How to send money to Saint Kitts and Nevis in 2026: US dollars in 1-3 days, exchange at 2.70 and the contribution after approval

In 2026 money goes to Saint Kitts and Nevis in US dollars to a bank of the federation: the local currency has been fixed at 2.70 since 1976, and there is no personal income tax. The citizenship contribution follows approval, and a foreigner buying a villa outside the programme pays a 10% licence.

The simplest way to send money to Saint Kitts and Nevis in 2026 is a bank transfer in US dollars to an account at a bank of the federation: the money arrives in 1-3 business days, and when credited to a local currency account the bank exchanges it at a fixed rate of 2.70 Eastern Caribbean dollars per US dollar, unchanged since 1976. There is no personal income tax on the islands, so neither the transfer itself nor income from the invested money is taxed here. Most often a large sum goes to a citizenship programme contribution or a home purchase, and in both cases the bank asks in advance for documents on the origin of the money.

Transfer routes were checked on 8 October 2026. Sums in Eastern Caribbean dollars are converted at 2.70 and rounded up.

The dollar at 2.70: which currency to send money in

Saint Kitts and Nevis is part of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union of eight members, and its central bank is headquartered in Basseterre, the federation's capital. The union currency rate is fixed: 2.70 Eastern Caribbean dollars per US dollar. So prices on the island, contracts with developers and state fees are written sometimes in US dollars, sometimes in local currency, but the conversion is always the same: 27,000 Eastern Caribbean dollars is exactly $10,000.

Banks of the federation keep accounts both in US dollars and in Eastern Caribbean dollars. A dollar transfer is more convenient to send straight to a dollar account: that way the money arrives with no exchange, and only the sum for living and payments on the island is changed into local currency. Banks of the federation have no international account number format: the payment order gives the bank's 8- or 11-character international code, the account number, the recipient's name as at the bank and the correspondent bank in the USA through which the dollar transfer passes. A mistake in any of these fields returns the money to the sender in 3-5 business days with a loss on fees.

The citizenship programme contribution: when and where the money is sent

The citizenship by investment programme has run in the federation since 1984, and for many it is the main reason for a large transfer. The money here goes in two stages. On application the due diligence check is paid: $10,000 for the main applicant and $7,500 for each family member aged 16 and over. The main sum is transferred only after the letter of approval in principle, so with a negative decision it is the check that is lost, not the contribution itself.

• a contribution to the sustainable growth fund: $250,000 per applicant or family of up to four people, non-refundable;
• a share in an approved real estate project: from $325,000, and it can be sold after 7 years;
• a private home under the programme: from $600,000;
• the real estate option adds a fee after approval: $25,000 for the main applicant.

The contribution goes to the state fund account from the applicant's own account, and the citizenship unit checks the payer against the application form. So the money is gathered in advance in one personal account, and statements for 6-12 months show where it came from. All options and fees for a family are on the Saint Kitts and Nevis citizenship page and in the article how much Saint Kitts and Nevis citizenship costs.

Is the sender's bank holding a large payment to the fund? There are more working legal routes than it seems: a manager will tell you how to make the contribution for your sum and sending country.

A flat or a villa on the island: the 10% licence and the payment to the seller

A foreigner who buys a home outside the citizenship programme gets an alien landholding licence and pays 10% of the price for it. A $500,000 villa costs another $50,000 for the licence alone, and this sum is transferred together with the price of the property. A buyer of a share in an approved project under the programme is exempt from the fee, but can sell the property only after 7 years.

The payment to the seller goes from the buyer's bank account to the account of the lawyer or developer on the contract schedule. The payment purpose states the contract number and date and the property address, and the sum in the payment order matches the sum in the contract to the cent: the recipient's bank treats any difference as a reason for a check. How the purchase works step by step is in the article buying a flat in Saint Kitts and Nevis, and projects and prices are on the property in Saint Kitts and Nevis page.

Nevis: a transfer to an island company's account

Nevis is the smaller of the federation's two islands, and it has its own administration and its own company register. Nevis companies often hold the investments of owners from different countries, so the bank checks a transfer to their account differently from a transfer to a private person: it asks who the ultimate owner is, what the company does and where the founder's money came from. The contract under which the payment is made and an extract on the company's owner speed up crediting by several days.

Company registration and its documents for the bank are covered on the company registration in Nevis page. If the payment goes to a company rather than to yourself, it is more convenient to show the contract to a manager in advance: we will tell you how best to transfer and which papers to attach.

Taxes: there is no income tax on the islands

The federation does not levy personal income tax, so neither a transfer, nor deposit interest, nor income from letting a flat in an approved project is subject to this tax. New residents and holders of the federation's passport pay taxes under the rules of the country where they are tax residents: if you remain a resident of another country, the money in an account in Basseterre is accounted for there. For a purchase under the ordinary procedure the main payment to the state is the 10% licence, not a tax on the transfer.

Three levels of the sum: what a bank in Basseterre will ask

The bank's questions by level of the sum, in 2026.

At the last level the money is better prepared in advance: the recipient's bank and the citizenship unit check the same papers, and one package covers both checks. For sums from $100,000 the route breakdown on the capital relocation page will help, and the general list of documents is in the article proof of source of funds. If the sum is large and has to go through by the date of the approval letter, find out the transfer terms in advance.

Where money from Saint Kitts goes next

The federation's passport and an account in Basseterre are often the start of the path rather than its end. Passport holders open businesses and study in North America and the United Kingdom, so the next transfer usually goes to the USA, to Canada or to the United Kingdom. A dollar account on the island makes this step simpler: a transfer to the USA goes with no currency exchange.

Sending money to neighbouring countries

• Antigua and Barbuda - the same dollar at 2.70, and no personal income tax since 2016
• Dominica - the lowest programme contribution in the region, $200,000
• Grenada - a $235,000 contribution and the first 36,000 Eastern Caribbean dollars of income tax-free
• Saint Lucia - foreign income is taxed only on the part transferred to the island

All countries where capital is moved and the routes for large sums are on the capital relocation page.

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