With a booming third sector in tourism, financial services, and information technology, as well as a profitable tax regime, St Kitts and Nevis is a highly ranked country for investors. This article presents you with the best investment opportunities of St Kitts and Nevis.
Why invest in St Kitts and Nevis?
Benefits of investing in St Kitts and Nevis
Incredible Caribbean island
Political stability
Tax exemptions
Favorable business environment
Get St Kitts and Nevis passport in months
Dual citizenship
Visa free travel to more than 140 countries
Citizenship for family members
Rule of investment St Kitts and Nevis
According to the Saint Christopher and Nevis Citizenship Act, 1984, Part II, section 3 (5), foreigners who have made significant economic contributions to St Kitts and Nevis, are granted – along with their families – full citizenship.
Tax exemptions for expats in St Kitts and Nevis
There is no direct taxation in St. Kitts and Nevis, meaning citizens are not subject to personal income tax, estate duty, inheritance or succession taxes, gift taxes, or net worth tax. However, some tax does apply to certain applicants.
For corporations, the taxable income is calculated as net profit before tax, adjusted for nondeductible expenses and allowable deductions. The corporation tax rate is 33 percent. However, corporations are not subject to surtax nor capital gains taxes, and St Kitts and Nevis offer relevant companies a tax holiday on corporate profits for up to 15 years. Nevis specifically does not levy tax on companies and foundations as long as no business is conducted on the island.
Property taxes – for both corporations and individuals – is assessed on the market value of the property and ranges from 0.2 percent to 0.3 percent, depending on the location and the use of the property.
St Kitts and Nevis Citizenship by Investment Program
The St Kitts and Nevis Citizenship by Investment Program is a successful scheme allowing investors and their families to get a St Kitts and Nevis passport, providing that an investment of at least $250,000 is made in government funds or $400,000 in approved real estate.
St Kitts and Nevis investment options
Sustainable Island State Contribution (SISC): Announced on 27 July 2023 as the investment option replacing the Sustainable Growth Fund by the St Kitts and Nevis government, the SISC offers investors the opportunity to invest in the social and economic development of the country. For an investment of at least $250,000, a single applicant or a family of up to four can obtain St Kitts and Nevis citizenship.
The SISC is used to develop St Kitts and Nevis into a Sustainable Island State in areas including local food production, Green Energy, sustainable industries, and more.
Approved real estate: Obtain St Kitts and Nevis citizenship by purchasing government-approved property. Two St Kitts and Nevis real estate paths are available to investors:
- Buy shares of property developments, investing a minimum of $400,000 for at least seven years.
- Buy a condominium unit, investing a minimum of $400,000. You can only resell the property after seven years.
- Buy a single-family private dwelling worth at least $800,000. The investment must be held for at least seven years
Calculate the cost of citizenship for you and your family, including all associated fees.
St Kitts and Nevis investment opportunities
Light Manufacturing
With the manufacturing sector amounting to 10 percent of St Kitts and Nevis’ GDP and St Kitts being the leading exporter in the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), light manufacturing is a promising and profitable sector for investors.
Investors in the manufacturing sector benefit from business incentives and fiscal exemptions, low cost of production, qualified workforce, Free Trade Agreements and international initiatives facilitating the free movement of goods – Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME) and the Caribbean Basin Initiative -, high-quality infrastructures allowing for the successful exchange of goods and services – airports, maritime roads, seaports, and financial services.
Tourism
As a well-preserved and mesmerizing twin island country, St Kitts and Nevis have plenty of resources for tourism. With an increase in stay-over tourists of 13.4 percent in the last five years and the recent completion of high-end tourism infrastructures, the sector is booming.
The construction of the St Kitts Marriott Resort and the Royal Beach Casino in 2003 has propelled St Kitts and Nevis to the forefront of must-see Caribbean destinations. Opportunities for investment in high-end tourism in some of St Kitts and Nevis’s best cities are numerous and investors are welcomed.
With a skilled and trained workforce in tourism, as well as a warm and friendly population, St Kitts and Nevis has everything it takes to become one of the world’s top tourist destinations.
Information Technology
Aware of the significant market opportunities that the Information Technology sector offers, St Kitts and Nevis government has built a brand new state of the art National Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Center. The center is equipped with training rooms, video conferencing facilities, and English speaking technical experts.
Amongst the Information Technology services offered by St Kitts and Nevis you can find: Call Centers, Credit Card Application Services, Transactions Processing Services, Data Entry and Research Services, Optical Character Recognition Applications, Data Base Management, Computer-Aided Design, Web Application Services, and Software Development.
Agriculture
Food security and self-reliability is top priority for St Kitts and Nevis. The government is focusing on developing St Kitts and Nevis agricultural sector in order to reduce importations.
In order to expand the development of the agricultural sector, the St Kitts and Nevis government has instituted initiatives such as incentive packages, increase availability of land, investment in agro-processing technology, and increased linkages with the tourism sector.
Opportunities for investors are various and encouraged in areas such as: packaging services, storage facilities, inter-regional transport services, commercial farming, agro-processing, hydroponics, and aquaculture.
Other St Kitts and Nevis investment opportunities
In addition, you can also find attractive investment opportunities in St Kitts and Nevis in financial services, international education, renewable energy, and ship registry.
Talk to a specialist about investing in St Kitts and Nevis
If you are thinking of investing in St Kitts and Nevis, get in touch with one of our specialists here at Global Citizen Solutions.
Our dedicated team will work solely on your behalf. We are committed to providing a specialized service to each of our clients with the knowledge that comes with years of expertise, as well as access to a proprietary database of market information.
We give insights and data analysis to allow our clients to make investments with confidence.
FAQs:
Where to invest in St Kitts?
The best sectors to invest in St Kitts and Nevis are tourism, agriculture, information technology, light manufacturing, financial services, international education, renewable energy, and ship registry.
How can I get St Kitts and Nevis citizenship?
You can get St Kitts and Nevis citizenship by making an investment of at least $250,000 in the Sustainable Island State Contribution (SISC) or a minimum of $400,000 in government-approved real estate. All applications to the CBI program are processed by the Citizenship by Investment Unit.
Do I need to pay taxes in St Kitts and Nevis?
In St Kitts and Nevis, citizens are not subject to personal income tax, estate duty, inheritance or succession taxes, gift taxes, or net worth tax.
Can I buy property in St Kitts and Nevis?
You can buy property in St Kitts and Nevis by either applying to the Alien Landholding License or through the Citizenship by Investment Program. The Citizenship by Investment Program allows investors to either buy shares of property developments investing a minimum of $400,000, or purchase private homes, investing a minimum of $400,000.
