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 1. How long does it take to set up an offshore company (IBC)?
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Once the payment and all the required information are received from our clients, the documents will be dispatched the next working day by courier post (FedEx or DHL) from Dominica. |
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2. Are the forms I have to fill for incorporation complicated? |
There is nothing complicated in the forms you have to fill. We do the work of incorporation and changes to the structure of your IBC for you. This ensures accuracy, speed and law compliance. |
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3. Do you need a proof of identity to incorporate a new IBC or to buy an offshore shelf (vintage) company? |
We would need a clear copy of one of the following documents: Current Valid National ID card, Valid Passport, Social Security Card or Current Full Driving License. Such information will be kept in strict confidence in our office. |
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4. Can tax authorities or any other "third party" get information about the beneficial owners of the offshore company? |
To preserve the confidentiality of the beneficial owners we recommend using the nominee services of director and shareholder, which we provide. You can also consider using bearer shares. That way the Registry of the Commonwealth of Dominica will not know the names of beneficial owners of an offshore company. In Dominica there is no open Registry of directors and shareholders.
Only your registered agent, which is "CCP Inc.", will have your personal details. Government Authorities can request the information from the agent only with a courts' order, but they would have to present very strong evidence of your illegal activities in court for such order to be granted.
It is always advisable to incorporate an IBC by using offshore incorporators, rather than using the services of your domestic incorporators. We are not under any obligation to cooperate with your country's tax authorities, but your local incorporators can be. |
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5. If I change my mind about wanting an offshore company, can I get a refund? |
Once you have filled the incorporation form and paid the required amount, a refund is not possible. These funds would have already been committed to the incorporation fees and other related services performed. |
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6. What is a nominee service for an offshore IBC? |
A nominee is a person who is not a real owner or director of the company, but who is appointed by the real owner to act in this capacity. Nominees are widely used by the owners of offshore companies to preserve their identity. By using the power of attorney, the nominee director transfers all the powers to manage the business to a person whom the real owner can trust. |
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7. What is asset protection? |
It is a transfer of the ownership of your assets (investments, property, savings, etc) from an individual to a legal entity, an offshore company in this case. That way you are no longer the owner of your assets and it is much more difficult to be successful in suing you. But you are still in full control of that company. |
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8. What are bearer shares? |
The Bearer share Certificate specifies that the person having physical possession of the document is the owner, e.g. there is no name of the owner written on it. The transfer of bearer shares is simple, because the transfer of the certificate accomplishes transfer of ownership. |
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9. Where can I open a bank account for my IBC? |
| You may open an account for the IBC in practically any country in the Caribbean, USA, Canada, Great Britain, Latvia, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Spain, Austria, Denmark, etc. It all depends upon your objectives. It can be for investment, trading or savings purposes. That will determine what bank you want to choose (onshore or offshore). We provide bank introductions to our clients (if they chose a package with a bank account service) in a reliable and efficient bank in Dominica, which allows its clients to operate their account via phone, fax and Internet. Please note that you only pay for this service if you requested it. The registration document kit is sufficient to open a bank account anywhere you choose if you need a specific bank.
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| 10. How long does it take to set up an offshore bank account? What are the procedures? |
| The time depends upon your location and how fast the documents can be delivered to your location. The bank account application documents will be enclosed in your company kit (if you requested this service). You have to fill the forms and attach a certified form of identity that has your photograph. In five days after the original forms are received by the bank, the account will be activated.
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| 11. What documents are required to open an offshore bank account for an offshore IBC? |
| You have to fill the banks' application forms and attach a certified photocopy of your ID as well as proof of address and bank reference letter on each signatory, director and shareholder of the Company.
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| 12. My banks policy is not to provide bank references to clients, how can I satisfy the new banks requirements for a bank reference? |
The bank to which you are applying to for an account will assist by making the request to your existing bank directly.
