Caribbean passport phase-out 2028: the EU has asked five states to end CBI by June 2028. What is confirmed, what isn't, and how to protect your position.
The Caribbean passport phase-out 2028 story has moved quickly, and much of the commentary has come from advisers with a single European product to sell. This is the measured version. It matters now because the request touches five programmes at once, arrives alongside separate US restrictions, and directly affects how durable a Caribbean second passport really is over the medium term — a live question for anyone holding one or considering the route.
In a letter dated 25 June 2026, signed by Commissioner Magnus Brunner and addressed to Prime Minister Gaston Browne, the European Commission formally requested that Antigua and Barbuda phase out its CBI Programme by 1 June 2028.
The Commission's letter offers a 24-month transition period and proposes the implementation of specific interim measures.
The demand is regional, not aimed at one country.
The other four countries — Dominica, Grenada, St Kitts-Nevis and St Lucia — have received similar correspondence from the European Commission.
The legal engine behind this is new.
The EU grounded its request in a revised visa suspension mechanism adopted by the union on December 31, 2025, which states that the mere operation of a CBI programme, regardless of how well it is managed, is now a self-standing ground for suspending visa-free access.
That is the significant shift. Previously Brussels focused on procedural weaknesses and the absence of "genuine links"; now the programme's existence itself is the trigger. In its eighth report,
"The operation of such programmes constitutes, in itself, a ground for suspending the visa-free status of third countries," reads the report.
There is direction here, too — not just criticism.
In its formal recommendations to the five Eastern Caribbean countries, the Commission says they should take all necessary measures to ensure adequate security vetting of applicants "pending the discontinuation" of those schemes. The wording appears to explicitly contemplate eliminating Caribbean CBI programs rather than focusing on improved due diligence.
A second passport should never be a single point of failure — it is one lane in a road, not the whole journey.
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The pressure point is volume.
In its 2025 Visa Suspension Mechanism reporting, the European Commission identified five Eastern Caribbean CBI jurisdictions and estimated that around 107,000 passports had been issued through these schemes, with 13,113 applications in 2023 and 10,573 in 2024.
The Commission also raised concerns about short processing times, low rejection rates, and due diligence standards.
Those figures are precisely why the five states have already moved.
The Caribbean Five have tightened due diligence procedures and raised the minimum investment threshold from $100,000 to $200,000 in 2024.
The revised mechanism also lowered the bar for action generally:
a threshold of 30% — instead of the previous 50% — now quantifies substantial increases of refused entry and overstay, asylum applications and serious criminal offences, and the duration of the initial suspension increases to 12 months from nine months currently.
This is where balanced reading matters.
The Commission has asked; it has not suspended anything. Antigua has pushed back hard.
Prime Minister Browne has stated unequivocally that the CBI Programme will continue, and the Government will not be pressured into a unilateral phase-out that would cause irreparable harm to the national economy.
His government frames the income as essential:
the CBI Programme is a critical pillar of Antigua and Barbuda's non-tax revenue base, and it cannot simply be abandoned without viable, concrete, and credible replacement revenues being made available.
This is the opening of a negotiation. Browne himself signalled it was coming —
he noted that on June 20 his administration had received advance knowledge that such letters were forthcoming and had already begun consultations at the regional level.
Advisers pushing a single Greek or Portuguese solution rarely mention the second front.
Beginning January 1, 2026, a US travel ban went into effect; Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica, with partial entry restrictions, are two Caribbean countries that offer CBI, and the White House proclamation blocks nationals from both countries from various activities, citing misuse of the CBI programme.
A European residence permit does nothing to solve that.
Notably, the exemptions matter.
Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Saint Lucia operate similar CBI programs, but did not appear in the December proclamation.
Grenada's position is distinctive —
it is the only Caribbean country with both an active CBI program and an E-2 visa treaty with the United States.
If US access is central to your plan, this distinction is worth exploring in our comparison of the Grenada versus Dominica routes for the US E-2 visa.
