Including Family Members in Your Citizenship Application

Family Inclusion: A Critical Planning Consideration

One of the most valuable features of citizenship by investment programmes — particularly the Caribbean programmes — is their ability to include extended family members in a single application. This is not merely a convenience; for many of our clients, the ability to provide family members with a second citizenship is the primary motivation for the investment.

However, family inclusion is an area where programmes differ significantly:

• Which categories of family member are eligible varies
• Age limits vary, particularly for adult children and parents
• Additional fees vary substantially
• Documentation requirements apply to every included family member
• Some family structures that work well in one programme cannot be accommodated in another

Planning the right programme for your specific family composition — before committing to an investment — is essential. This guide covers the rules in detail.

Standard Family Members: Almost Universally Included

Spouse or Civil Partner

The legally married spouse (or civil partner, in programmes that recognise this status) of the main applicant is included in virtually every CBI and RBI programme worldwide. A domestic partner who is not legally married is typically not eligible — some programmes have narrow exceptions for registered partnerships, but these are not the norm.

Documentation required: Marriage certificate (apostilled); proof of ongoing marriage; passport; police clearances.

Additional fee: Varies by programme, typically $25,000–$50,000 in Caribbean programmes, higher in European programmes.

Minor Dependent Children

Children under 18 who are financially dependent on the main applicant are included in almost all programmes. The child must be unmarried and under the main applicant's custody or care.

Documentation: Birth certificate (apostilled) demonstrating relationship to main applicant; passport; where applicable, police clearances (minor children of certain ages may have reduced clearance requirements).

Additional fee: Typically $15,000–$25,000 per child under 18 in Caribbean programmes.

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Extended Family: Where Programmes Differ

Adult Dependent Children (18–25/30)

Most Caribbean programmes and several others allow unmarried, financially dependent children over 18 up to a certain age limit, provided they are in full-time education:

Programme	Adult child upper age limit
Antigua	30 (if financially dependent)
Dominica	30 (if in higher education / dependent)
Grenada	30 (if financially dependent)
St Kitts	30 (if financially dependent)
St Lucia	30 (if financially dependent)
Portugal	26 (if dependent)
Greece	21 (if dependent) / up to 24 if in education

Malta no longer operates a citizenship- or residency-by-investment programme (its MEIN scheme was abolished in 2025), so it is no longer relevant to CBI family-inclusion planning; the references to Malta below are retained only as historical context.

Children with disabilities may be included at any age in most programmes if they are genuinely dependent on the main applicant.

Documentation for adult children: Birth certificate; proof of full-time education enrollment (university letter, enrolment certificate); bank statements showing financial dependency or lack of independent income; police clearances.

Parents and Parents-in-Law

The Caribbean CBI programmes are distinctive in allowing the main applicant's parents — and sometimes parents-in-law — to be included. This is a feature not available in EU programmes (Portugal, Greece, Malta do not allow parent inclusion), making the Caribbean programmes significantly more attractive for investors with elderly parents who would benefit from a second citizenship.

Eligibility and age requirements:

Programme	Parents	Parents-in-law	Minimum Age
Antigua	Yes	Yes	55
Dominica	Yes	Yes	65
Grenada	Yes	Yes	No fixed minimum; financial dependency required
St Kitts	Yes	Yes	55
St Lucia	Yes	Yes	55
Malta	No	No	N/A
Portugal	No	No	N/A
Greece	No	No	N/A

Additional fees for parents: Caribbean programmes typically charge an additional $25,000–$75,000 per parent included. Verify current fees with each programme.

Documentation for parents: Passport; birth certificate; police clearances; evidence of the parental relationship (the main applicant's birth certificate is the primary document). For parents-in-law: the spouse's birth certificate and marriage certificate establishing the relationship.

Grandparents

A small number of Caribbean programmes allow grandparents to be included:

• Dominica: Allows grandparents of the main applicant (subject to age and dependency criteria — verify current rules)
• Antigua and Barbuda: Has provisions in some cases — verify with an authorised agent

This is an unusual benefit and highly valued by families with multi-generational aspirations for citizenship planning.

Siblings

Sibling inclusion is rare in CBI programmes. Dominica stands out as the programme that most clearly allows the main applicant's unmarried siblings to be included, with an additional fee and subject to due diligence. Other Caribbean programmes generally do not include siblings.

