Foreign Ownership & Land-Holding Licence
RestrictiveForeigners may own freehold property in Antigua and Barbuda, but non-citizens must first obtain a Non-Citizen Land Holding Licence. Citizenship by Investment buyers of approved real estate are exempt from this licence.
- Non-citizens must obtain a Non-Citizen Land Holding Licence (NCLL) before completing a purchase - the fee is approximately 5% of the property value
- NCLL processing typically takes 12-16 weeks and applies to all property types, including condominiums and apartments
- A 2020 amendment extended the licence regime to companies and their beneficial owners, so a corporate structure does not avoid the requirement
- Buyers acquiring government-approved real estate through the Citizenship by Investment programme are exempt from the NCLL
- CIP-qualifying real estate must be held for at least five years before it can be resold (unless rolled into another approved property)
- There are no general nationality bans, but all buyers and CIP applicants undergo source-of-funds and due-diligence checks



