Why the headline figure is never the total

When a programme is marketed at two hundred and thirty thousand dollars, that is the contribution required to qualify. It is a real number and it is not dishonest on its own terms. What is missing is everything else — and a single applicant and a family of five pay very different totals against the same headline.

Government processing fees are charged per person in most Caribbean programmes. Due diligence is charged per applicant above a threshold age, commonly sixteen. Passport issuance is billed separately per person. Agent commissions are a percentage or flat fee that appears on no government schedule. None of it is hidden exactly. None of it is advertised either.

The questions to ask before you commit

Ask for the full fee schedule in writing, itemised per person, before signing anything. Is the government fee charged per family or per applicant? At what age does a child become a separate due diligence subject? Is passport issuance included? What is the agent fee, and is it refundable if the application is denied? Are there escrow or bank charges? Is any part of the investment recoverable, and on what timeline?

A reputable agent answers all of that without hesitation. One who quotes the headline and defers the rest to the application stage is telling you something worth hearing.

Why we can publish this

CitizenshipByInvestmentPro does not sell programmes and does not take agent commissions. We have no revenue tied to the gap between the advertised figure and the real one, which is the only reason a tool like this exists. Compare current costs, timelines and requirements across every programme on our country comparison.

Free to use and free to link. If you advise clients on relocation, tax or expatriation, point them here.