ST KITTS & NEVIS Law and Practice Contributed by: Dahlia Joseph Rowe and Daisy Joseph Andall, Joseph Rowe, Attorneys-at-Law
sometimes, futile. At times, the property owner may be identified by searching known property owners in the area and reviewing the owners on the boundaries (provided a fairly recent survey of the land was done). The proposed cadastral mapping system (see 1.2 Main Market Trends and Deals under “Use of Disruptive Technolo - gies” ) will give an identifying number to each lot so that searches may be conducted by lot numbers, removing the requirement to know the identity of the registered property owner to con - duct a property search. There is a project by which a team of specialists used drones to conduct the cadastral mapping of St Kitts. However, it will still take time to for - malise the search process since persons may be required to come forward to claim ownership of land in respect of which there is no “paper” owner. There is some prevalence of land owner - ship without any formal paperwork as property is commonly passed down from generation to generation without the registration of any trans - fer document. Digitisation of the Land Registry The proposed digitisation of the Land Registry aims to create a digital copy of all land titles and deeds in St Kitts and Nevis, allowing for online searches. A Land Administration Information System (LAIS) is in the development phase. A pilot of the programme was shared with legal practitioners for a brief period. It is expected that the LAIS will be taken to completion and the Land Registry will be fully digitised. Private Real Estate Sale Option – Citizenship by Investment By the Saint Christopher and Nevis Citizenship by Substantial Investment Regulations 2024, which came into force on 8 July 2024, citizens of
St Kitts and Nevis that are the registered owner of a fully constructed real estate unit: • by certificate of title of land on which a single- family private dwelling home is constructed; or • by certificate of title of a condominium unit: (a) previously sold on one occasion as the subject of a CBI application; and (b) for which the statutory time frame for resale has elapsed; • by duly registered share certificate which represents ownership of the legal interest in the real estate by shareholding: (a) previously sold on one occasion as the subject of a CBI application; and (b) for which the statutory time frame for resale has elapsed; may apply to the board of governors for such real estate to be designated “Approved Private Real Estate” by which the purchase may obtain citizenship by investment. This Private Real Estate sale option provides an avenue to sell real estate owned by citizens of St Kitts and Nevis through the CBI programme. 2. Sale and Purchase 2.1 Categories of Property Rights Property rights that can be acquired in St Kitts and Nevis include the following: • “ownership in fee simple” , which is an abso - lute ownership with full rights to deal with and alienate property; • life interest, which entitles the holder to occupy the property for his or her lifetime; this type of interest is most often seen in cases where a person dies intestate (without a will)
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