A Grenada citizenship by investment application is, at its core, a large bundle of documents that tells a consistent story about who each family member is, what their history is, and where the investment money came from. The forms themselves take an afternoon. Gathering, certifying and translating the supporting evidence takes weeks, and gaps in it are the main reason files are returned or questioned.
This checklist groups the documents agents commonly request into families: identity, civil status, character, health, finances and dependency. It is not the official list. The Investment Migration Agency (IMA), formerly the CBI Unit, sets the forms and the requirements, and your licensed agent will issue a tailored list for your family. Use this to start early and to spot the items that tend to take longest.
A good working rule: if a document exists in more than one version, with different spellings, dates or formats, the discrepancy will be noticed. Resolve it before filing.
Identity and civil status, for every family member
These establish who each person is and how they are related. Agents typically ask for certified copies, and some originals may be requested:
- current passport, with the biographical page and, in some cases, all used pages showing travel history;
- national identity card where your country issues one;
- full birth certificate showing both parents' names, not a short extract;
- marriage certificate, and divorce decrees or death certificates relating to any previous marriages;
- deed poll, court order or other evidence of any change of name, including names before marriage;
- military service records or exemption documents, where your country of citizenship requires service;
- certified photographs to the programme's specification, signed and certified as the forms require.
- Tip: civil records issued decades ago are sometimes handwritten, damaged or in an obsolete format. Many registries will issue a fresh certified extract on request, which is easier to authenticate and translate. Order these early, because some registries only accept requests in person or through a representative.
Character and background
Police certificates. From each country of citizenship and each country of significant residence in roughly the last ten years, for every applicant above the age threshold. These are often the slowest documents to obtain.
Court documents. For any conviction, charge, arrest, civil judgment or bankruptcy, the papers showing the outcome. Disclosing without documents is only half the job.
Visa refusal letters. Any refusal of a visa or entry, with dates and reasons, and evidence of any visas granted later.
Curriculum vitae. A detailed CV for the main applicant and adult dependants who work, consistent with the employment and business history in the forms.
Proof of address. Recent utility bills, bank statements or official correspondence showing current residential address.
Previous passports. Older passports, where still held, help confirm travel history and earlier names. If they were surrendered or lost, a short note saying so avoids a question later.
Residence permits. Copies of residence cards or permits for each country where you have lived, which also show the dates that determine which police certificates are needed.
The forms themselves
The programme's application forms gather personal details, family relationships, residential and travel history, employment and business interests, assets and the chosen investment. There are separate forms or sections for each dependant, for the medical examination, and for photographs and signatures. Your agent will provide the current set; do not use versions found online, which may be out of date.
Completing them is less about writing and more about consistency. Each date of a job, each address and each company named should match the CV, the documents and the source-of-wealth statement. Leaving a box blank where the answer is "none" can look like an omission, so mark it clearly.
Signatures may need to be witnessed, and some declarations must be signed before a notary. Ask the agent to check draft forms before anyone signs, because a correction after signature can mean starting that page again.
Health
Each person on the application needs a medical report on the programme's own form, completed and signed by a licensed doctor, with laboratory results attached, including an HIV test. The form is updated from time to time, so take the current version from your agent rather than from an old download.
Because medical reports must be recent when the file is lodged, they are usually the last documents to obtain. Booking all family members at one clinic in the same week keeps dates aligned. If a dependant is included because of a disability, specialist reports describing the condition and the dependency should be added to the standard form.
Check that every page and every laboratory result carries the person's full name exactly as it appears in the passport. Shortened names, missing middle names and maiden names on laboratory reports are among the most common reasons medicals are sent back.
Keep the clinic's details and the receipts. If the review takes longer than expected and an updated medical is requested, returning to the same clinic with the same form is the quickest way to produce a matching report.
Financial documents
This is usually the largest and most individual part of the file. The exact requirements depend on how your wealth was made, but most files include:
- a bank reference letter, commonly requested from a bank you have used for some years, confirming the relationship and its conduct;
- bank statements covering the account that will pay the investment, over the period agreed with your agent;
- personal tax returns or tax certificates for recent years;
- evidence of employment income: contracts, payslips, employer letters;
- for business owners: company registration documents, shareholder registers, financial statements and dividend records;
- evidence of specific sources: sale agreements for property or shares, probate documents for inheritance, gift declarations;
- a written source-of-funds and source-of-wealth statement tying the evidence together;
- a professional reference where the forms ask for one, for example from a lawyer or accountant who knows you.
- for the real estate route: the reservation or sale agreement for the approved project and evidence that the project is on the approved list, with the developer's documents reviewed by your own lawyer.
Dependants: the extra evidence
Children aged 18 and over. Evidence of financial dependency and, where relevant, full-time enrolment at a university or college, such as an enrolment letter and evidence of who pays the fees.
Disabled dependants. Medical and specialist evidence of the disability and of the dependency on the main applicant.
Parents and grandparents. Birth certificates proving the relationship, and evidence of financial dependency for those below the age at which dependency is presumed under the current rules.
Siblings. Proof of relationship, evidence that they are unmarried and have no children where the rules require it, and evidence of financial dependency.
Children of previous relationships. Custody orders or the consent of the other parent may be needed where a child of a previous relationship is included.
Turning the pile into a file
Gathering is half the job; organising is the other half. A sensible order of work:
- Ask the agent for a tailored checklist for each family member and agree a target filing date.
- Order the slow items first: police certificates from abroad, fingerprint checks, reissued civil records and tax transcripts.
- Collect the financial evidence and draft the source-of-wealth statement in parallel.
- Check every document for name spellings, dates of birth and places of birth that match the passports.
- Arrange certification, apostilles or legalisation, and certified translations as required for each document.
- Complete the forms last, using the documents as the source, so that every answer is supported.
- Book medicals once everything else is nearly ready, then send the full pack to the agent for review before originals are couriered.
Frequently asked questions
Do documents for Grenada CBI need to be originals?
Many documents are submitted as certified copies, but some originals, such as police certificates, medical reports and bank references, are commonly required. Your agent will specify which documents must be original and how copies should be certified.
Do all documents need to be in English?
Documents in other languages need certified English translations, usually alongside a certified copy of the original. Translations should be by a recognised translator and should render names exactly as they appear in the passport.
How recent must the documents be?
Police certificates, medical reports, bank references and proof of address are expected to be recent when the application is lodged, often within a few months. Civil documents such as birth certificates do not expire, but reissued versions are sometimes requested.
What if a birth certificate is lost or never issued?
A replacement should be obtained from the civil registry. Where none exists, alternative evidence and sworn declarations may be considered, but this needs to be discussed with your agent early, as it can affect the timeline.
Can documents be sent electronically?
Scans are useful for review, but applications rely on properly certified documents, and original certificates may be required. Ask your agent how the IMA currently accepts submissions and which items must be sent physically.
