Grenada Citizenship for a Nigerian Entrepreneur Expanding Internationally

Why the entrepreneur wanted a second citizenship

David Okafor, 46, owns a Lagos-based international trading company that supplies industrial packaging equipment and materials to businesses across West Africa. His suppliers and partners include companies in Germany, the Netherlands, the UAE, and the UK.

Regular international travel was part of David’s work, but each new trip often required additional visa planning. At the same time, most of his business infrastructure and capital remained connected with Nigeria.

David wanted second citizenship to solve three long-term tasks: 

1. Make business travel easier.
2. Diversify his interests across several jurisdictions. 
3. Give his family more options for living and studying abroad.

Passportivity compared several Caribbean citizenship programmes. Grenada stood out because it combined wider international mobility with the possibility of a future E-2 Investor Visa application. The E-2 is a temporary US business visa with separate domicile, investment, and eligibility requirements.

David applied together with his wife, Nneka, 41, and their 14-year-old daughter, Ada.

David founded the company in 2013. By 2025, it generated annual turnover of around $7.5 million and worked with suppliers and customers in several countries.

Business trips to Europe were frequent. David visited manufacturers in Germany and the Netherlands several times a year and attended industry exhibitions and negotiations with new suppliers.

His Nigerian passport required a visa for short trips to the Schengen Area. Grenadian citizens may travel visa-free to Schengen countries for stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period.

David also wanted to reduce the dependence of his business and personal capital on one country. He planned to expand his network of international counterparties, hold more assets outside Nigeria, and eventually establish another business operation abroad.

For Nneka and Ada, second citizenship created an additional long-term option. David did not have an immediate relocation plan, but he wanted the family to have more choices if Ada later studied abroad or the business required them to spend more time in another country.

Comparison of Caribbean citizenship programmes

Passportivity compared Grenada with Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Lucia, and St Kitts and Nevis. All five programmes could provide second citizenship. The decisive question was therefore not simply which passport David could obtain, but which jurisdiction fitted his future business plans.

Grenada is listed by the US Department of State as an E-2 treaty country. The other Caribbean jurisdictions David considered are not on the E-2 treaty-country list.

Caribbean citizenship programmes David compared

Country	What David considered	Fit for his strategy
Grenada	International mobility and treaty relationship with the US for E-2 visas	⭐ Best fit — matched both current travel needs and long-term US plans
Dominica	Second citizenship and broader travel opportunities	✓ Good for mobility, but no equivalent E-2 treaty route
Antigua and Barbuda	Family-oriented programme and international mobility	Strong alternative, but less aligned with US expansion
Saint Lucia	Several qualifying investment options	Flexible choice, but the investment routes were not David’s main criterion
St Kitts and Nevis	Long-established citizenship programme	Relevant option, but Grenada fitted David’s business strategy more closely

Why Grenada citizenship matched the investor’s plans

Grenada matched David’s strategy because it addressed both immediate and long-term priorities. Citizenship improved his international mobility, supported wider diversification, and preserved the possibility of a future E-2 business application in the US, subject to separate eligibility requirements.

1. Grenadian citizenship could support a future E-2 Investor Visa application

The E-2 option was Grenada’s strongest differentiator for David: Nigeria does not have a treaty with the United States for this visa category, while Grenada does.

Grenadian citizenship alone does not give David the right to live or work in the US. To qualify for an E-2 Investor Visa in the future, he would have to meet several separate requirements:

• hold citizenship of an E-2 treaty country;
• demonstrate at least 3 continuous years of qualifying domicile in Grenada before his first E-2 application, as he obtained Grenadian citizenship by investment;
• invest a substantial amount of capital in a genuine, operating US business;
• come to the US to develop and direct that enterprise;
• obtain separate approval for the E-2 visa;
• maintain temporary nonimmigrant status and intend to leave the US when the E-2 status ends.

David therefore treated the E-2 as a long-term business option rather than an automatic next step after obtaining Grenada citizenship. He had already considered establishing a US distribution operation and wanted to preserve this possibility if the business case justified the investment.

2. Citizenship made European business travel easier

David regularly travelled to Germany and the Netherlands to meet manufacturers and negotiate supply contracts. With his Nigerian passport, these trips required a Schengen visa. A Grenadian passport allows short visa-free stays in the Schengen Area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period.

The difference was practical rather than purely recreational. David could arrange a supplier meeting or attend an industry event without building every European trip around a new visa application.

Grenadian nationals are also eligible to travel to the UK with an Electronic Travel Authorisation rather than a standard visitor visa, subject to the applicable entry rules.

3. David wanted to diversify business beyond Nigeria

David did not plan to move the company out of Nigeria, where it remained profitable and continued to serve West African customers.

Instead, David wanted to add new layers to the business gradually. His plans included more direct relationships with overseas manufacturers, possible foreign operating entities, and eventually a US distribution business if the commercial and immigration requirements aligned.

Grenada citizenship did not create these businesses for him. It became one part of the wider expansion strategy.

4. Investor wanted to diversify capital across jurisdictions

David also wanted his personal wealth to become less concentrated in one market and currency environment. A significant part of his net worth came from shares in the Nigerian company, local property, and naira-denominated assets.

