BRUSSELS — The European Union has formally warned five Caribbean nations that they must begin phasing out their citizenship-by-investment programs or risk losing visa-free access to the Schengen travel area, escalating a long-running dispute over so-called "golden passport" schemes that Brussels says pose security and migration risks.
According to letters sent by EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner and acknowledged by Caribbean governments, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Saint Lucia have been asked to end their citizenship-by-investment programs by June 1, 2028. The Commission said the request follows changes to the EU's visa suspension mechanism that identify investor citizenship schemes as an independent ground for suspending visa-free travel.
The revised framework, which entered into force at the end of 2025, allows the EU to suspend visa-free arrangements where countries operate programs granting nationality in exchange for financial investment if the bloc considers them to present risks to public security or the integrity of its visa system. The Commission has argued such schemes may enable individuals to bypass standard visa screening procedures.
Caribbean leaders have rejected calls to dismantle the programs, saying they are legitimate sources of government revenue and are subject to strengthened due-diligence procedures. Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne has said his government intends to continue operating the program while pursuing discussions with European officials.
The heads of government of the five participating Eastern Caribbean states met in Dominica on July 10 and agreed to seek further engagement with Brussels. In a joint statement, they said they would continue diplomatic efforts to preserve visa-free access while defending the economic importance of their citizenship-by-investment programs.
The dispute follows years of EU scrutiny of investor citizenship programs. In 2024, the bloc permanently revoked Vanuatu's visa-free access after concluding that its citizenship-by-investment scheme created security concerns, marking the first such action taken against a country over a "golden passport" program.
No suspension of visa-free travel for the five Caribbean countries has been announced. EU officials have indicated that discussions with the governments will continue as Brussels assesses their responses and any measures taken under the revised visa suspension framework.
