Longer waits for citizenship applications have weakened Antigua and Barbuda’s performance in the 2026 CBI Index, with its processing timeline score falling from five to three out of 10.
The report attributed the decline to longer processing periods under the country’s citizenship-by-investment programme, which allows eligible applicants to obtain citizenship through a qualifying financial contribution or investment.
“Antigua and Barbuda moves in the opposite direction, falling from five to three points as longer processing periods weigh on its ranking,” the report said.
The decline came as Saint Lucia improved its score in the same category from four to six, reversing some of the deterioration recorded in previous editions.
Antigua and Barbuda remained fifth overall among the 14 jurisdictions assessed, with 65 points out of a possible 90. Its position was unchanged from 2025 despite the weaker timeline assessment.
The index’s Citizenship Timeline category measures how long applicants take to progress through the application process and obtain final approval. Programmes with shorter processing periods receive higher scores.
Researchers examine applicable laws, regulations and official programme guidance to determine the processing periods stipulated by each jurisdiction. However, the report cautioned that published timelines do not always capture applicants’ actual experience.
The assessment therefore also draws extensively on qualitative evidence from applicants, agents and other industry stakeholders to establish the processing times encountered in practice.
The section discussing Antigua and Barbuda’s decline did not specify an average waiting period or identify the reasons applications were taking longer.
St. Kitts and Nevis retained nine points in the timeline category, with an estimated processing period of three to four months. Dominica also scored nine, while Grenada remained on six.
Antigua and Barbuda’s three points placed it alongside Malta in the category, above Austria, which scored two.
The index does not award additional credit for accelerated or fast-track processing options, recognising that speed must be assessed alongside the time needed for comprehensive background checks and compliance procedures.
Its findings point to increasingly varied processing timelines across citizenship programmes, even as the overall ranking order remained unchanged.
The annual index, now in its 10th edition, evaluates programmes across nine categories. Citizenship Timeline is assessed separately from Ease of Processing, which examines the demands and procedural requirements placed on applicants. Antigua and Barbuda received eight out of 10 in that separate category.
This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: Longer citizenship processing times weaken Antigua and Barbuda’s CBI score.