The European Commission has formally asked Antigua and Barbuda to phase out its Citizenship by Investment Program by June 1, 2028, according to a statement from the Office of the Prime Minister. The request is tied to the EU’s revised visa suspension mechanism and raises the risk that Caribbean CBI countries could lose Schengen visa-free access if the dispute is not resolved.
EU Letter and Deadline
The European Commission’s letter is dated June 25, 2026 and was signed by Magnus Brunner, EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration. It was addressed to Prime Minister Gaston Browne.
According to Antigua and Barbuda’s government, the letter gives a 24-month transition period for phasing out the country’s Citizenship by Investment Program, ending on June 1, 2028.
The Commission also proposed interim measures to be implemented no later than September 2026, including:
- full exclusion of individuals subject to EU restrictive measures
- reinforced vetting procedures for applicants of all nationalities
Antigua and Barbuda’s response is expected to feed into the EU’s next Visa Suspension Mechanism report, planned for December 2026.
Visa Suspension Risk
The EU’s revised visa suspension mechanism entered into force on December 30, 2025. Under the new framework, the operation of a citizenship by investment program by a visa-exempt country can be treated as a stand-alone ground for suspending visa-free access to the Schengen Area.
Antigua and Barbuda’s government said the EU position applies “regardless of how well” a program is managed.
The European Commission had already set out this position in its eighth Visa Suspension Mechanism report in December 2025, which identified Eastern Caribbean CBI programs as a potential visa-suspension ground.
The latest letter turns what had previously been an open-ended threat into a formal timeline.
Other Caribbean CBI States
According to Antigua and Barbuda’s government, similar letters were sent to the other four Eastern Caribbean countries with active citizenship by investment programs:
- Dominica
- Grenada
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
None of those four governments had publicly confirmed receipt of a letter at the time of publication.
The statement does not mention Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, which is an OECS member planning a 2026 citizenship program launch. The EU request appears to cover active programs only.
Antigua and Barbuda’s Response
Prime Minister Gaston Browne said the development “does not come as a surprise.” He had told the country on June 20 that the government had advance knowledge of the letters and had already started regional consultations.
Browne has also warned that Antigua and Barbuda could lose EU visa-free access before the end of 2026.
The government says the Citizenship by Investment Program is “a critical pillar” of Antigua and Barbuda’s non-tax revenue base and cannot be abandoned without viable replacement revenue.
Browne stated that the program will continue and that the government will not accept a unilateral phase-out that would cause serious harm to the national economy and citizens’ welfare.
The government says the program has funded:
- hospitals
- schools
- infrastructure
- disaster recovery efforts
Antigua and Barbuda welcomed the EU’s stated support for sustainable development through the Global Gateway Investment Agenda and other mechanisms, but said those offers are not quantified, binding, or explicitly designed to replace CBI revenue.
The government said any agreed path forward must include tangible EU assistance to generate equivalent replacement revenue if a transition away from CBI is required.
Interim Cooperation
As a good-faith measure toward the EU, Antigua and Barbuda says it will continue to:
- exclude individuals subject to EU restrictive measures
- reinforce vetting for all other nationalities applying to the program
- review any additional safeguards needed to satisfy EU security standards
The government says it will engage the Commission through “principled and constructive dialogue” under the Samoa Agreement and will pursue diplomatic options bilaterally and through the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States.
Industry View
Patrick Peters, CEO of Clientreferrals, argued that the letters do not necessarily mean an immediate end to visa-free access. In his view, the EU has threatened Caribbean CBI countries for years, and the new deadline extends that pressure rather than ending negotiations.
He noted that the two-year timeframe leaves room for discussions and may also allow time for the EU to test ETIAS, the European travel authorization system expected to go live in the coming months.
Peters compared this to Canada’s electronic travel authorization model. He said Canada used ETA in 2023 to provide visa-free access to many citizens of Antigua and Barbuda and Saint Kitts and Nevis while screening out travelers who would normally be inadmissible.
His view is that the EU’s main interest is ensuring CBI programs are low-volume, well-managed, supported by strong due diligence, and economically beneficial. Countries that can demonstrate those points may be in a better position over the next two years.
Wider Pressure on Caribbean CBI
The EU reform was adopted in November 2025, after a provisional agreement in June 2025, and added “investor citizenship schemes” to the grounds for suspending a country’s visa waiver.
The eighth Visa Suspension Mechanism report went further by urging the five Eastern Caribbean programs to strengthen vetting “pending the discontinuation” of those programs.
Browne has spent the first half of 2026 contesting that direction. At the inaugural EU-Caribbean Parliamentary Assembly in Antigua in February 2026, he defended Caribbean CBI programs as lawful development tools that had been strengthened with input from the EU, UK, and US.
Pressure has also come from outside Europe. Canada withdrew visa-free entry for Antiguans in 2017 over CBI-related concerns. A US proclamation restricted several visa categories from January 2026, before a partial settlement preserved access for citizens who already held previously issued US visas.
What Comes Next
The first major deadline is September 2026, when the interim vetting and sanctions-related measures are expected to be in place.
The larger deadline is June 1, 2028, when the European Commission wants Antigua and Barbuda and other active Eastern Caribbean CBI states to have phased out their programs.
The central question is whether reinforced vetting, sanctions exclusions, regional diplomacy, and possible economic support can prevent a Schengen visa-free access dispute from turning into a formal suspension.
Source article: www.imidaily.com