When you submit your application form, you must include all the relevant information on your existing bank such as the bank name, the branch address at which you hold the account and any contact information such as the name, telephone number and email address of a relevant officer of the bank if this is available.
Finally, you must write to your bank authorizing them to release the relevant information to the newly introduced bank for the purpose of your bank reference.
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| 13. Can someone tell from the name or banking details of the company that it is an offshore Company? |
| No, It is not possible to determine whether the Company is an offshore or ordinary Company from its name or its banking details.
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| 14. To what address do the banks send statements for the account? |
| Banks offer several options from which you can choose what is suitable for you. You can leave the statements in the bank, and collect them from time to time; receive them by fax; instruct your bank to mail them to any address in the world, including a P.O. Box, at your convenience. But you can always order the mail forwarding service from us.
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| 15. Can I get a debit/credit card from an offshore bank? |
| Yes. The bank that we work with offers credit/debit card facilities for offshore IBCs. You have to apply for it yourself, once your bank account is opened with them.
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| 16. How safe is it to mail credit cards if they can be lost or stolen? |
| Almost 100% safe. The bank, not our company, sends the cards directly to you. And even if your card is lost or stolen, nobody will be able to use it. To activate your card the bank needs the confirmation number from you personally. And you can only do it after you have received your card.
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| 17. Do I have to keep financial records for my offshore company in the registered office? |
| No, there is no such requirement. You can keep your offshore IBC records anywhere you wish.
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| 18. Is it possible to transfer my existing IBC to Dominica? What are the procedures? |
You can do it without any problems. Such transfers are called re- domiciliation. Dominica allows re-domiciliation. You would need to check if the country of your IBC original incorporation also allows it.
You have to prepare the following offshore IBC documents: a Continuance Application, which includes its existing Charter documents and all amendments; a decision of the Board of Directors to continue in the Commonwealth of Dominica. After the transfer, your company must adopt local bylaws (Memorandum and Articles of Association) to comply with Dominica Laws. The Certificate of Continuance will be issued by the Registrar after filing the above documents. Your offshore company is considered to be valid and existing from then on. Upon receipt of the legal opinion from Dominica you will have to apply to your original offshore jurisdiction for the company name to be struck off the Registry of the country of original domicile. We can arrange it for you.
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| 19. What can you say about the American offshore companies offered on the market? |
| Firstly, there are no offshore companies in the USA. Companies offered on the market with the endings Corp, Corporation, Inc, Incorporated are not offshore in any case, whether they conduct business in or outside the US or if they have accounts in or outside the States. These companies could cause a lot of trouble to their owners and people who operate their accounts. Secondly, there is a legal body known as a Partnership or LLC, which if incorporated only by foreigners, and if it conducts its business only outside the US, and if it follows legal but complicated accounting practices can be considered tax exempted. Thirdly, the USA has an open registry of the shareholders and directors of companies. In our opinion to incorporate a company in the USA is not the best solution for your tax planning strategy.
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| 20. Do you sell shelf (vintage) companies? |
Yes, we do. You can find the list of the offshore vintage companies on our "Offshore Services" page. Our vintage companies have never been in use and have a 100% clean history. You can also amend the original incorporation details as regards to the share capital, share currency, etc to suit your needs. |
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| Second
citizenship and 2nd Passport. |
 20. If the
Passport or Certificate of Naturalization (registration) was lost or
stolen, what should I do to get a replacement for these documents?
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21. What is the validity period of Dominican Passport?
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22. Is it possible to insert a child in the parents’ passport and issue an
extra passport to a child simultaneously?
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23. What
information do passports contain?
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24. Are there any English language requirements?
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25. What does
happen during the interview? Can it be waived?
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26. Can I
renounce my previous citizenship after I am granted citizenship of
Dominica?
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27. Can I
renounce my Dominican citizenship due to circumstances?
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28. In what
circumstances can I and members of my family loose the citizenship of
Dominica?