The single most important point, and the one most likely to be lost in alarmist messaging: a closure does not revoke citizenship already granted. A phase-out stops the intake of new applications. It does not strip existing citizens of their nationality.
What could change is the value of that passport's visa-free access — specifically the possibility of losing Schengen visa-free entry at some future point if the EU proceeds. That is a real mobility risk to plan around, but it is a mobility question, not a citizenship-revocation question. There is no case for panic-driven decisions.
The same principle applies on the US side.
Antigua and Barbuda's ambassador to Washington said all valid US visas held by Antiguan and Barbudan passport holders would continue to be honoured, with no revocations of visas issued before 31 December 2025.
Existing visas will generally remain valid, but new applications are expected to face tougher checks.
A Caribbean passport still delivers what it always has: a relatively fast, comparatively low-cost second citizenship with no residency requirement and broad global mobility. None of that has vanished, and the 24-month window means the programmes remain open and functioning for the foreseeable term.
But the decision now carries a variable it did not a year ago — the medium-term durability of Schengen access is uncertain. That does not make Caribbean CBI a poor choice; it makes it a choice to structure deliberately, as one element of a broader plan rather than a standalone bet on any single mobility benefit.
"In VisaTier's casework, our licensed advisers consistently see clients treat a single passport as a finish line," notes Muzaffar Saydiganiev, Managing Director at VisaTier and a licensed investment-migration adviser. "The clients who sleep well are the ones who paired it with something structurally different — a European residency, a tax base, a durable Schengen anchor."
| Route | Minimum investment (single) | Total est. cost (single applicant) | Schengen visa-free today | Key 2026 note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dominica CBI | US$200,000 donation | ~US$215,000 all-in | Yes; under EU review | Named in US Dec 2025 partial travel ban |
| Grenada CBI | US$235,000 donation | ~US$255,000 all-in | Yes; under EU review | Only Caribbean CBI with US E-2 treaty; excluded from Dec ban |
| St Kitts & Nevis CBI | US$250,000 contribution | ~US$270,000 all-in | Yes; under EU review | Biometrics/interview now required; excluded from Dec ban |
| Greece Golden Visa | €250,000 property (lowest tier) | ~€275,000 all-in | Residency, not passport | EU-anchored Schengen residency; no CBI risk |
Source: individual programme units and EU 8th Visa Suspension Mechanism Report (December 2025); figures indicative, verify current thresholds on official sources.
The strategic answer has never been a single product. Pairing a Caribbean passport with a European residency route — Greece, Portugal, Hungary or Malta all sit in the same conversation — is one way to hold both global mobility and a durable, EU-anchored Schengen position. For the mechanics of holding EU access without uprooting your life, our guide to European residency without relocation sets out how the two layers fit together. Which combination suits you depends entirely on your nationality, budget, family and where your real long-term risk sits. If you want a clear-eyed read of your exposure before committing, that is exactly what our diagnostic is built to deliver.
Regulatory pressure on citizenship by investment has moved in a straight line for years: tighter vetting, then biometrics and in-person requirements, then higher thresholds, and now a direct request to phase out. This step is significant, but it is a stage in a long process, not a sudden cliff. Our position with clients is consistent — a second passport should sit inside a structured Plan A and Plan B across multiple jurisdictions, so that a change to one country's mobility benefits does not undermine your whole position. That is exactly the concentration risk this news exposes, and exactly what proper strategy is meant to manage.
Whether you hold a Caribbean passport or are weighing CBI against European residency, a VisaTier diagnostic gives you a personalised read of your options, risks and next steps — no sales pitch.
Open the portal →This article is general information, not legal or tax advice, and does not create an adviser-client relationship. Immigration, citizenship and tax rules change frequently and outcomes depend on individual circumstances. Figures reflect publicly available information as at June 2026; verify on official sources. Victory Meets Trust.
