Citizenship by Investment in Dominica 2026:
Costs, Holding Period and the ECCIRA Question

Dominica has run a citizenship by investment programme since 1993, and in 2026 it is the cheapest route of its kind in the region on paper. It is also at the centre of a regional regulatory change that has not yet taken effect, so the details deserve more care than most marketing gives them.

The two routes

An applicant can contribute to the Economic Diversification Fund, which is non-refundable, or buy approved real estate. The Citizenship by Investment Unit's own page sets the contribution at US$200,000 for a single applicant and US$250,000 for a main applicant with up to three qualifying dependants, plus US$25,000 for each additional dependant under 18. The contribution doubled from US$100,000 on 1 July 2024, when the five regional programmes agreed a US$200,000 price floor. Older sources, including Wikipedia's investor-programmes snapshot, still show US$100,000.

The real estate route starts at about US$200,000 in a government-approved development. The Unit says "around US$200,000", Wikipedia and one adviser say US$200,000, and another adviser says US$220,000. The property must be held for three years, or five if it is sold to another citizenship applicant.

The fees

The investment is not the whole cost. Two 2026 guides citing the Unit's schedule give due diligence at US$7,500 for the main applicant and US$4,000 for each dependant aged 16 or over, with a US$1,000 processing fee per application. Broker figures for government fees on the real estate route range from about US$25,000 to US$50,000 in total to US$75,000 for a single applicant. Those cannot all be right, so request the current schedule in writing before comparing quotes. Processing is quoted at three to four months, five to eight months and six to nine months, depending on the adviser.

Purchases under the programme are exempt from the 10% Alien Landholding fee that other foreign buyers pay, according to several advisers, which matters in the cost article in this series.

What the passport offers

Advisers quote visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to about 145 countries, citing the Henley Passport Index 2026, a figure that was not checked against the index itself. One broker calls Dominica's programme the second-oldest in the world. No residence is required today.

ECCIRA, agreed but not yet binding

In September 2025, the five Eastern Caribbean programmes agreed to create a regional regulator, ECCIRA, headquartered in Grenada. Once operational, it is described as requiring 30 days of presence in the first five years after citizenship, counted as an aggregate across a family, plus mandatory interviews, biometric data and annual caps on approvals. When it will start is disputed. One advisory page says it became operational in the second quarter of 2026, yet the same firm's Dominica page said in August that it was not yet operational. A September 2026 analysis found no record of the fifth ratification being deposited, which the agreement requires, and ECCIRA's own site reportedly gives "late 2026" as its start. Until then the 30-day rule binds no applicant. Anyone applying now should ask whether the rule will apply to them, because it is described as post-citizenship and not retroactive.

The ordinary routes

Without investing, a foreign national can get temporary residence for one year, renewable, and a relocation agency says permanent residence follows after five years, or three if married to a citizen. That guide is about a year old.

What this means for a buyer

Dominica's routes are cheap, but the price is only part of the decision. Compare the holding period and resale terms of any approved project, the full fee schedule, and the regulatory outlook. Because this is a field where advisers disagree, get the figures from the Citizenship by Investment Unit and from a licensed agent, and read the relocation and cost articles in this series alongside this one.