Duties and rights of Dominica citizens: passport renewal and other requirements for investors

The use of an expired passport is punishable by up to imprisonment.

Citizens don’t need to come to the country to renew their passports. They can apply to a Dominica consulate in their country of residence no later than two months before the passport expiration date. The renewal process takes two to four weeks.

An applicant prepares the following documents for the Dominica passport renewal:

• a completed application form;

• an old Dominica passport;

• a copy or the original of the birth certificate or an extract from the birth record;

• a certificate of naturalisation;

• two photos sized 4,5 × 3.8 cm;

• a confirmation of the fee payment from the treasury.

If the original documents are not in English, they must be translated. The translation must bear the translator’s signature, full name, and contact details.

Document copies are notarised — and then a notarised copy is translated into English.

The documents must be prepared not earlier than three months before submission.

The passport fee is $150 for adult applicants and $75 for children.

Obey the country’s laws. Dominica citizens must know and abide by the country’s laws, respect the rights and freedoms of other citizens, and take good care of the environment.

Pay taxes and fees. If a Dominica citizen purchases a car or registers a yacht, they must pay a fee or property tax. An owner of a personal vehicle annually pays road and license fees of $200. The annual yacht fee is $352.

An investor pays 25% of corporate tax and 10 to 15% of the VAT if they are not a tax resident of Dominica but own a company registered on the island. Non-residents pay income tax on any income received in the country: wages, rent out real estate, dividends, or self-employment.

If an investor spends in Dominica more than 183 days a year, they become a country’s tax resident. Tax residents pay income tax from income earned in Dominica and other countries.

Freedom of movement. A Dominica passport holder can visit 144 visa-free countries, including the UK, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Schengen.

A visa waiver agreement between Dominica and China came into force on November 22nd, 2021. Dominica became the second Caribbean country after Grenada, whose citizens were allowed to stay in China without a visa for up to 30 days a year.

10-year visa to the USA. Dominica citizens get a B‑1/B‑2 tourist visa in two weeks. The visa is valid for up to ten years. It allows the holder to stay in the USA for 180 days a year. The B‑1/B‑2 visa is suitable for holidays, visiting relatives, medical treatment, travel to conferences and business meetings.

Visiting the island at any time. The Dominica passport holder can enter the country at any time, even if the borders are closed. However, one does not need to live in the country to keep citizenship permanently.

Tax optimisation. There are no taxes on capital gains, wages and inheritance in Dominica. Tax residents do not pay taxes on dividends and royalties received abroad.

There is no property tax in the country other than a municipal tax. The average municipal tax rate is 1,25% of the assessed property value in Canefield or Roseau.

Citizenship for family members. A Dominica citizen’s relative can also get a Caribbean passport.

Family members obtain citizenship by kinship or marriage:

• If a parent or a grandparent is a Dominica citizen, an applicant provides the original copy of the birth certificate. At the same time, the applicant’s relative must submit a confirmation of Dominica citizenship.

• If a spouse has a Dominica passport, an applicant submits a marriage certificate.

If a foreigner obtains Dominica citizenship by investment, their family members can get passports too.

Guide on Dominica citizenship by investment

An investor makes a non-refundable contribution to the Economy Diversification Fund or buys real estate on the island. The minimum investment sum under the CBI program is $100,000.

Family members can join the investor’s application for citizenship or the CBI program after the investor gets the passport.

Family members that can get Dominica citizenship with the investor

• A spouse

• Children under 30 and financially dependent on the parents

• Spouses’ siblings under 25, unmarried and financially dependent on the investor

• Spouses’ parents and grandparents of any age if they are financially dependent on the investor

May join later — a spouse, children born or adopted after the investor obtained citizenship and spouses’ siblings aged 18 to 25, unmarried and financially dependent on the investor.

The cost of including relatives in the application varies depending on the investment option chosen under the Dominica citizenship program.

Keeping the first passport. When obtaining a Dominica passport, an applicant doesn’t have to renounce other citizenship.

Name change. The Dominica government allows citizens to change their names.

The documents required for a name change:

• the original copy of the certificate of naturalisation;

• the original Deed Poll signed in the notary’s presence;

• the Dominica passport;

• a completed form;

• a copy and the original of the birth certificate;

• the original certificate of citizenship;

• two photos sized 4,5 × 3.8 cm.

An illegal obtaining of citizenship and the deliberate use of invalid or fake documents are the main reasons for citizenship revocation.

A citizen can be deprived of citizenship for committing grave crimes, high treason, or participation in extremist activities.

Suppose another country’s court sentences a naturalised Dominica citizen to imprisonment for more than a year during the first five years after receiving a passport. In that case, the Dominica citizenship will be revoked.

There are additional grounds for citizenship revocation for investors:

1. Falsifying or hiding important information during the citizenship application. For example, if an investor hid a criminal record, other sources of income, or previous visa denials.

2. Non-fulfilment of investment conditions. For example, if the investor sold the property ahead of schedule.