Relocation intelligence

🇦🇬 Moving to Antigua & Barbuda: tax, residency and cost of living

Antigua and Barbuda levies no personal income tax (abolished April 2016). Employees still pay mandatory contributions: Social Security (6% employee, capped at EC$78,000/year), Medical Benefits (3.5%) and an Education Levy (2.5% rising to 5%). No wealth, inheritance or capital gains tax. Corporate tax is 25% and ABST/VAT is 15%.

Thinking of moving to Antigua & Barbuda? Here is the tax, residency, property and quality-of-life picture in plain numbers, with sources.

Key facts

Top income tax
0%
Corporate tax
25%
Capital gains
0%
Wealth tax
No
Inheritance tax
No
Cost of living index
70
Safety
6/10
Internet quality
6/10
Visa-free destinations
154
Foreigners can own property
Yes
Residency in
6 months
Citizenship in
5 years

Taxes

Zero personal income tax since 2016. Mandatory employee deductions: Social Security 6% (ceiling EC$6,500/month), Medical Benefits 3.5% (no ceiling) and Education Levy 2.5% up to EC$5,000/month and 5% above. No capital gains, inheritance or wealth tax.

Residency and visas

Citizenship can be obtained via investment (donation or real estate) within months. Ordinary naturalisation requires several years of residence. A Nomad Digital Residence visa also exists.

Property ownership

Foreigners may own residential property but require a Non-Citizen Land Holding License, with a licence fee of around 5 percent.

Cost of living and quality of life

Caribbean island living with 365 beaches, warm climate and English as the working language. Downsides are high import costs, limited healthcare and hurricane risk.

Passport and mobility

The Antigua and Barbuda passport ranks 24th on the 2026 Henley Index with visa-free access to around 154 countries.

Why people move to Antigua & Barbuda

  • No income tax

    Personal income tax has been fully abolished since April 2016 (0%), alongside no capital gains, inheritance or wealth tax.

  • Strong passport via investment

    The citizenship-by-investment programme delivers a passport within months with visa-free access to around 154 countries, including the EU, UK and Singapore.

Honest trade-offs

  • Hoge kosten van levensonderhoud omdat vrijwel alle consumptiegoederen worden geïmporteerd, waardoor voedsel, brandstof en nutsvoorzieningen duur zijn.
  • Geen persoonlijke inkomstenbelasting maar wel verplichte loonheffingen (sociale zekerheid, Medical Benefits en Education Levy) die samen ongeveer 12 tot 13,5 procent van het brutoloon bedragen.
  • Als buitenlander onroerend goed bezitten vereist een Non-Citizen Land Holding License met een vergunningskosten van circa 5 procent en een goedkeuringsproces.
  • De gezondheidszorg is beperkt met een matige Numbeo Health Care score van 50, waardoor ernstige gevallen vaak behandeling in het buitenland vereisen.
  • Het eiland ligt in de orkaangordel en is kwetsbaar voor tropische stormen en klimaatrisico's, wat verzekerings- en woningkosten verhoogt.

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Sources

Other destinations

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