Moving to Grenada 2026, Step by Step

GRENADA · ST. GEORGE'S · EXPAT GUIDE

Moving to Grenada is easy to begin and takes paperwork to finish. Americans can land without a visa and stay three months, extendable to a year, but a job needs a work permit and a permanent move needs either permanent residence or citizenship by investment. Grenada, a three-island nation of Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique in the southern Caribbean, uses the Eastern Caribbean dollar and goes to the polls on 5 November.

This guide sets out the steps in the order you will meet them, from the official texts: Grenada's Immigration Act and work-permit rules, the Investment Migration Agency's published prices and the US State Department's guidance. Eastern Caribbean dollar (EC$) amounts are converted at 2.6882 per US dollar, the closing rate on Tuesday, 6 October 2026.

What It Means for You

If you are a US citizen, Grenada is one of the simpler Caribbean moves: no visa to arrive and a US Embassy on the island. What does not change is your US tax bill. The IRS taxes citizens on their worldwide income wherever they live. For tax year 2026, up to US$132,900 of foreign earned income can be excluded, and a Grenadian passport changes nothing about that.

If you are weighing a Caribbean passport, watch Washington. Proclamation 10998, in force since Thursday, 1 January 2026, suspended US visitor, student and immigrant visas for nationals of Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica, noting that both had “historically had CBI without residency”, meaning citizenship by investment. Grenada is not on that list. A separate State Department pause on immigrant visas for 75 countries, Grenada among them, has not applied since 21 August 2026, after a US court order.

If you are British, Canadian or European, the same steps apply. Your work permit falls in the same EC$3,000 (about US$1,116) band as an American's.

Step 1: Arrive as a Visitor and Scout

Your passport must be valid for six months beyond the date you enter, with one blank page for the stamp. No vaccinations are required unless you arrive from a country with yellow fever. A scouting trip is the time to compare districts, schools, banks and insurers, and to confirm whether what you plan to do counts as work.

A visitor may not work. Grenada's Ministry of Labour does not process work-permit applications from holders of a visitor visa unless their status is regularised, and anyone working without a permit falls under the immigration laws.

Step 2: Get a Work Permit Before You Take a Job

Foreign workers need a permit from the Department of Labour, part of the Ministry of Labour, before they start, with the employer's letter and stamp on the application. The ministry's guide counts self-employment, contract, part-time and consultancy work as work. Its published fees for each year of employment are:

• EC$1,000 (about US$372): nationals of the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago and Cuba.
• EC$3,000 (about US$1,116): other Commonwealth citizens and nationals of North America, the United Kingdom and the European Union.
• EC$5,000 (about US$1,860): everyone else.
• EC$100 (about US$37): the application form, not refunded if you are refused. Replacing a lost permit and filing a renewal late cost EC$100 (about US$37) each.

The fee is paid to the Accountant General at the Treasury only after approval, and the receipt must reach the ministry within 48 hours. Permits run for 12 months and cover one job with one employer; a new employer means a new permit. Under the ministry's guide, many positions must first be advertised locally for three weeks in a row, and complete files are processed within 12 working days.

Renew three months before the permit expires. A renewal needs the old permit, an employer's letter, two photos, your passport page with your last entry, a tax compliance certificate from the Inland Revenue Division and a compliance certificate from the National Insurance Scheme, Grenada's social security fund.

Step 3: Apply for Permanent Residence

Under Section 24 of the Immigration Act, the minister may grant permanent residence to anyone who is “of good character” and states an intention to live in Grenada permanently. The act sets no minimum number of years. A permit can be revoked if the holder lives outside Grenada continuously for three years.

The latest instruction sheet The Rio Times could find, dated 2013 and still posted by Grenada's embassy in China on the Foreign Ministry's website, asks for:

• Forms signed before a Justice of the Peace or notary, and four certified passport photos.
• Reference letters from your home country and from Grenada.
• Police certificates from your home country, your country of residence and Grenada, issued within six months.
• Your birth certificate and a letter giving your arrival date, what you have been doing and why you want to stay.
• After the government's background check: bank statements and a medical report with tests done at the General Hospital laboratory.

The sheet lists an application fee of EC$275 (about US$102) plus a EC$5.10 (about US$1.90) transaction charge, sent to the Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister in St. George's. The permit itself costs more: regulations from 2004, printed with the Immigration Act, set a fee of EC$5,000 (about US$1,860) for a permanent residence permit, or EC$1,000 (about US$372) for citizens of Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries and Cuba. Ask the office whether the sheet and fees are still current before you file.

Step 4: Citizenship by Investment, If You Want a Passport

Grenada sells citizenship through its Investment Migration Agency (IMA), the state body that runs the programme. Since 1 July 2024 the prices are:

• National Transformation Fund: US$235,000 for a main applicant with up to three dependants. Each extra dependant adds US$25,000 or US$50,000, and each sibling US$75,000. At least US$200,000 stays with the government; up to US$35,000 may go to agents as commission.
• Approved real estate: at least US$350,000 in a government-approved project, or US$270,000 for a share in a tourism unit bought jointly by two or more applicants, plus a US$50,000 government contribution.
• Fees on top: US$1,500 application fee per person; US$5,000 due diligence and US$1,500 processing for each applicant aged 17 or over (US$500 processing for younger children); and a US$1,000 interview fee for each person aged 17 or over.

