Get to know the St. Lucia Passport

Nowadays, traveling has become so much more convenient, even though the Covid Pandemic caused the closing of international borders, things are starting to return to a regular traveling routine. The advancement of communication and technology has revolutionized our lives with all traveling data available online with just a click.

Similarly, international travel generally requires a passport and visa. A passport is a must. The visa may be needed or not.

For those confused between both terms:

PASSPORT

A passport is issued to citizens of a country for international travel and identification for verification purposes. This means that individuals can travel abroad and come back into the country without being stopped as they are citizens.

VISA

A visa is an endorsement stamped on a passport that grants the holder official permission to enter or stay in a country for a specified time. It may allow one visit or multiple visits. There are many types of visas available worldwide:

Visa required
Visa-free
eVisa
Visa-on-Arrival
Free visa-on-arrival
Tourist Card

Which Country’s Passport To Choose?

There are unlimited options if you consider becoming a country’s citizen and obtaining your passport. The trick is to go for the one that promises the most benefits in the long run. A popular programme that allows you to obtain a second passport is the country of St. Lucia.

About St. Lucia

St. Lucia is a beautiful island of significant natural beauty for those who have not heard of this paradise on earth. It’s also famous for its tropical weather, white beaches, forests, and lush green mountaintop.

The island boasts an area of about 238 square miles and average temperatures ranging between 23-28 Degrees Celsius.
Some tourist attractions include a drive-in volcano and sulfur springs, the Majestic twin Peaks “The Pitons” (a world heritage site), and Pigeon Island National Park.
In 2014, St. Lucia was dubbed the “Best Island in the Caribbean” from US-based Global Traveler Magazine.
When you think of visiting the Caribbean islands, you will always find St. Lucia in the top-10 Caribbean islands on Trip Advisor.
With the official language of English, one can easily adjust as a citizen because English is an international language used in most countries.
St. Lucia is an economically stable country, with the Eastern Caribbean Dollar (XCD) used as its currency. The XCD is considered one of the most stable currencies worldwide and shows a handsome rate of US$1.00 to XCD$2.70.
This picturesque island is a tax haven for the wealthy.
St. Lucia is becoming a famous eco-destination rapidly due to its primarily unspoiled natural resources, which sounds promising for the country’s future.
A lot of investment is coming into the island, with the tourism sector showing a steady rise in the last 20 years.

St. Lucia Passport

According to the Guide Passport Ranking Index, the St. Lucian passport currently ranks 33^rd globally in the passport index. It provides visa-free access to almost 145 countries.

Visa-Free means:

“You can travel to a destination country without a travel visa. A valid passport is alone sufficient for entry and exit purposes.”

To get a St.Lucia passport, you must become a citizen first. A solo applicant can obtain a St.Lucia passport with the minimum investment of 100,000 US$. The minimum amount rises by adding a spouse or other family members. The cost of obtaining Citizenship depends on the applicant’s specific situation, like the family composition or the type of investment option selected.

The St. Lucian government has introduced multiple ways to buy Citizenship through its Citizenship by Investment Program:

Saint Lucia National Economic Fund (The Fund)
Investment in an approved real estate project (Real Estate)
Investment in an Approved Enterprise Project (an Enterprise)
Investment by the purchase of non-interest-bearing Government Bonds

Benefits of St.Lucia Passport

A St. Lucia passport or Citizenship offers a multitude of benefits or positive features to its holder. Some of these include:

The government has provided the most cost-effective pricing methods for single applicants and a family of four applications under its ‘Fund Investment’ option
St. Lucia is the only country that offers a BOND option as an Investment option for Citizenship
You are not required to travel to St. Lucia during the application process to obtain your passport.
Fast processing of your passport, shorter than applying for any other Caribbean island passport by investment.
No taxes are imposed on non-residents.
Physical residence of St. Lucia is not a must thing to be eligible to apply for its passport.
Suppose you have a family and you are applying for a passport here. In that case, your family will gain the benefits of Citizenship for life, which can be further passed onto future generations.
A great advantage is that St. Lucia allows for Dual Citizenship, meaning you are not required as applicants to relinquish your original Citizenship. Some countries make a big issue of dual Citizenship when applying.
St. Lucia, in a majority of the cases, doesn’t discriminate against any nationality for citizenship application.
Since St. Lucia is a former British Colony, Citizens of this island state can visit the UK without needing additional documents and even can stay up to 180 days per year.
As a St. Lucia Citizen, you may obtain a Tourist Visa for the United States for 10 years, which is remarkable with the USA considered a strict country in terms of its visa policy.
Opening bank accounts in EU countries is easier for investors holding St. Lucia Citizenship. They conduct standard checking before opening an account. Still, the overall process is lenient for people with this island’s passports compared to an individual from a third-world country.
Some UK Universities give preferential educational conditions to those who are St. Lucia passport holders. Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC) in the UK offers FOUR types of scholarships to students from St. Lucia only.

St. Lucia Passport Visa-Free Countries

The St. Lucian government has been successfully working on expanding its list of Visa-free countries with each passing year, including the UK, Hong Kong, and Singapore. As countries are continually altering their travel agreements, the visa-free countries list for St. Lucia keeps changing.

Some facts you should know

September 2017 saw the St. Lucia government signing a visa waiver agreement with the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Since May 2020, if you are a holder of an official St. Lucian passport, you don’t require a visa to travel to Kosovo.
In Asia, you can visit the business and cultural hubs of Singapore and Hong Kong with no visas needed with this state’s passport. You may further stay for 30 days in Singapore and 90 days in Hong Kong.

The stay duration and other terms and conditions differ from country to country. Let’s observe some of the countries included in the visa-free list of St. Lucia as of 2022:

Asia

Indonesia
Israel
Malaysia
Philippines
Singapore
South Korea
Taiwan
Uzbekistan
Kiribati

Europe

Austria
Belgium
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungry
Italy
Norway
Poland
Spain
Portugal

Africa

Botswana
Eswatini
Gambia
Kenya
Lesotho
Malawi
Mauritius
Tanzania
Tunisia
Zambia
Zimbabwe

Americas

Argentina
Belize
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Ecuador
El Salvador
Guatemala
Guyana
Honduras
Nicaragua
Panama
Peru
Suriname
Venezuela

Oceania

Fiji
Micronesia
Vanuatu

Caribbean

A St.Lucia passport offers visa-free entry to the majority of the Caribbean islands and territories such as:

Bahamas
Barbados
Cuba
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Grenada
Haiti
Jamaica

Other Territories

Faroe Islands
Bermuda
Cayman Islands
Macao
Greenland
French Guiana
French West Indies
Palestinian territories

With such a huge list of visa-free countries, it’s no wonder why the St. Lucia passport appears to be an attractive investment. Especially for those who love traveling to different countries each year or those whose job or business demands international travel frequently.

The scenic views and better economic conditions make St. Lucia a fantastic country to become a citizen of. Although, we do always advise to check online for the latest St. Lucia passport visa-free countries as this list is ever-changing depending on the geopolitical conditions worldwide.

If you are interested in obtaining a second passport, feel free to get in touch with us today to book you free consultation.