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29. Is it
possible to change my name while applying for the citizenship of Dominica?
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30. Is it
possible to change the date and place of birth?
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31. What
residential address will be mentioned in my Dominican passport?
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32. Is it
possible to provide my police certificate and medical certificate from the
country in which I permanently reside, which is different than the country
of my original citizenship?
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33. What can you say about citizenship of Greece, Venezuela and other
countries, which are offered on the market?
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34. My wife
and I live together in civil marriage and we don’t have a marriage
certificate. Can we apply for the citizenship as a family?
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35. What is
due-diligence and how much does it cost?
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36. If I
have children from a previous marriage, can I apply for citizenship for
them with my present family?
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37. Who is
classed as a family? Is it possible to include in the family program my
parents, brothers, sisters? Does Dominica recognize unisex marriages?
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38. Who can
be the main applicant for the Citizenship?
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39. Can my
Citizenship be revoked if the Economic Citizenship Program is stopped?
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40. Have you
got any predictions on how long the Economic Citizenship Program in
Dominica is going to last?
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41. Can we get assistance and support if
necessary from your company after citizenship of Dominica is granted?
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42. Is it
possible as a citizen of Dominica to buy a real estate in such countries
as USA, Canada, Great Britain, Switzerland, without establishing permanent
residency in these countries?
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43. Are the
Citizenship fees and terms of payment negotiable?
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44. What do
you think about citizenship scams and how can we avoid being conned?
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20. If the passport or certificate of naturalization (registration) was
lost or stolen, what should I do to renew these documents? |
You have to report the fact to the nearest police station, register your
claim (statement), photocopy it, translate into English (if applicable)
and notarize it. Then you have to write an explanation letter addressed to
the Immigration authorities or Ministry of Legal Affairs to issue a new
passport or duplicate of Naturalization (Registration) documents. Attach
the notarized statement from the police, four passport photos, and
approximately US$ 20.00 government fee and bring or send everything by
mail to the representation of Dominica abroad or to the immigration office
in Dominica.
When your passport expires or there is no further pages for visas, you
will have to fill in a passport form, attach 2 passport photos and the
government fee of approximately US$ 20.00 and bring or send it by mail
together with the old passport to the nearest representation of the
country abroad or to the immigration in Dominica. We can assist you in
this process if you wish so. |
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21. What is the validity period of Dominican Passport? |
In Dominica the validity period of a child’s passport is five years;
the passport for an adult in Dominica is ten years. It is possible to
issue passport to a child from the date of birth. A child’s passport could
be signed by the child itself (depending on the age), or by one of the
parents or by a legal guardian of the child. Child’s passport is a
passport issued to a citizen under the age of 17. To renew a child’s
passport you would have to fulfill the same procedure, as described in question 20. |
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22. Is it possible to insert a child in the parents’ passport and issue an
extra passport to a child simultaneously? |
If you are inserting a child’s name in the passports of both parents
you cannot apply for an extra passport for that child. But if you insert
the child’s name only in the passport of one of the parents, you can apply
for a separate passport for that child. |
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23. What information do passports contain? |
Passports of Dominica for adults and children contain the following
information: name, middle name, surname, date of birth, place of birth,
occupation, height, distinguishing marks (if applicable), and place of
residence. |
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24. Are there any English language requirements? |
Previously, before the changes to the program, there were no language
requirements. Now you will have to attend an interview with the Prime
Minister of Dominica or appointed by him Special Commission and will be
expected to converse in English. The interview will be conducted in
English and therefore applicants are expected at a minimum to be able to
communicate verbally in English. We will prepare you for this interview
and familiarize you with the basic facts of the history of the country, so
the questions asked at the interview will not be a surprise to you. |
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25. What does happen during the interview? Can it be waived? |
| Previously, before the revision of the Economic Citizenship Program,
the interview could have been waived at additional cost. It is not the case
any longer. The interview with the Prime Minister or with appointed by him
Special Commission is held once a month on the last Friday of each month. It
is subject to change due to the traveling arrangements of the Prime
Minister, but you will be informed well in advance about such changes.
