The headline price of Grenadian citizenship by investment is quoted for a family of up to four on the National Transformation Fund route: a contribution widely given as US$235,000 at the time of writing. That figure is the start of the calculation, not the end. Every person beyond the first four adds a contribution, and every person of any size adds government fees, due diligence charges and paperwork.
This article explains how the cost scales with family size and composition, which elements are fixed and which vary per head, and how to build a realistic budget before talking to agents. It deliberately avoids precise fee tables, because they are set by regulation, adjusted from time to time and may be affected by the regional regulator, ECCIRA, once it is operating. Use it to understand the structure, then get a current written schedule from a licensed local agent.
The building blocks of the bill
Every family application is made up of the same components. The investment itself: either the NTF contribution or the approved real estate purchase plus its government contribution. The government fees: application and processing fees, which are partly fixed per application and partly per person. The due diligence fees: charged for each person above an age threshold, commonly 17, to pay for background checks by international firms. The passport and oath fees once citizenship is granted. Then the professional fees of the local agent and any international adviser, and the third-party costs: medicals, police certificates, apostilles, translations and couriers.
Family size affects almost every block. Only some professional fees and a few fixed government charges stay the same whatever the family size. The investment threshold changes once a family passes the size the base contribution covers; due diligence fees rise with every adult; passport fees rise with every person.
Composition matters as much as size. A family of five made up of a couple and three young children costs less than a family of five made up of a couple, one child and two parents under 55, because adult dependants attract due diligence fees and parents under 55 and siblings generally attract higher additional contributions.
How the investment scales on the NTF route
Up to four people. The base NTF contribution, widely quoted at US$235,000 at the time of writing, covers the main applicant and up to three dependants.
Additional children and older parents. Each further dependant in these categories typically adds a fixed additional contribution, commonly quoted at around US$25,000 per person. Confirm the current figure.
Parents under 55 and siblings. These are generally charged at a higher additional rate than children, reflecting the extra assessment. Ask your agent for the exact amount, which has changed over time.
Non-refundable. The NTF contribution is a donation and is not refundable once paid, which is why it is paid only after approval in principle. A family that is approved but then decides to withdraw a dependant after paying will not recover that person's share.
Grandparents and disabled adult children. These are priced according to the category the regulations put them in. A grandparent over 55 is usually treated like a parent over 55, and a disabled adult child like a child; confirm both with your agent, since a misclassification changes the total.
How it scales on the real estate route
On the approved real estate route, the investment in the property itself does not rise with family size: a share in an approved project is commonly quoted at US$270,000 and full ownership of a unit at US$350,000 at the time of writing. What changes is the non-refundable government contribution and fees that sit alongside the purchase.
The government contribution is widely quoted at US$50,000 for a family of up to four, with higher amounts for larger families. Combined with per-person fees, that means the gap between the NTF and real estate routes narrows or widens depending on family size. For a single applicant, the NTF is usually cheaper in cash terms; for a large family, the comparison needs to be run with real numbers, taking into account any resale value of the property after the minimum holding period and the risk that resale may be slow.
Do not forget the costs of owning the property: management charges, maintenance fees and the transaction costs of buying and eventually selling. These do not scale with family size, but they belong in any honest comparison of the two routes.
Building a realistic family budget
A practical way to estimate before you speak to agents:
- List everyone you might include, with their age on the expected filing date and their relationship to the main applicant.
- Mark which are children under 18, adult children, parents over 55, parents under 55 and siblings, since categories drive contributions and fees.
- Count how many are above the due diligence age threshold; each will need checks, police certificates and usually an interview.
- Choose a route and apply the base investment, then add any additional dependant contributions for that route.
- Ask two or three licensed agents for written quotes for that exact configuration, with government fees, due diligence and professional fees shown separately.
- Add a contingency for translations, apostilles, couriers, medicals and travel, typically several thousand US dollars for a larger family.
- Note which costs are refundable if the application is refused. Due diligence fees and many professional fees normally are not.
Where family budgets go wrong
Families who underestimate usually make one of these mistakes:
- Using a comparison website table that shows the base investment and ignores per-person fees.
- Forgetting that a 17-year-old already counts for due diligence purposes, or a child will cross the threshold during preparation.
- Counting a parent under 55 as if they were over 55.
- Assuming professional fees are flat, when some agents charge per dependant.
- Ignoring currency costs: fees are quoted in US dollars, and banks charge for transfers and conversion. Grenada's own currency, the Eastern Caribbean dollar, is pegged at EC$2.70 to US$1, but your home currency is not.
- Not budgeting for passport renewals, which every family member will need over time, and potentially an earlier renewal if a five-year first passport is introduced under proposed rule changes.
- Leaving no margin for regulatory change: ECCIRA may adjust fees across the region once it begins work.
Paying: timing and cash flow
The bill does not arrive all at once, and understanding the timing helps families plan their cash. Professional fees are often split, with a portion on engagement and the remainder at submission or approval. Government application and due diligence fees are paid when the file is lodged, which is the point of greatest risk: that money is usually gone whatever the decision.
The investment itself is paid only after approval in principle, within a deadline set in the approval letter, commonly a matter of weeks. On the real estate route that means having the purchase funds, and the transfer arrangements, ready to move quickly. Passport and oath fees follow at the end.
Large international transfers can be delayed by compliance checks at the sending bank. Warn your bank in advance, keep the source-of-funds documents to hand, and allow time for the transfer to clear before the deadline. A missed payment deadline is an avoidable way to put an approved file at risk.
Is it cheaper to split the family?
Sometimes families ask whether two smaller applications cost less than one large one. On the NTF route, splitting usually costs more, because each application carries its own base contribution. The exception is where adult relatives do not qualify as dependants anyway and must apply separately.
What sometimes makes sense is sequencing rather than splitting: the core family applies first, and new relatives who qualify later, such as a new spouse or a baby, are added through the post-citizenship procedure. That spreads cost over time but rarely reduces the total.
The best decision comes from a written comparison of two or three configurations prepared by a licensed agent with current figures. Fees and categories change, so treat every number in this article as an order of magnitude and confirm the current schedule before you commit funds.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Grenada citizenship cost for a family of four?
At the time of writing, the NTF contribution for up to four people is widely quoted at US$235,000, plus government, due diligence, passport and professional fees that agents often estimate in the tens of thousands of US dollars. Ask for a written quote for your family.
Do young children add to the cost?
Yes, but less than adults. Children beyond the four covered by the base contribution add an additional contribution, and every child adds passport fees and some processing costs. Children below the due diligence age threshold do not usually attract background check fees.
Why do parents under 55 cost more than parents over 55?
Younger parents must prove financial dependency and are generally charged a higher additional contribution on the NTF route. The exact difference is set by regulation and has changed, so confirm current figures with a licensed agent before including them.
Are any fees refunded if the application is refused?
Due diligence fees are normally kept whatever the outcome, and many professional fees are earned as work is done. The NTF contribution is only paid after approval in principle. Ask your agent for a written list of what is refundable in each scenario.
Will the costs change in the future?
Possibly. Grenada has adjusted its thresholds before, and the regional regulator ECCIRA may harmonise or adjust government fees once it is operating. Any quote should be dated and confirmed close to the time you file.
