pathway enables New Zealand citizens to live and work in Australia without separate visa applications.
New Zealand permanent residents do not receive this benefit until achieving New Zealand citizenship, which requires actual relocation to New Zealand and satisfaction of standard naturalization requirements including substantial physical presence.
Travel with Multiple Passports
Individuals holding multiple citizenships may enter and exit countries using any passport that grants lawful entry. Practical considerations include:
Most countries expect citizens to enter and exit using their national passport
U.S. citizens must present U.S. passports when entering the United States
Strategic passport selection for third-country travel depends on visa requirements and entry provisions
No restriction prevents holding multiple valid passports simultaneously
EU Freedom of Movement
European Union citizens enjoy freedom of movement rights enabling them to live, work, and establish residence across EU member states. Portuguese or Polish citizenship, for example, provides access to the entire EU economic space.
This represents a separate consideration from Caribbean or New Zealand programs, though some investors pursue multiple citizenships to create layered mobility across different economic and political zones.
Considerations: Risks, Tradeoffs, and Due Diligence
Alternative citizenship and residency programs require careful evaluation of risks, structural limitations, and due diligence considerations:
Program Evolution and Change Risk
Investment minimums, processing timelines, and eligibility requirements evolve based on regulatory changes, policy priorities, and program demand. Historical precedent from discontinued programs in other regions demonstrates that access windows can close unexpectedly.
Investors should evaluate programs based on current published requirements rather than assuming continued availability or stable pricing. Regulatory risk affects all investment programs and cannot be eliminated through planning.
Vendor and Project Selection
Real estate pathway success depends heavily on sponsor quality, project viability, and government approval maintenance. Due diligence on specific approved projects should examine:
Developer track record and financial stability
Project completion status and operational history
Approval maintenance and regulatory compliance
Exit liquidity and resale market
Management quality and fee structures
Government approval alone provides insufficient assurance. Independent verification of project quality and developer capability remains essential.
Investment Economics
Different qualification pathways offer distinct financial characteristics:
Donations: Pure cost with no capital recovery, maximum simplicity, minimum ongoing obligations.
Real Estate: Potential usage rights and capital recovery, but market risk, management fees, and illiquidity during hold period.
Bonds: Principal protection but zero yield during hold period, opportunity cost of deployed capital.
Investors should evaluate the economic tradeoffs between qualification paths based on risk tolerance, liquidity preferences, and expected total cost including opportunity cost considerations.
Documentation Requirements
Caribbean CBI and New Zealand Active Investor Plus both impose substantial documentation burdens:
Apostilled government identity documents
Police clearances from all residence jurisdictions
Comprehensive source of funds documentation
Professional reference letters
Medical examinations
Educational credentials
Employment verification
Document gathering, authentication, and translation can require several months of dedicated effort. Anticipating these requirements early prevents timeline compression during application preparation.
Jurisdictional Reputation and Policy Comfort
Long-term comfort with program jurisdictions extends beyond technical requirements:
Governance quality and institutional stability
Rule of law and property rights protection
Privacy frameworks and information sharing agreements
Passport perception and mobility practicality
Political nonalignment and geopolitical positioning
These qualitative factors significantly impact program value beyond specifications and minimums. Investors should evaluate alignment with personal values and comfort with jurisdictional characteristics over multi-decade horizons.
Professional Advisory Engagement
Alternative citizenship and residency programs intersect with tax planning, estate planning, asset protection, and compliance obligations. Qualified cross-border tax counsel, immigration specialists, and wealth advisors should participate in evaluation and execution.
DIY approaches may miss material tax consequences, reporting obligations, or structural optimization opportunities. The investment in professional guidance typically yields returns through avoided errors and optimized structuring.
Conclusion
For members exploring a portable “Plan B,” the Caribbean and New Zealand take different routes to a similar outcome. The Caribbean offers a direct citizenship option with family coverage, short processing times, and regional residency rights across OECS and CARICOM. New Zealand provides a high-caliber residency track that can lead to permanent residency with limited in-country days and supports a structured, remote process for busy families.
As always, members should evaluate personal goals, family composition, liquidity, tax circumstances, and tolerance for administrative lift before proceeding.
Want to Join the Conversation?
Interested in peer experiences and neutral, member-only education on global mobility? Long Angle members regularly compare notes on real outcomes, not marketing copy. If you are building wealth and want access to a vetted community of peers, apply to join Long Angle today.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Do I have to relocate for Caribbean citizenship?
No. Processing is typically remote. A 30-day post-approval in-country visit within five years is being implemented to support genuine ties.
Q: Can I include my family?
Yes. Spouse, dependent children, and often dependent parents are common. Some programs allow siblings. Fees scale by family size.
Q: How quickly can New Zealand be completed?
Applicants have seen decisions in weeks after submission. Investment is funded after approval in principle. Permanent residency is available after the holding period and minimum days are met.
Q: Will my taxes change if I become a Caribbean citizen but remain U.S.-based?
U.S. citizens pay U.S. tax on worldwide income. Caribbean countries discussed do not tax on citizenship alone. Consult advisors for your case.
Q: If I plan to live in Australia, does New Zealand help?
New Zealand citizenship enables living and working in Australia. Permanent residency alone does not.
Ready to connect with like-minded peers navigating similar wealth decisions?
Join Long Angle, a private community where successful entrepreneurs, executives, and professionals collaborate on wealth strategies, investment opportunities, and life's next chapter.
