Dominica Citizenship & Second Passport

THE DOMINICA SECOND CITIZENSHIP AND PASSPORT PROGRAM

APPLICATION PROCESS

The Application Process is as follows:

1. Preparing and submitting the application and all supporting documents, including the medical report.
   Maritime International Limited will advise you on how to complete Form 12, which can be a little complex, particularly for those where English is not their first language.
   
   We will also assist with the documentation, as not all the requirements are easily available in many countries. For example, not all countries have notaries and some banks do not provide signed reference letters, and so on. We are familiar with these problems and alternate solutions have to be approved by the Dominica Government.
   
   Once the application forms and documents are completed, they are sent to us by courier. We check them thoroughly to ensure they are correct. This is very important as the slightest deviation from the required norm will cause your application to be delayed indefinitely until the matter is corrected. Maritime International Limited ensures this does not happen to you.
   
   We and our attorney in Dominica then submit your application and follow it through the various Government departments and answer their queries.
   
   
2. Receiving the "Comfort Letter" and sending the required government funds.
3. Interviews in Dominica.
4. Signing the Oath of Allegiance.
5. Receiving the Certificate of Naturalization.
6. Applying for the Dominica Passport and receiving same.

During the process, the Due Diligence work must be carried out by the approved investigating company. Ideally, this should be done at the beginning as it is a little lengthy. Some clients prefer to wait for the "Comfort Letter" before authorizing the Due Diligence investigation as the expense incurred is non-refundable. This can, however, extend the time period for approval very considerably and clients are therefore recommended to proceed immediately and not wait. If there is anything a client is worried about with respect to the Due Diligence response, it should be brought up with us right away, so we can seek an advance ruling on whether it might impact on the application.

"COMFORT LETTER" & PAYMENT TO GOVERNMENT

After the application is submitted, it will be carefully reviewed by the Government. They will then issue an official "Letter of Comfort." This does not mean that the application has been approved; only that it has been reviewed and no problems have been found.

On receipt of the "Letter of Comfort", the investment funds must be deposited in the National Commercial Bank of Dominica. Maritime International Limited will provide detailed wire transfer instructions to the client as well as other notification requirements.

GOVERNMENT REFUND GUARANTEE

• Each investor/applicant under the program must deposit into the appropriate account at the National Commercial Bank of Dominica the amount of their investment. This amount will not be withdrawn from the account by the Government unless the application is withdrawn, rejected or approved. In either of the first two cases the applicant will be refunded. However, if the application is rejected because of false information or declarations, forged or fraudulent documents submitted by the applicant, then the investment will be forfeited to the Commonwealth of Dominica and will not be refunded.
  
  
• If the application is refused by the Government, all sums (net of bank charges and exchange rate differential) paid into the designated account, will be refunded to the applicant within one (1) month of the rejection of the application. However, no sums paid as fees to Government on applications for economic citizenship will be refunded.

INTERVIEWS

A Government interview is mandatory. It cannot be waived. It will be held at an appropriate time in Dominica after the application has been reviewed, a "Letter of Comfort" issued, and the investment fees paid to the Government.

The interview may also be held outside of Dominica but this is subject to a payment of US $3,000.00 plus the full travel and living cost of the three members of the interview panel.

Maritime International Limited and its attorney will make all arrangements with the Government for your interview. You will meet with our attorney in Dominica for discussions before the interview. If you wish, we will assist you in arranging accommodations and other trip details.

The interview will be in English. An interpreter can be arranged if desired.

OATH OF ALLEGIANCE / CERTIFICATE OF NATURALIZATION / PASSPORT(S)

After final approval of the application by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Immigration and Labor, each applicant must sign an Oath of Allegiance. Maritime International Limited will advise you on the procedure for this. It can be a problem for applicants from some countries which do not have notaries, etc. but we are familiar with these difficulties and can advise on appropriate solutions.

After receiving the Signed Oath of Allegiance, the Government will provide the Commonwealth of Dominica Certificate of Naturalization to our attorney for onward transmission to the client.

The applicant must next apply for the passport(s). Maritime International Limited will provide the appropriate forms and assist in preparing the application. Our attorney in Dominica will present the application to the passport authority and obtain the passport. You do not need to visit Dominica. Maritime International Limited will courier the passport(s) to you.
Passports are valid for ten years for adults and five years for children and are easily renewed.

Passport details are in the country’s record, the same as all other Dominica citizens and can be verified by passport authorities throughout the world as required. Note that this program has been in place for many years and, as a result is familiar to world authorities.

We have existing clients who have held their Dominica citizenship/passport for 13 years and more.

DUE DILIGENCE

A mandatory background check is required for all applicants 16 years of age and over. This is at the applicant's expense. The background check must be carried out by one of the two Dominica Government approved companies, which are located in the U.S. We are very familiar with both companies, having used them many times for Due Diligence investigations on many matters, not just the Dominica citizenship program.

A "Disclosure Form" must be completed for use by the company conducting the background check. Maritime International Limited will assist the client in interpreting the requirement of the form and completing it, as it is quite extensive.

Maritime International Limited will discuss the applicant’s requirements with the companies and ask for a quotation. Note that the prices given will be estimates, not firm quotes, but they are usually pretty accurate, unless some unexpected problems occur.

Maritime International Limited will recommend one of the companies, but the final decision will be up to the client. Payment is made directly to the company selected.

It is our experience that background checks in the US and Europe tend to be relatively easy. Problems occur in Asia and particularly in China where documentation is not so easily available. We have, however, used the approved companies before in Asia/China, where they have representatives, and so this area can be covered.

The background checks mainly involve ensuring that the applicant has no criminal record or background and that his/her resume and statements are correct.

RESIDENCY & TAXES

There is no requirement to reside in Dominica for any period of time. New economic citizens may come and go as they please.

There are no tax implications for new Dominica citizens so long as they have no Dominica sourced income. Offshore income is non-taxable and there are no inheritance, estate, death duties or other like taxes.

VISA FREE ACCESS

A Commonwealth of Dominica passport provides visa free access to over 100 countries such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, Singapore, Hong Kong, most Caribbean countries, Panama, Venezuela, Cuba and so on. Obtaining a Visa to the Schengen agreement countries in Europe is usually not difficult.

GOVERNMENT APPROVED ECONOMIC CITIZENSHIP AGENT (Mandatory)

All applications for Dominica Economic Citizenship MUST be made through Government approved agents. ONLY local Dominica resident companies or individuals may be approved by the Government. All foreign companies assisting clients to make application must have a local partner or affiliate, approved by the Government. There are no exceptions.

Maritime International Limited has had local affiliates in Dominica for 13 years, as we handle Dominica offshore companies and trusts plus the Dominica citizenship program. Our local affiliate is a Government approved agent, Safe Haven Offshore Ltd, represented by Cecily Lees, a prominent Dominica attorney. Credentials are available on request.

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