How to send money to Antigua and Barbuda in 2026: salary, the fund contribution and a villa

In 2026 money is sent to Antigua and Barbuda in US dollars: the local currency is pegged to the dollar at 2.70, and there has been no personal income tax since 2016. Remote workers send their salary from abroad, families pay the fund contribution within 60 days of preliminary approval, and villa buyers pay a 5% licence.

In detail

In 2026 you can send money to Antigua and Barbuda by bank transfer in US dollars: it reaches a bank on the island in 1-3 business days, and the local currency is pegged to the dollar at 2.70, so the conversion does not change from month to month. Since April 2016 the country has had no personal income tax, so a remote worker's salary and investment income arriving on the account are not taxed here. For the citizenship programme contribution a family has 60 days after preliminary approval, and the route for such a sum is chosen in advance.

The methods below were checked on 8 October 2026. Eastern Caribbean dollars converted into US dollars at 2.70, rounded up.

Salary from abroad on a remote worker visa

The remote worker visa lets you live in Antigua and Barbuda for up to 2 years if your income comes from abroad and is at least $50,000 a year. For such a resident the main transfer is not one-off but monthly: salary or client payments go from an account in the employer's country to an account on the island. This income is not subject to local tax. It is paid by the employer and clients abroad, and the bank on the island sees that from the payment sender.

So that the first salaries do not get stuck in checks, keep the employer letter or client contracts at hand for the first transfer - the same ones filed for the visa. The visa fee is $1,500 for one person, $2,000 for a couple and $3,000 for a family of three or more, and it is also paid by transfer. Income requirements and documents are covered on the Antigua and Barbuda remote worker visa page. Paid by several clients from different countries? We will advise how best to send regular sums without extra fees.

A regular transfer is easiest to keep the same: one sender, one recipient account, one currency and a similar amount on the same days of the month. The bank on the island quickly gets used to that pattern and stops asking questions. If a bonus or a large client payment arrives once a year, a contract or payslip goes with it, and the money is credited in the same time. A dollar account on the island saves a double exchange: a salary in US dollars arrives with no conversion, and only the sum for rent and living costs is changed into local currency.

60 days for the contribution: paying under the citizenship programme

The citizenship by investment programme has run since 2013. First the fees are paid through an authorised agent: $10,000 for processing the application and $8,500 for the due diligence on the main applicant. The investment is transferred only after preliminary approval, and up to 60 days are given for it. If the money sits in another country or is tied up in an asset, two months may not be enough to sell, pass the bank checks and make the transfer itself, so the money route is prepared while the application is still under review.

• National Development Fund - $230,000, one contribution for the whole family;
• approved property - from $300,000, to be held for 5 years;
• University of the West Indies fund - $260,000 for families of 6 or more;
• business investment - from $1,500,000.

The main sum leaves only after approval, so if the decision is negative the family loses the processing and due diligence fees, not $230,000. The payment is sent from the applicant's own account: the citizenship unit matches the payer against the application, and money from a third party will need extra explanations.

After the passport you need to spend 5 days on the islands in the first 5 years, and the country has no inheritance or capital gains tax. All the family amounts are on the Antigua and Barbuda citizenship page and in how much Antigua and Barbuda citizenship costs. There are ways to get the contribution through on time even from countries where banks hold large payments for weeks: get the transfer terms before preliminary approval.

A 5% licence and buying a villa near English Harbour

A foreigner buys a house, flat or plot in Antigua after a Ministry of Justice licence to hold land, and its fee is 5% of the price. That is half of what neighbouring Saint Kitts, Dominica and Grenada charge. For a $400,000 villa the licence costs $20,000, plus the lawyer and registration. A buyer of an approved property under the citizenship programme does not need the licence.

Money for the property is sent from your own account to the lawyer's or developer's account. The recipient's bank matches the amount against the sale contract and the licence, and the 5% fee is paid as a separate payment. Properties and their prices are on the property in Antigua and Barbuda page.

Local dollar or US dollar: which account to send to

Antigua and Barbuda is one of the eight members of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union with a shared central bank. Shop prices and utility bills on the island are in local currency, while villas, yacht berths and citizenship programme fees are almost always counted in US dollars. The convenient order is this: the main sum goes to a dollar account, and only the money for a month of living is changed into Eastern Caribbean dollars, at the same 2.70 rate.

Account numbers at Antiguan banks are local, without the international letters-and-digits format. The sender gives the recipient bank's international code, the account number, the holder's name exactly as the bank has it and the US correspondent bank for a dollar payment. Between banks of the currency union money moves through a shared clearing house in 1 business day, so a house or services on a neighbouring island can be paid from an account in Antigua without an international transfer. A company for business on the islands is registered under the rules described on the company registration in Antigua and Barbuda page.

Which papers you need for the transfer amount to Antigua

What a bank in Antigua will ask for different amounts under the rules in 2026:

For the fund contribution and for a villa the third level applies at once, so the source-of-funds pack is gathered once - both the bank and the citizenship unit need it. How to move a large sum step by step is on the capital relocation page, and the list of documents is in proof of source of funds.

After Antigua: the next transfer

The island is rarely the last stop for the money. Remote workers move on when the visa ends, and passport holders study and do business in the United Kingdom and North America. That is where the next question most often comes from - how to send money to the United Kingdom, to the USA or to Canada. A dollar account in Antigua makes a transfer to the USA direct, with no exchange.

Sending money to nearby countries

• Saint Kitts and Nevis - the oldest citizenship programme, a $250,000 contribution for a family of up to four
• Dominica - a contribution from $200,000, a 10% tax rate from 2027
• Grenada - a $235,000 fund contribution and 30 days to pay after approval
• Saint Lucia - a certificate for buying a home and a 2% buyer's duty
• Guyana - the Guyanese dollar

Where else capital goes and how to move a large sum is on the capital relocation page.

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