The
interview normally lasts up to one hour. You will be asked questions about
yourself (all the details on your application form will be confirmed); the
basic knowledge of the country’s history will be tested. You will not be
allowed to take an interpreter with you. But you will be well prepared by us
for this interview, so you have nothing to worry about. |
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26. Can I renounce my previous citizenship after I am granted citizenship
of Dominica? |
Yes, you can, if you wish. The procedure of the citizenship
renunciation differs from country to country. But we want to remind you
that you do not have to go that far. It is an individual decision which
depends upon your personal circumstances. Dominica allows dual
citizenship. |
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27. Can I renounce my Dominican citizenship due to circumstances? |
Yes, you can. The procedure is not very difficult. You need to comply
with some procedures, which can be done by mail or in person. |
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28. In what circumstances can I and members of my family loose the
citizenship of Dominica? |
The citizenship can only be revoked if you provided false and
misleading information about yourself and your family during the
application for citizenship. |
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29. Is it possible to change my name while applying for the citizenship of
Dominica? |
You can change your name not earlier then one year after successful
Citizenship application. In this case you have to change your name through
the Deed Poll procedure and apply for the passport under your new name
Your previous name will not be mentioned in your new Dominican passport. |
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30. Is it possible to change the date and place of birth? |
No, and we want to remind you once again, that the program
of granting citizenship in Dominica is absolutely legitimate. That is why
your passport will state your real date and place of birth. It is also not
possible to issue a backdated passport.
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31. What residential address will be mentioned in the passport? |
You can choose any town of Dominica to be shown in your passport as a
place of residence. |
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32. Is it possible to provide my police certificate and medical
certificate from the country in which I permanently reside which is
different than the country of my original citizenship? |
Medical Certificate can be obtained from any hospital, doctor or GP
anywhere in the world.
A police certificate can be obtained from the nearest police station if
you permanently reside in the country of your citizenship. If
you do not reside in the country of your citizenship, you have to produce
two police certificates: one from the country of citizenship, another from
the country where you last legally resided for over a year. If the country
of your residence is not the country of your first citizenship, you have
to produce a residency permit together with a police certificate, which is
usually stamped in the passport to prove that your residency was legal. |
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33. What can you say about citizenship of Greece, Venezuela and other
countries, which are offered on the market? |
| There are no legitimate and fast citizenship
programs in these countries. You might get a passport, but it will be
nothing but well prepared fake. You will be stopped at the first border by
the immigration officers and it is a criminal offence. These types of
passports (sometimes in the market you could find offers of passports of
more respectable countries) are not processed properly (your name and
passport is not included in the passport registry of the country) and
therefore will not guarantee you the benefits of the real citizenship. |
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34. My wife and I live together in civil marriage and we do not have a
marriage certificate. Can we apply for the citizenship as a family? |
It used to be the case before the Citizenship Program revision, but it
is not valid anymore. You can always consider an option to marry in
Dominica before the application process begins. |
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35. What is due-diligence and how much does it cost? |
Due Diligence is a process of checking the information you provided in
your Citizenship application form, including the Interpol check. We do not
do it ourselves and subcontract independent detective agent, approved by
the Government of Dominica, to do that. It is normally quicker and cheaper
to perform due-diligence on people who lived in one place for 10 years or
Americans who lived in the same state all their lives. Normally the costs
vary from USD 2,000 to USD 5,000 per family, but can exceed this amount.
The cost depends upon: the number of people in the family, age of
applicants, the country of present citizenship and current residence, and
how often you changed your residence. We have no influence over such costs
and you have to pay it before applying for citizenship. |
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36. If I have children from a previous marriage, can I apply for
citizenship for them with my present family? |
Yes, you can do it. Dominica recognizes equal rights of all children.
