You may have been surprised at the counter-demands, made by Antigua's Prime Minister, GASTON BROWNE, in response to the European Union's policy notification to all five EC CBI economic passport-issuing states, but things may get much, much worse very quickly. The EU's required interim measures include that, by this September (meaning 2026, not 2028), the five passport selling jurisdictions must have what is described as "reinforced applicant vetting and the total exclusion of individuals on EU sanctions."
For you non-bankers, this means Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) must be in place in September, and this means on the level of Banking Best Practices in Europe and North America. Given that applicants for Antigua CIP are known to include individuals from countries with non-latin alphabets, such as China, Russia, Korea and nations using Arabic and Persian scripts, it is expected that Antigua's EDD staff will have the capability to not only translate, but transliterate, client information as well as positively confirm identities. Frankly, I have my doubts that this level of inquiry has even been in place in Antigua. I also know that the country's leadership actively ignored unverifiable applicants for the sake of income,.
Therefore, if and when this deficiency surfaces, will the EU then terminate visa-free privileges for Antiguan passport holders in 2026? Given Browne's arrogant pushback, and the hardline position of EU leadership, there is a strong chance of this happening. We will be watching; should Antigua's CIP program fall short on EDD, look for immediate, and possibly harsh, action by an EU long since tired of the problems that CBI has brought into Europe.
For you non-bankers, this means Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) must be in place in September, and this means on the level of Banking Best Practices in Europe and North America. Given that applicants for Antigua CIP are known to include individuals from countries with non-latin alphabets, such as China, Russia, Korea and nations using Arabic and Persian scripts, it is expected that Antigua's EDD staff will have the capability to not only translate, but transliterate, client information as well as positively confirm identities. Frankly, I have my doubts that this level of inquiry has even been in place in Antigua. I also know that the country's leadership actively ignored unverifiable applicants for the sake of income,.
Therefore, if and when this deficiency surfaces, will the EU then terminate visa-free privileges for Antiguan passport holders in 2026? Given Browne's arrogant pushback, and the hardline position of EU leadership, there is a strong chance of this happening. We will be watching; should Antigua's CIP program fall short on EDD, look for immediate, and possibly harsh, action by an EU long since tired of the problems that CBI has brought into Europe.
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