The Investment Migration Agency of Grenada (IMA Grenada) has announced that the 30‑day residence requirement slated to begin on 31 August 2026 will not take effect on that date. Implementation is now tied to two conditions that have not yet been met: the regional regulator must be operational, and all participating member states must formally agree on a commencement date.
Conditional implementation
- Circular No. 2 of 2026 – signed by CEO Thomas Anthony on 21 August – states that neither the residence requirement nor other regional obligations will apply until:
- The Eastern Caribbean Citizenship by Investment Regulatory Authority (ECCIRA) is operating, and
- The five participating states formally agree on an effective start date and communicate it.
IMA Grenada will issue detailed guidance once those conditions are satisfied.
How the 30‑day requirement is calculated
- The amendment sets an aggregate obligation of 30 days of physical presence in Grenada, to be fulfilled within the first five calendar years after citizenship is granted.
- Each named dependant must still spend at least five days in Grenada during the first twelve months.
- When family members are together on the same day, that day counts once toward the aggregate total.
- Example: four family members traveling together for five days satisfy each individual’s five‑day minimum but only contribute five days to the 30‑day pool, leaving 25 days still required.
- The presence requirement is linked to a mandatory integration programme that includes civic education, cultural orientation or community service, and an interview.
- Passports are issued with an initial five‑year validity; a ten‑year renewal is granted only if the Committee certifies compliance. Failure to meet the requirement without reasonable excuse can lead to revocation of both citizenship and passport.
Origin of the 31 August date
- Grenada’s Parliament considered the Citizenship by Investment (Amendment) Bill on 28 July, with Senate debate on 31 July.
- Clause 1(2) of the amendment leaves the commencement date to a ministerial Order published in the Gazette—no such Order had been issued when the bill was reported.
- Section 7B(6) further ties the residence provisions to the coming‑into‑force date of the ECCIRA Agreement Act, a separate instrument with its own trigger date.
The regulator as the hinge
- Five governments signed the agreement establishing ECCIRA on 18 September 2025.
- ECCIRA becomes operational 30 days after the fifth participating state deposits its instrument of ratification—a milestone the market expected in September 2026.
- Grenada hosts ECCIRA’s headquarters; the agency cites the regulator’s pending activation as the reason for postponing the domestic residence requirement.
- Antigua and Barbuda has already raised its own post‑citizenship residence requirement from five to 30 days (Bill presented 14 July), but Grenada’s circular does not confirm whether the other four states have taken similar steps.
Current status for applicants
- According to Elena Ruda, Co‑Founder of Immigrant Invest, the postponement was expected once it became clear the regional regulator was not yet ready.
- At present there is no mandatory visit or residence requirement for Grenada’s Citizenship by Investment programme. Existing conditions continue to apply until a new official announcement is made.
- However, Section 7B(6) permits the minister to apply the residence provisions retroactively to pending applications, subject to transitional guidelines. A file submitted today could still be subject to the requirement once a commencement date is set.
Practical considerations
- Stakeholders should await further official communication from IMA Grenada before planning any travel or integration activities.
- Applicants with pending submissions should be aware that the residence requirement could be applied retroactively, and they may need to meet the 30‑day aggregate presence and integration obligations later.
- Non‑compliance without reasonable excuse could jeopardize both citizenship status and passport validity.
Source article: www.imidaily.com
