VisaAntigua and Barbuda’s nomad portal says the programme has ended
Current reporting distinguishes the closure message from legacy eligibility and fee pages, and identifies the questions existing applicants and visa holders must resolve with Immigration.
Official source date: 2026-10-30
Edited and checked by the VisaWand editorial team
The programme page carries an end-of-programme message
People considering remote work from Antigua and Barbuda should first note that the government’s Nomad Digital Residence programme page currently states that the programme has ended. Eligibility requirements and fee descriptions remain visible below that message, while a separate frequently asked questions page continues to describe applications. This guide records the position checked on 30 October 2026; the resources examined do not establish the date the closure took effect.
The practical consequence is that a prospective applicant should not treat the continuing presence of a checklist, payment amount or old application instruction as confirmation that new applications are accepted. Obtain a current answer from the programme or Immigration before paying, arranging a two-year lease or relying on the route for departure. The webpage message establishes an operational concern; it does not, without further evidence, establish that every previously issued permission has been cancelled or that the underlying legislation has been repealed.
Legacy fees are evidence of the former route, not a reopening
The programme page still describes a minimum age of eighteen, overseas employment capable of being performed remotely, an income threshold expressed as US$50,000 and a clean criminal record. Its displayed document list includes passport identification, photographs, employment and funds evidence, police certification and medical insurance including travel cover. Those details explain the type of scheme that was offered; they should not be repackaged as a newly available October 2026 invitation.
The official FAQ continues to display non-refundable charges of US$1,500 for a single applicant, US$2,000 for a couple and US$3,000 for the stated family category, with additional dependant charges. It also gives response and processing estimates. Because the principal programme page now carries a closure message, neither those prices nor the old timetable establishes an available application service today. Request confirmation of acceptance and a current payment instruction before relying on any advertised processing period.
Existing holders should check their own permission and conditions
The Immigration and Passport (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 2020 created the legislative framework for a Nomad Digital Residence visa of up to twenty-four months. It requires overseas-generated income and health cover for the applicant and dependants. The law permits revocation where the holder takes unauthorised employment, offers services for a fee to local businesses or people, or operates in the domestic market. Existing holders therefore need to check their individual document and conditions, rather than assume remote-work status permits local employment.
The statutory schedule describes the permission as non-renewable, and the Act says time under the route does not qualify as residence for the particular residence-permit calculation in section 40. These are different issues from the operational closure of new applications. A holder nearing expiry should obtain a decision on any other applicable status before the document expires; an unanswered enquiry should not be treated as an extension. The law is the resource for the framework, while Immigration must resolve the individual administrative position.
Family travel needs its own document and schooling checks
The legacy FAQ says insurance must include travel cover for the entire two-year period and describes police certificates for adults associated with the application. It also explains that a child attending a selected private school needs a student permit from Immigration. A family should not assume that an adult’s remote-work document automatically completes every dependant or education procedure. The actual permission held, its expiry and each child’s proposed activity must be checked together.
The FAQ also says the visa could only be issued once and was not renewable. Those statements matter to a returning former holder considering another stay: a fresh arrival itinerary does not itself create a second entitlement. Because the principal page now reports that the programme has ended, ask the programme office whether any pending dependant request or previously submitted family application is still being processed. No universal transitional deadline or grandfathering arrangement was verified in the pages reviewed.
Use Immigration contacts to resolve pending files before commitments
The official Immigration contact directory identifies headquarters, appointment staff and the Chief Immigration Officer’s office. Use that directory to obtain the responsible contact for an existing permission or pending application; the programme FAQ separately supplies its programme contact. Provide the application reference, decision or permission dates and the precise question, such as whether a pending file remains active or whether a dependant needs separate approval.
Local employment is a separate legal issue. The government-hosted Labour Code provides the work-permit framework and applicable exclusions, so a move into an Antiguan job should be assessed through the appropriate labour procedure rather than inferred from the former nomad scheme. The immediate action for new remote-work applicants is to establish whether any lawful current route is actually available. For existing holders, it is to clarify the individual document’s continued validity and expiry before making travel or housing commitments.