If including a sibling is important to your planning, Dominica may be the appropriate programme regardless of other considerations.

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EU Programme Family Inclusion

EU programmes — Portugal, Greece, Malta, Cyprus — are generally more restrictive on family inclusion than Caribbean programmes:

Malta: Spouse/partner; dependent children under 27 if in full-time education; parents financially dependent on the main applicant (this is an exception — Malta does allow financially dependent parents, unlike most EU programmes, but the dependency must be genuine and documented).

Portugal: Spouse; children under 18; children under 26 if unmarried and dependent; dependent parents if legally incapacitated.

Greece: Spouse; children under 21 (or 24 if in education); financially dependent parents of the main applicant or spouse (with dependency documented).

Cyprus (PR): Spouse; children under 18 (or up to 25 if in education and financially dependent).

The key limitation in EU programmes is the absence of straightforward parental inclusion. For investors whose family planning priorities include providing parents or in-laws with EU access, the Caribbean route may be more appropriate — or a combination strategy (Caribbean CBI for immediate extended family citizenship, EU Golden Visa for the investor's own EU residency pathway) may be worth considering.

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Adopted and Stepchildren

Rules for adopted and stepchildren vary significantly by programme and country:

Adopted children: Generally included if the adoption was completed legally and is recognised under the laws of the country where it took place. Documentation typically includes the adoption order (apostilled) and the child's birth certificate. Some programmes require the adoption to be recognised under the CBI country's own law.

Stepchildren: More complex. Many programmes include stepchildren if:

• The biological parent (your spouse) has full or joint custody
• The child is not adopted by another person
• Documentation of the family relationship is clear (marriage certificate + the child's birth certificate showing the biological parent's name)

Some programmes are more flexible than others. If adopted or stepchildren are part of your family, this should be explicitly discussed with an authorised agent before programme selection — do not assume inclusion based on standard eligibility criteria.

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The Total Cost Calculation for Families

Because additional family member fees can be substantial, total family cost should be calculated before programme selection:

Example: Dominica, family of four (couple + 2 minor children)

• Family-of-four donation (covers up to four persons under the post-2024 harmonised pricing): $250,000
• Add government, due diligence and adviser fees: approximately $40,000–$60,000
• Total: approximately $290,000–$310,000

Example: Antigua, family of four

• NDF donation (covers up to four persons): $230,000
• Government processing and due diligence fees: approximately $30,000 for a family
• Add adviser fees: approximately $20,000–$30,000
• Total: approximately $280,000–$290,000

For a family of four, Antigua's headline NDF donation is currently slightly lower than Dominica's family donation, and both are structured as a flat family fee covering up to four persons rather than a per-person charge. Always confirm the current donation tiers and fee schedules, as Caribbean pricing has changed materially since the 2024 harmonisation.

For a family of six including two parents:

Caribbean programmes with parent inclusion become significantly more valuable relative to EU alternatives when parents are part of the equation. Adding two parents (typically at a per-person fee in the region of $25,000–$50,000 each, plus due diligence costs) increases the family total — compared with no possibility of parental inclusion in Portugal or Greece at any price.

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Due Diligence for Family Members

Every included family member — regardless of age — goes through some level of due diligence. Adults (typically over 16–18, depending on the programme) must submit:

• Police clearances from all countries of residence
• A completed due diligence questionnaire
• Passport
• Photographs
• Biometrics

Minor children have reduced requirements (no police clearances required for young children) but still need birth certificates, passports, and photographs.

Family members with any adverse background — even minor — should be discussed with your adviser at the pre-clearance stage. An adverse background for a family member can affect the main applicant's application in some programmes.

Compliance Note

Programme rules, family eligibility criteria, age limits, and fees change. The information above reflects conditions as of mid-2026. Always verify current requirements with an authorised agent or immigration lawyer before submitting an application. This is not legal advice.

How Global Investments Can Help

We work with families to identify the programme that best accommodates their specific family composition. We calculate total family cost across multiple programmes so that our clients make an informed comparison, not a comparison of headline single-applicant figures. We also manage the document collection process for all family members, ensuring that everyone's due diligence file is complete before submission. Contact us to discuss your family's specific situation.