On the agency's fee table, that puts a single applicant at no less than US$244,000 and a couple at US$253,000 in government costs, before agents' and lawyers' bills. Applications go only through an authorized local agent, working with a licensed international marketing agent, and the agency requires an interview. On the fund route you may apply for citizenship directly, or for permanent residence first.

Step 5: Sort Out Tax, Social Security and Money

Under the threshold set by Grenada's Inland Revenue Division, employees pay income tax only on earnings above EC$3,000 (about US$1,116) a month, or EC$36,000 (about US$13,390) a year. A work-permit renewal needs compliance certificates from both the tax office and the National Insurance Scheme, so register with both as soon as you start work.

Banks set their own rules for foreign customers, so ask in writing which documents they need and get confirmation that the account is open before you wire large sums.

Step 6: Plan for Health, Hurricanes and Safety

The State Department describes medical care in Grenada as below US standards, notes that Medicare does not cover care abroad and strongly recommends medical evacuation insurance. Hurricane season runs from 1 June to 30 November, and the islands sit in a seismic zone.

On crime, its advisory warns that “violent crime can occur anywhere in Grenada”, including armed robbery and assault against Americans. Two local laws surprise newcomers: sex between men remains a crime that carries up to 10 years in prison, although prosecutions are rare, and drug penalties are severe. The US Embassy is at L'Anse aux Epines, St. George's (+1 473 444-1173).

The 5 November Election

Writs for the election were issued on Friday, 2 October 2026, and the Government Gazette sets nomination day for Thursday, 15 October, and polling for Thursday, 5 November. Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell, a lawyer who leads the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), called the vote almost a year before the October 2027 deadline.

The main challenger is the New National Party (NNP), led by Emmalin Pierre. Its founder and former prime minister, Keith Mitchell, left active politics last week after 42 years in Parliament.

What Is Not Known

• Current permanent-residence fees and waiting times. The only instruction sheet online dates from 2013, and no official processing time is published.
• Income tax rates. The Rio Times could not confirm the current rates above the EC$36,000 (about US$13,390) threshold; the Inland Revenue Division's website was not reachable on 7 October.
• The exact due-diligence fee. The Investment Migration Agency's fee table lists US$5,000 per person aged 17 or over, while its own questions page says US$6,000.
• A remote-work visa. The Rio Times found no Grenadian digital-nomad permit in force; ask the Department of Labour whether foreign-employer remote work needs a permit.
• Policy after the election. Neither main party had published plans for the investment programme by 7 October.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do Americans need a visa to move to Grenada?

Not to arrive. The US State Department says Americans need no tourist visa and are granted three months on entry, which can be extended for up to one year. Working requires a work permit, and staying for good requires permanent residence or citizenship.

How much does a Grenada work permit cost for a US citizen?

EC$3,000 (about US$1,116) for each year of employment, plus a non-refundable EC$100 (about US$37) application fee. The same rate applies to Canadian, British and EU citizens and other Commonwealth nationals.

How much does Grenada citizenship by investment cost in 2026?

The National Transformation Fund route costs US$235,000 for a main applicant with up to three dependants, plus application, due-diligence, processing and interview fees. A single applicant pays at least US$244,000 in government costs. The approved real-estate route needs at least US$350,000, or US$270,000 for a shared tourism unit, plus a US$50,000 government contribution.

Can I get permanent residence in Grenada without investing?

Yes. Under Section 24 of the Immigration Act, the minister may grant permanent residence to a person of good character who intends to live in Grenada permanently. The 2013 instruction sheet lists an application fee of EC$275 (about US$102), and 2004 regulations set a permit fee of EC$5,000 (about US$1,860) for non-CARICOM nationals.

When is Grenada’s next general election?

Polling day is Thursday, 5 November 2026, with nomination day on Thursday, 15 October, according to the Government Gazette. Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell’s National Democratic Congress faces the New National Party led by Emmalin Pierre.

Sources: US State Department, Grenada country information, US State Department, Grenada travel advisory, 5 January 2026, Grenada Department of Labour, work permits, Grenada Ministry of Labour, work permit guide, Grenada Immigration Act, Cap. 145, Grenada Foreign Ministry, permanent residence instruction sheet, Investment Migration Agency Grenada, becoming a citizen, IMA Grenada, enquiries, IMA Grenada, notice on minimum investment from 1 July 2024, S.R.O. 15 of 2024, Grenada Inland Revenue Division, client advisory on income tax, via NOW Grenada, IRS, foreign earned income exclusion, US Federal Register, Proclamation 10998, US State Department, immigrant visa pause update, Government of Grenada, Gazette No. 47 (Extraordinary), 2 October 2026, Jamaica Gleaner (CMC), election date, 5 October 2026, Government of Grenada. All retrieved 7 October 2026.

This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief