Can foreigners buy property in the Caribbean?

Give your attorney the proposed buyer's citizenship, residence, identity documents and ownership structure. For a company or trust, provide the underlying ownership and control information. Ask the attorney to identify the statutory category that applies to the transaction.

Put the property details alongside that information: country, island, parcel number, acreage, tenure, proposed use and any property already held nearby. Keep a written answer stating which application, registration or exemption applies. The answer should identify the property and the buyer.

The Ministry of Finance's guidance identifies licence thresholds of more than one acre for residential purposes and more than five acres for trade or business. Tobago has a separate foreign-investor land-licensing requirement under the 2007 order. Have counsel check your statutory status, any exemption and the position on all existing or proposed holdings. ^[1]

Ask the seller for title information, a survey, acreage and the planning position early. Where permission is required, ask your attorney to make the purchase contract conditional on the relevant approval and to explain the deposit and refund provisions.

Keep the permission application, the property transaction and any immigration application on separate checklists. Record the responsible professional and the evidence that will establish completion of each.

For a transaction involving a non-resident, have your attorney address the Central Bank's real-estate transfer requirements. Arrange the registration of imported investment funds with your bank, retaining evidence of the incoming currency, conversion and property purchase. The Central Bank describes the FI form as the application to register foreign investment, including property. ^{[2] [3]}

Before sending the deposit, ask how future rental income and sale proceeds can be remitted, what approvals or supporting records will be required and who will submit them. Save the approval references and payment records with the deed and completion statement.

The Alien Landholding Licensing Act sets out a Certificate of Eligibility process and the requirement for an alien landholding licence, subject to exemptions. Ask counsel to establish whether you fall within its definition and which applications apply. ^{[4] [5]}

Obtain a fee quotation that separates the certificate, property licence, legal work, searches, taxes and registration. Record the certificate's validity and any deadline or condition affecting the intended acquisition. For company ownership, ask how a later change of shareholders or control would be treated.

The International Persons Landholding Act has a registration route for specified acquisitions and a permit route for other acquisitions. Have a Bahamian attorney determine the appropriate route using your intended use, land area and ownership position. ^[6]

The 2025 amendment provides for extensions in specified circumstances where land has not been acquired within the permit period. Ask your attorney to diary the expiry and notice deadlines, confirm the current process and align the contract and finance timetable. ^[7]

Before choosing the ownership structure, ask for advice on tax reporting, beneficial-ownership disclosure, inheritance, financing, annual filings and future sale. For joint buyers, settle the ownership shares, contribution records, responsibility for costs and procedure if one owner wants to sell.

A remote purchase needs an agreed document and payment process. Ask whether signatures require witnessing, notarisation or other authentication and whether a limited power of attorney is appropriate. Use an independently established contact to verify bank details before every substantial transfer.

• Who is legally buying the property, and who has authority to sell it?
• What permission or registration applies, and what written evidence will confirm it?
• Who holds the deposit, when can it be released, and which events trigger a refund?
• What happens if permission, financing or a title issue prevents completion?
• Who will retain the original documents and the records of imported funds?

Read the closing-cost guide and due-diligence checklist alongside the proposed contract. For Trinidad and Tobago property enquiries, contact DSDillon with your intended area, use and budget.