Grenada holds a treaty of commerce and navigation with the United States, which makes its citizens eligible to apply for the E-2 investor visa. Nationals of India, China, Nigeria, Vietnam, Russia, Brazil and the Gulf states do not have that eligibility, because their countries hold no such treaty. That gap is why Grenada's citizenship-by-investment program, at US$235,000 and six to nine months, has drawn applicants who want to build a business in the United States without waiting for a green card. Since December 2022 the route has carried one further condition: a person who obtained treaty-country citizenship through investment must have been domiciled in that country for a continuous three years before applying for the E-2. How the route works with that condition in place is set out below.
At a glance
- The E-2 is a non-immigrant visa for nationals of treaty countries who make a substantial investment in a US business they will direct; it is renewable indefinitely while the business operates.
- Grenada is on the State Department's list of E-2 treaty countries. India, China, Nigeria, Vietnam, Russia, Brazil, the UAE and Saudi Arabia are not.
- Grenadian citizenship: US$235,000 to the National Transformation Fund for a single applicant, or US$270,000 in approved real estate held for five years, plus fees; six to nine months; no residence requirement for the citizenship itself.
- Section 5902 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023, signed 23 December 2022, requires three years of continuous domicile in the treaty country for citizenship acquired by financial investment.
- Türkiye is the other citizenship-by-investment country with E-2 eligibility, at US$400,000, and is subject to the same domicile rule.
What is the E-2 visa and who can apply?
The E-2 allows a national of a treaty country to enter the United States to develop and direct a business in which they have invested a substantial amount of capital. There is no fixed minimum; the investment must be proportionate to the business and sufficient to make it operational, and in practice E-2 businesses range from US$100,000 upwards. The visa is granted for up to five years at a time depending on the country of nationality, is renewable indefinitely while the business is real and operating, permits the spouse to work, and allows children to study. It does not lead to a green card by itself, which is the trade for its speed and its low capital threshold against EB-5.
Eligibility follows nationality, and nationality follows the State Department's list of treaty countries. The list includes most of Europe, Canada, Mexico, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Pakistan, the Philippines (under a treaty in force since 1955), Türkiye and Grenada. It does not include India, China, Nigeria, Vietnam, Russia, Brazil or the Gulf states, whose nationals are among the most active investors in the world. For them, a second nationality from a treaty country is the only door to the E-2.
Why Grenada?
Two reasons. Grenada is the only Caribbean citizenship-by-investment country with an E-2 treaty, and it is not named in the US entry proclamation of December 2025 that restricts visa issuance to nationals of Antigua and Barbuda. Its program grants citizenship in six to nine months for a US$235,000 contribution to the National Transformation Fund or a US$270,000 approved real-estate purchase, includes spouses, children, parents and
grandparents, requires an interview for every applicant aged 16 or over, and has operated under the shared Caribbean regulator since September 2026. The passport itself gives visa-free access to the Schengen area, the United Kingdom and China.
What does the three-year domicile rule require?
Section 5902 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023, signed into law on 23 December 2022, provides that a person who acquired the nationality of a treaty country through a financial investment is eligible for the E-2 only if they have been domiciled in that country for a continuous period of at least three years before applying. The rule was aimed at the citizenship-by-investment route specifically, and it applies to Grenada and Türkiye alike.
"Domicile" is a legal concept that turns on residence with the intention to remain, and consular officers assess it on the evidence: a home in Grenada, time spent there, tax and financial ties, and the absence of a competing domicile elsewhere. It is not satisfied by a passport alone, and it is not necessarily satisfied by 365 days of physical presence in each of the three years either; the assessment is holistic, and it is made by the officer at the interview. Applicants who treat Grenada as a paper nationality will not qualify; applicants who make it a real base for three years can.
How does the pathway work in practice?
1. Obtain Grenadian citizenship through the program: six to nine months, with interview and due diligence, and citizenship for the whole family.
2. Establish domicile in Grenada: a home, financial and tax ties, and a pattern of presence that supports the intention to remain, maintained for at least three continuous years.
3. Prepare the E-2 business in the United States in parallel: a genuine, operating enterprise in which the applicant has invested substantial, at-risk capital, with a business plan that shows it will support more than the investor's family.
4. Apply for the E-2 at a US consulate, presenting both the treaty nationality and the evidence of domicile. Applicants who need to be in the United States sooner than the domicile period allows should consider EB-5 instead, which does not depend on nationality and leads to permanent residence; Passport Legacy's article on the EB-5 deadlines of September 2026 sets out that route.
Is the route still worth it?
For an Indian, Chinese, Nigerian or Gulf-national entrepreneur who wants a renewable right to run a US business for the long term, and who is prepared to make Grenada a real second home for three years, yes. The route delivers a second citizenship the family keeps regardless, a Caribbean base, and eventual E-2 eligibility; and the three-year period is not dead time, because the business can be built during it. For applicants who wanted the E-2 within a year of buying a passport, the 2022 rule closed that door, and Passport Legacy tells them so at the first meeting.
Frequently asked questions
Can Indian citizens get an E-2 visa?
Not on an Indian passport, because India has no E-2 treaty with the United States. An Indian citizen who acquires citizenship of a treaty country such as Grenada can apply, subject to the three-year domicile rule; India does not permit dual citizenship, so the Indian passport would have to be surrendered.
How much does Grenada citizenship cost?
From US$235,000 as a contribution to the National Transformation Fund or US$270,000 in approved real estate, plus due diligence and government fees.
Does the three-year rule apply to Türkiye as well?
Yes. The rule applies to any treaty-country nationality acquired by financial investment.
Passport Legacy is an authorised agent for the Grenada program and works with US immigration counsel on E-2 and EB-5 applications. To discuss the pathway, contact the team.
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