In parallel with the citizenship project, David started working with financial and tax advisers on a broader international portfolio. He allocated part of his accumulated dividends to USD- and EUR-denominated assets outside Nigeria.

The objective was diversification rather than moving all capital abroad.

5. Citizenship created more options for the family

Nneka and Ada received their own Grenadian passports together with David, so the benefits of second citizenship did not depend on his status.

Nneka used her new passport when she accompanied David on a trip to Amsterdam and London. For the Schengen part of the trip, she no longer needed to apply for a short-stay visa. For the UK, she could travel with an Electronic Travel Authorisation instead of applying for a Standard Visitor visa.

Ada also benefited from the wider travel options. Shortly after receiving her Grenadian passport, Ada attended a 2-week English-language programme in London. Her new passport allowed her to travel with an ETA for the short course rather than obtain a visitor visa in advance.

The future E-2 option remained relevant to the family, but it was a separate long-term possibility. If David later qualifies for E-2 status, Nneka and Ada may be able to apply as dependents while Ada remains eligible by age. This would still require a separate US visa process and would not provide permanent residence.

6. Family did not have to relocate to obtain citizenship

David still needed to run his business in Lagos, and Ada remained at school. The Grenada citizenship process did not require the family to move. The Investment Migration Agency states that applicants do not need to visit Grenada before, during, or after the citizenship application process.

This allowed David to obtain citizenship without interrupting the family’s existing life. The potential E-2 strategy was different. If David later chooses that route, the separate 3-year domicile requirement for citizenship-by-investment nationals would have to be addressed before his first E-2 application.

How Passportivity built the citizenship strategy around the client’s business plans

Passportivity first identified what David expected from second citizenship. The specialists reviewed his main business destinations, family plans, international expansion goals, and interest in the US market.

The team then:

• compared Caribbean citizenship programmes;
• checked David, Nneka, and Ada’s eligibility;
• explained the difference between Grenada citizenship and the US E-2 process;
• identified the 3-year E-2 domicile requirement at the planning stage;
• conducted Preliminary Due Diligence;
• prepared the source-of-wealth and source-of-funds evidence;
• helped David select the National Transformation Fund contribution;
• prepared the family’s citizenship application.

Proving the source of wealth from an international trading business

Most of David’s wealth came from the company. For Due Diligence, Passportivity had to show both how the company generated its revenue and how business profits became David’s personal funds.

The document package included:

• company registration records;
• audited financial statements;
• Nigerian tax documents;
• supply contracts with overseas counterparties;
• invoices and customs records;
• corporate and personal bank statements;
• dividend resolutions and payment records.

David used dividends received in 2024 and 2025 to finance the citizenship project. The bank records showed the chain from the company’s operating income to his personal account and then to the funds reserved for the Grenada application.

This allowed the source of wealth and source of funds to be presented as one consistent financial history.

Expenses on obtaining Grenada citizenship

David chose a non-refundable contribution to the National Transformation Fund rather than programme-approved real estate. The minimum NTF contribution is $235,000 for a single applicant or a family of up to four.

David, Nneka, and Ada spent approximately $263,200 on the citizenship process, excluding Passportivity professional services. Any future US E-2 visa expenses and investment in a US company are not included in the Grenada citizenship budget.

David’s expenses on Grenada citizenship

Expense	Amount	What it covered
NTF contribution	$235,000	David, Nneka, and Ada
Due Diligence fees	$10,000	David and Nneka
Interview fees	$2,000	David and Nneka
Application fees	$4,500	$1,500 × 3 applicants
Application processing fee	$3,500	$1,500 per adult and $500 for Ada
Application handling fee	$5,000	For a family of up to 4 people
Documents and related expenses	≈ $3,200	Medical certificates, document preparation, legalisation, courier and passport-related expenses
Total	≈ $263,200	Family of three, excluding Passportivity services

Result: second citizenship as a platform for international expansion

David’s Nigerian business remained his main operating company after he obtained Grenada citizenship. The difference was that his international strategy no longer depended on one passport and one jurisdiction.

Business mobility. David could travel to key European business destinations in the Schengen Area for short stays without applying for a visa each time.

Business expansion. Grenadian citizenship gave David the treaty nationality required to potentially apply for E-2 status in the future. He has not applied for an E-2 visa and does not have the right to live or work in the US based on Grenada citizenship alone.

If David decides to proceed, he would first need to meet the qualifying domicile requirement in Grenada, invest substantial capital in a real US business, satisfy the remaining E-2 criteria, and obtain separate visa approval. Any E-2 status would be temporary and linked to the qualifying business.

Capital. David continued diversifying part of his personal investment portfolio into assets denominated in currencies other than the Nigerian naira.

Family. Nneka and Ada obtained citizenship together with David. The family gained a second permanent nationality and additional options for future international plans.

Grenada citizenship did not replace David’s Nigerian business or create an automatic right to relocate to the US. It added another layer to his international strategy: easier business travel today, broader diversification, and the possibility of pursuing a temporary E-2 business strategy later if he separately meets all US requirements.