But you have to produce additional documents with your citizenship
application. One of them is an application letter from the biological
parent explaining that he/she has no objections against the participation
of the child in the program of granting citizenship of Dominica with your
present family has to be enclosed. This letter should be written in
English, or translated into English and certified (notarized). You might
also have to pay additional fee, please refer to Q.19. |
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37. Who is classed as a family? Is it possible to include in the family
program my parents, brothers, sisters? Does Dominica recognize unisex
marriages? |
A family is the main applicant, his (her) spouse and two dependent
children under the age of 18 (eighteen). You can also apply for additional
children, but at extra cost – USD 10,000 per child. Children over 18 up to
25 years old, with no income of their own, cost an additional US $10,000
each. Brothers, sisters and other relatives cannot apply for the
citizenship as a family. Unfortunately, unisex marriages are not
recognised in Dominica. |
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38. Who can be the main applicant for the citizenship? |
It can be a man or a woman |
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39. Can my Citizenship be revoked if the Economic Citizenship Program is
stopped? |
No. You will be granted a 100% legitimate citizenship, backed by
Constitution and necessary legislation of the country. According to this
legislation Prime Minister grants you a wavier of the term of obligatory
residence in the country (which is 5 years) in exchange for the
non-refundable investment (donation) into the economy of the country.
Therefore even if the program would be stopped, citizens of Dominica
cannot loose their citizenship other than for reasons mentioned in Q.9. |
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40. Have you got any predictions on how long the Economic Citizenship
Program in Dominica is going to last? |
Nobody knows. The Economic Citizenship Program was reviewed very
recently and is available, although the application rules and procedures
have changed. In Grenada and Belize such programs have been stopped
already.
So, do not delay with your application. Apply for it as soon as possible,
because tomorrow it can be too late. |
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41. Can we get assistance and support if necessary from your company after
citizenship of Dominica is granted? |
We can provide assistance to our clients in other matters related to
citizenship after they become citizens of Dominica on a paid or free
basis, depending upon the nature of the query. For example, we can assist
with passport renewals, issue of new passports if lost or stolen, visa
applications, Driver's License (if you have already got an existing in
another country), etc. We will always assist you with your investment
projects, property acquisition, establishing a residency or even setting
up your business in Dominica. |
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42. Is it possible as a citizen of Dominica to buy real estate in such
countries as USA, Canada, Great Britain, Switzerland, without establishing
permanent residency in these countries? |
Yes, you can do it without any problems, but sometimes a declaration
of the origin of assets will be required. However, in some parts of
Switzerland, for example, aliens are not allowed to buy property. |
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43. Are the Citizenship fees and terms of payment negotiable? |
Government and CCP Inc fees and terms of payment are not negotiable.
The Government of Dominica and we, your representative, do not accept any
forms of payment but money. Please, do not waste your time with such
enquiries as they will not be answered. |
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44. What do you think about citizenship scams and how can we avoid being
conned? |
The fist and important thing you have to know that only two legitimate
fast citizenship programs exist at the moment – in The Commonwealth of
Dominica and in St. Kitts and Nevis. Genuine citizenship never comes
cheap. You would be expected to donate or invest from USD 50, 000 (In
Dominica) to USD 250,000 (in St. Kitts) into the economy of these
countries. If someone offers citizenship cheap, it is a scam!
Watch out for company contact details. Some con agencies do not provide
their addresses or direct telephone numbers. Instead, you will listen to
the answer phone message, which will suggest you to leave your contact
number and they will contact you.
Be also aware of stolen blank passports and well prepared fakes. Such
documents are not in the Passport Registry and you can be stopped at the
first border by the immigration officers. Always remember that possession
of a fake passport is a criminal offence!
Always deal with a reputable company to assist you with a citizenship
application. It may be worth considering some bank guarantees for your
payment, but it might be at an extra cost to you.
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