Grenada's Citizenship by Investment programme is known for letting one investment cover a wider circle of relatives than most competing programmes. A single application can bring in a spouse, children well into their twenties, parents, grandparents and, unusually, brothers and sisters. That breadth is valuable, but it comes with definitions that are stricter than the marketing summaries suggest.
Each category of relative has its own test: legal marriage, age, financial dependency, marital status, sometimes the absence of children of their own. A relative who fails the test cannot simply be added because the family thinks of them as dependent. This article walks through each category as the rules are applied at the time of writing, explains the evidence that usually satisfies the Investment Migration Agency (IMA), and points out the borderline cases that cause most of the questions agents receive.
The main applicant: the anchor of the file
Every family application is built around one main applicant, who must be at least 18. The main applicant makes the investment, carries the source-of-funds burden and is the person whose relationships define everyone else. A parent qualifies because they are the parent of the main applicant or of the spouse; a sibling qualifies because they are a sibling of one of those two people. Nobody else can hang off a dependant: a sibling's spouse, for example, does not qualify through the sibling.
This makes the choice of main applicant a strategic decision in larger families. If a couple wants to include the wife's mother and the husband's unmarried sister, either spouse can be the main applicant, because both sets of relatives connect through the couple. But if adult siblings want to apply together with their own spouses and children, one application will not work; they will usually need separate applications, each with its own investment.
The main applicant also signs declarations covering the whole family. If a dependant has something in their past that the main applicant did not know about, the file is still affected, so the first job is honest conversation inside the family before any forms are filled in.
Spouses and children
A spouse in a legally recognised marriage. The marriage certificate is the core evidence, apostilled or legalised and translated if necessary. Where either partner has been married before, the divorce decree or death certificate for each earlier marriage is needed to show the current marriage is valid. Unmarried partners are not treated as spouses under the rules as currently applied, however long the relationship.
Children under 18. Biological and legally adopted children of the main applicant or the spouse qualify. Adoption must be formal, with an adoption order; informal care arrangements do not count. Stepchildren qualify as children of the spouse.
Children aged 18 to 29. These must be financially dependent on the main applicant and are generally expected to be unmarried and living with the family or in full-time education. Proof matters more here than for any other group, because adult children are the most common source of follow-up questions.
Children of any age with a disability. A child with a documented physical or mental disability who depends on the main applicant can be included regardless of age. A detailed medical report is needed, not just a letter stating the diagnosis.
Parents, grandparents and siblings
Parents and grandparents aged 55 or over. These can be included as dependants of the main applicant or the spouse. At the time of writing, the over-55 group does not have to prove financial dependency in the same way, but each person still goes through full due diligence and a medical.
Parents and grandparents under 55. These can be included only if they are shown to be financially dependent. That usually means demonstrating that their own income is low and that the main applicant supports them, through bank transfers over a sustained period and a declaration. A working parent of 52 with a healthy salary will normally not qualify.
Siblings. Brothers and sisters of the main applicant or spouse can be included if they are unmarried, have no children and are financially dependent. The exact age conditions are set in the regulations and agent guidance, and they have changed over the life of the programme, so confirm them for your filing date.
Fees follow categories. On the National Transformation Fund route, parents under 55 and siblings typically attract higher additional contributions than children. The government fee schedule and due diligence charges also apply per person, which is why the decision about who to include is partly financial.
What "financially dependent" means in practice
The phrase appears throughout the rules and is the one most often misunderstood. Dependency is not about affection or living under the same roof. It is about money: who pays for the relative's housing, food, education and health care, and whether they could support themselves without that help.
Due diligence firms and the IMA look for a pattern rather than a snapshot. A transfer made the month before filing proves little. Regular transfers over a year or more, tuition invoices paid from the main applicant's account, a lease or utility bills in the main applicant's name for the shared home, and the relative's own tax records showing little or no income tell a coherent story. A sworn declaration from the main applicant ties it together.
Borderline cases include an adult child working part-time while studying, a parent receiving a modest pension, or a sibling who has recently finished university and is looking for work. None is automatically excluded, but each needs a clear explanation and evidence. Agents generally prefer to address the question in the original file rather than wait for a request for further information, which can add weeks.
Common reasons a relative is excluded
Most exclusions are predictable and can be spotted before the file is lodged. The usual problems:
- An adult child who has married, even if still studying and supported by the parents.
- An adult child who has turned 30 by the time the application is lodged; check how the age is measured with your agent, and do not leave a 29-year-old until the last month.
- A sibling who has a child, or who is married or divorced in a way the rules treat as disqualifying.
- A parent under 55 with independent income that undermines the dependency claim.
- A partner in a relationship that is not a legally recognised marriage.
- A relative with an adverse background, such as a criminal record, previous visa refusals they cannot explain, or links to sanctioned persons. Their file can delay or endanger the whole application.
- Missing documents that cannot be obtained, such as an original birth certificate from a country whose registry has been destroyed, without an acceptable substitute such as a court declaration.
Deciding who goes on the first application
Being eligible does not mean a relative must be included now. Some families file with the core household first and add others later, either through the post-citizenship procedure for certain new dependants or through a separate application. The trade-off is cost and timing against simplicity: one file covering everyone is usually cheaper per head and moves as a unit, but a single problematic dependant can hold up the rest.
The questions to settle with your licensed agent before filing are simple. Which relatives clearly qualify today? Which are borderline, and is the evidence strong enough? Is anyone close to an age limit that will expire soon? Does anyone have a history that needs explaining? Answering those honestly, with documents in hand, is what separates a smooth family file from one that stalls in the request-for-information stage.
Rules on dependants are set by Grenada's citizenship by investment legislation and regulations and can be amended. Confirm the current definitions with the IMA or a licensed local agent before relying on any summary, including this one.
Frequently asked questions
Can a fiancé or unmarried partner be included as a dependant?
Not as a spouse under the rules applied at the time of writing. Couples planning to marry often marry before filing so the spouse can be included, or the main applicant applies first and the spouse is added later through the post-citizenship procedure, which carries extra fees and checks.
Do stepchildren qualify as dependants?
Yes, generally as children of the spouse, provided the age and dependency tests are met. Where the stepchild's other biological parent is alive, consent or a custody order may be needed for a minor, so gather that early to avoid delays.
Is there a limit on the number of dependants on one application?
There is no widely published cap, but every additional person adds fees, contributions and due diligence. Very large applications also take longer simply because more background checks are run, so families often weigh speed against including everyone at once.
Can my spouse's parents be included even if mine are not?
Yes. Parents and grandparents of either the main applicant or the spouse can qualify, subject to the same age and dependency tests. Each person is assessed individually, so including one set of parents does not require including the other.
Does a disabled adult child need to live with the main applicant?
Living together is not the sole test. What matters is documented disability and dependence on the main applicant. A detailed medical report and evidence of financial support, such as care home fees paid by the parent, will usually carry more weight than a shared address.
