why - Grenada Island

1. Quick Reference: Why Grenada?

  • ➜ CBI real estate from US$220,000 — competitive Eastern Caribbean threshold
  • ➜ UNIQUE: Grenadian citizenship provides E-2 Treaty Investor Visa access to the USA
  • ➜ Grand Anse Beach: consistently one of the finest beaches in the Caribbean
  • ➜ No capital gains tax, no inheritance tax, no wealth tax
  • ➜ English-speaking Commonwealth nation — familiar legal and institutional framework
  • ➜ Eastern Caribbean dollar (XCD) pegged to USD — stable currency
  • ➜ Grenadian passport: visa-free / visa-on-arrival access to 140+ countries including UK and Schengen
  • ➜ Visa-free access to China — a distinction not shared by all Eastern Caribbean CBI passports
  • ➜ Growing luxury tourism sector — Six Senses La Sagesse, Silversands, Kimpton Kawana Bay
  • ➜ Tri-island nation: Grenada, Carriacou, and Petite Martinique — diverse lifestyle proposition

2. Pros & Cons: An Honest Assessment

The Advantages

  1. The E-2 advantage — unique in Eastern Caribbean CBI: Grenada is the only Eastern Caribbean CBI nation with a US E-2 Treaty Investor Visa treaty. For buyers from non-treaty countries seeking US access, this is a strategic capability that no competing programme can provide and that alone can justify the investment for the right buyer
  2. China visa-free access on the Grenadian passport: A specific and valuable distinction not shared by all Eastern Caribbean CBI passports — meaningful for buyers with business or personal connections to China
  3. Grand Anse Beach — world-class natural asset: One of the Caribbean's finest beaches is the lifestyle anchor of the south-west coast property market and a natural asset of genuine and enduring value
  4. Growing luxury tourism infrastructure: Six Senses, Silversands, and Kimpton represent a step-change in Grenada's premium tourism profile — driving demand for quality rental properties and raising the ceiling of the market
  5. SGU dual rental demand stream: The year-round, predictable, longer-term rental demand from St George's University students and faculty is a valuable complement to the more seasonal holiday rental market — a diversification of demand that most comparable islands cannot offer
  6. No capital gains tax, no inheritance tax: Meaningful long-term financial advantages for investors and estate-planning-conscious buyers
  7. Direct UK flights: British Airways and Virgin Atlantic's direct Gatwick services provide a meaningful accessibility advantage for British buyers and the UK tourism market
  8. Competitive CBI threshold: US$220,000 is one of the most accessible real estate thresholds among the Eastern Caribbean CBI programmes

The Considerations

  1. Alien landholding licence required for open market purchases: A meaningful additional cost and processing timeline for non-CBI foreign buyers — the licence fee is a material percentage of property value that must be budgeted from the outset
  2. Hurricane Ivan legacy and ongoing risk: Ivan's 2004 destruction was widespread — the island's hurricane exposure is real and insurance costs are significant. Post-Ivan property condition and reconstruction quality must be assessed for any older property
  3. E-2 is not automatic — requires separate US business investment: The E-2 advantage is a potential, not a guarantee. It requires making a qualifying US business investment and successfully applying for the visa through the US Embassy — it is a separately executed US immigration matter, not a passive benefit of Grenadian citizenship
  4. Small and specialist property market: Grenada's property market is genuinely small — resale liquidity is more limited than in the Dominican Republic, Barbados, or the Cayman Islands. Exit timelines and pricing can be more uncertain
  5. Limited private education options: More constrained than in the Cayman Islands, Barbados, or the Bahamas — a significant practical consideration for relocating families
  6. Healthcare limitations for specialist needs: Specialist medical capability requires evacuation to Barbados or further — essential to plan for with comprehensive international health insurance
  7. Programme fees add substantially to CBI total cost: The US$220,000 property investment is the headline figure — total all-in CBI cost including government fees and agent costs is significantly higher. Buyers must obtain and budget the complete cost schedule
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