Bayat Group says Caribbean citizenship buyers should look beyond passport rankings

Bayat Group is urging families and business owners to weigh long-term utility, not just price or visa-free access, as Caribbean citizenship by investment programs move toward regional harmonization. The firm points to Grenada as an example of how residency, tax, treaty access and future policy shifts can change the value of a second passport.

Why it matters: - Caribbean citizenship by investment programs are converging on common rules, but the practical value of each passport can still differ sharply. - Bayat Group says buyers should test a second citizenship against long-term family, business and travel needs instead of choosing by ranking tables alone. - Visa-free destination counts can change when other countries change their entry rules.

What happened: - Bayat Group published guidance on how to evaluate Eastern Caribbean citizenship by investment programs beyond headline price. - Sam Bayat, founder and managing director of Bayat Group, said the key question is not which passport scores highest today, but which citizenship will still be useful in 10 years. - The firm used Grenada as a worked example of the trade-offs buyers need to assess.

The details: - The article says five Eastern Caribbean CBI programs can look interchangeable because prices and visa-free destination counts are close. - Bayat Group says rankings cannot show whether a family will actually live in the country, who must be included in the application, or whether dual nationality is restricted at home. - Bayat Group also says buyers should distinguish between a non-refundable contribution and a real estate investment that brings holding costs and resale limits. - The UK introduced visit visa requirements for nationals of Dominica in July 2023 and for nationals of Saint Lucia in March 2026. - Grenadian nationals currently fall under the UK Electronic Travel Authorisation scheme, as do nationals of Antigua and Barbuda and Saint Kitts and Nevis. - That UK arrangement is current policy, not a guarantee of future entry rules. - Grenada appears on the U.S. State Department's E-2 treaty list, while the other four Caribbean CBI countries do not. - The E-2 treaty can allow a Grenadian national to apply for an E-2 visa to develop and direct a substantial investment in a U.S. enterprise. - A person who acquired treaty nationality through a financial investment and who has not previously held E status must have been domiciled in Grenada for a continuous period of at least three years before applying. - Holding a Grenadian passport for three years does not satisfy the domicile requirement. - Grenadian citizenship is not a U.S. visa and is not a route to a green card. - Grenada's program lists a National Transformation Fund contribution of US$235,000 for a family of four. - Grenada also lists an approved real estate option of US$270,000 for a shared investment or US$350,000 for a sole investment, plus further government fees. - Due diligence, processing and interview fees are also charged. - Grenada has adopted a minimum-presence requirement of 30 days in total during the first five years after citizenship is granted. - The rule will take effect only once the regional regulator is operational and all five Caribbean CBI programs share a common start date.

Between the lines: - The push toward harmonization may reduce visible differences between programs, but it does not eliminate the legal and policy conditions attached to each passport. - The Grenada example shows that a stronger travel profile can still come with constraints, including domicile rules, presence requirements and business-use conditions. - European policy risk is now part of the calculation. - In late 2025, the European Union revised its visa suspension mechanism to include citizenship by investment without a genuine link to the country as a ground for suspending visa-free access. - The European Commission has asked Caribbean CBI states to phase out their programs by June 1, 2028. - Antigua and Barbuda's prime minister has said his government is proposing a counter-framework through 2030, but that proposal has not been approved. - A response to the Commission is expected by November 12, and the Commission's next report is due in December 2026.

What's next: - Bayat Group is advising buyers to test each option against two scenarios: what happens if Europe withdraws visa-free access, and what happens if the program closes to new applicants. - The firm says families should assess the exact household, not the minimum qualifying investment. - Bayat Group said a first conversation should cover what the family wants the citizenship to do, which nationalities family members already hold and how they expect to use it. - The firm says Grenada, another program or a different route may fit better depending on the family's broader global mobility goals.

The bottom line: - Bayat Group's message is that a second citizenship is a long-term legal relationship, not a score-based purchase.