In December 2025, the European Commission released its 8th
annual Visa Suspension Mechanism Report, stating that it now views
the existence of Caribbean citizenship-by-investment
(“CBI”) programs as sufficient grounds to suspend
Schengen visa-free access for those countries, representing a
material shift in the risk profile of access to the Schengen area.
Individuals holding more than one passport may continue to access
the Schengen area in accordance with entry rules applicable to
their second nationality, notwithstanding the restriction on
certain Caribbean passports.
What Has Changed
Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis,
and Saint Lucia are explicitly singled out due to their
consistently low CBI rejection rates and a combined total of more
than 100,000 CBI passports issued to date. The Commission's
report states that operating a CBI program “in itself”
can justify suspending visa-free status. This statement marks a
departure from
