St. Kitts. Dominica. Grenada. Antigua. St. Lucia. These are the names everyone knows. They are legitimate programs with long track records. When we built 21 CBI, we chose a different path; not against the Caribbean, but for Bitcoiners.
Caribbean CBI programs pioneered the industry. For decades they offered a straightforward trade: a donation or investment in exchange for a passport. But the landscape has shifted. Prices have increased, processing times have lengthened, international scrutiny has intensified, and for Bitcoin holders specifically, these programs offer no structural advantage over newer alternatives.
Caribbean CBI at a glance
Typical minimum
Per the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) $200,000 price-floor harmonisation (2024 Memorandum of Agreement).
Caribbean CBI contribution floors have moved sharply upward across the bloc. The OECS harmonised the regional minimum at $200,000 in 2024 under a Memorandum of Agreement, and several program floors have roughly doubled since 2020 (St Kitts moved to $250,000 in July 2023). Vanuatu's Development Support Program (DSP) starts at $130,000 and São Tomé starts at $90,000, materially below the harmonised Caribbean floor.5
Caribbean programs typically take 3 to 6 months on standard tier. Vanuatu processes applications in 30 to 60 days; São Tomé in roughly 6 to 8 weeks. The Caribbean spec adds bureaucratic surface that the newer programs do not carry.6
Every Caribbean CBI jurisdiction participates in the OECD Common Reporting Standard. São Tomé & Príncipe is Non-CRS; El Salvador is Non-CRS. For Bitcoiners weighing structural privacy posture as part of the file, the distinction is operative.7
Caribbean CBI programs operate under sustained EU and US engagement on visa-waiver review and program due diligence standards. Vanuatu, São Tomé, El Salvador, and Argentina sit outside that diplomatic conversation, with different program designs and different geopolitical exposures.8
The Caribbean five are sold by every CBI advisory firm with a website. Differentiation collapses to price-discounting and processing speed. The programs 21 CBI built around require deeper jurisdictional expertise; that is the engagement we wanted to run.
No Caribbean nation has adopted Bitcoin legislatively. El Salvador was the first country to adopt Bitcoin at the national level and it remains widely accepted with 0% capital gains on qualifying transactions, though it no longer holds legal-tender status. Vanuatu has zero income tax. These jurisdictions reward holding Bitcoin.9
Showing our three most-compared alternatives. See all five programs below.
| Dimension | Caribbean (avg) | Vanuatu | São Tomé | El Salvador |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum investment | $200K+ | $130K (DSP) | $90K | $1M BTC (Freedom) |
| Processing time | 3 to 6 months | 30 to 60 days | ~6 to 8 weeks | 6 to 8 weeks |
| CRS participation | Yes (all 5) | Yes | No | No |
| Bitcoin treatment | No Bitcoin-native program | 0% income tax | Neutral | 0% cap gains on BTC |
| US political exposure | High | Low | Low | Low |
| Advisor specialisation | Commoditised | Specialised | Specialised | Specialised |
Values reflect published program terms as of May 2026. See sources below. Three columns shown; Türkiye and Argentina are linked in the program grid.
Fastest CBI globally. 30 to 60 day processing. Zero income tax. CRS participant. We walk you through the implications during your strategy call. Starting at $130K.
View Program →Non-CRS jurisdiction. $90,000 entry, the most affordable CBI on the planet. Portuguese-speaking gateway to EU and Africa via the long-horizon Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP) route.
View Program →$400K real estate investment. E-2 treaty with the US. Bridge between Europe and Asia.
View Program →First country to adopt Bitcoin nationally. Bitcoin widely accepted. 0% capital gains on BTC. Freedom Passport with $1M BTC contribution option.
View Program →Fastest residency-to-citizenship path in the Americas. No minimum stay. Low cost of living.
View Program →We are not here to tell you Caribbean CBI is a bad choice for everyone. It is not. For a family that wants a Commonwealth-oriented travel document, an English-speaking jurisdiction, an established CBI track record, and a beach-accessible lifestyle option, St. Kitts, Grenada, and Antigua remain serious programs with serious results.
Where we part ways is the assumption that those are the onlyserious programs. For Bitcoiners specifically, who care about CRS exposure, Bitcoin-friendly treatment, speed, and diplomatic-pressure radius, the Caribbean’s traditional strengths are not the strengths that matter most. That is the gap 21 CBI exists to fill.
Five programs. Five trade-offs. No single program wins on every axis.
If your priority is speed Vanuatu delivers a passport in 30 to 60 days, your compliance profile is clean, and Asia-Pacific mobility matches your operating footprint. $130,000 government contribution.
If your priority is cost São Tomé & Príncipe delivers the lowest entry on the planet at $90,000 base, Non-CRS jurisdictional posture is a feature, and you value the long-horizon CPLP route to Portuguese residency for your children.
If your priority is Bitcoin-native sovereignty El Salvador delivers the only CBI program built around Bitcoin at the sovereign level. $1,000,000 settled in BTC or USDT. Non-CRS. 0% capital gains on Bitcoin.
If your priority is US market access Türkiye delivers the only program in the portfolio that delivers an E-2 treaty investor visa pathway to the United States. $400,000 in real estate you can exit after three years.
If your priority is a G20 passport at the lowest entry Argentina delivers a residency-to-citizenship pathway under Law 25,871. Rentista residency from ~$1,500/month in qualifying passive income. Two-year naturalization clock. Not a CBI program; a separate file with its own logic.
For Bitcoiners specifically, the Caribbean five are rarely the answer. The five files above are.
Values as published as of May 2026. Program terms change; verify with the issuing government before relying on any specific number. Consult a qualified tax advisor regarding your specific situation.
No calls. No fluff. Just signal.
New to citizenship by investment? Start with the strategic case for a second passport →
Adam Juchniewicz, CEO
Retired US Air Force veteran · LL.M. European & Comparative Law, University of Malta · Bitcoiner since 2020 · Licensed agent of The Bitcoin Office of El Salvador
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