Complete Guide to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: Visa, Travel, Investment & Important Facts
Thirty-two islands and cays scattered like emeralds across the clearest water on Earth. This is the Caribbean of private jets, super-yachts, and billionaires who want to disappear — yet it still has authentic fishing villages where you drink rum with barefoot sailors. Tobago Cays, Mustique, Bequia, Canouan, and the new Mandarin Oriental make SVG the most exclusive, most beautiful, and most understated playground in the region in 2025.
The Caribbean’s Best-Kept Secret (Until the Billionaires Found It)
No building taller than a palm tree on most islands, no cruise-ship crowds, no traffic lights outside Kingstown. Instead: the Tobago Cays Marine Park (best snorkeling in the Caribbean), Mustique’s Basil’s Bar, Bequia’s whale-bone pubs, and Canouan’s new private-jet terminal that feels like a billionaire’s living room.
Citizenship by Investment 2025
- USD 250,000 donation (single applicant)
- USD 350,000+ approved real estate (Mandarin Oriental Canouan, Glossy Bay Residences, SOHO Beach House shares)
- Processing: 4–8 months
- Visa-free: 157+ countries including EU, UK, Singapore, Hong Kong
- No residency requirement, dual citizenship allowed
The Islands You’ll Never Want to Leave
- Tobago Cays — five uninhabited cays, turquoise lagoons, turtles everywhere
- Mustique — private island of Mick Jagger, Tommy Hilfiger, and royal villas
- Bequia — authentic Caribbean soul, whale watching, Easter Regatta
- Canouan — Mandarin Oriental, 1,200 m runway for private jets, 18-hole golf
- Mayreau — Saltwhistle Bay, one perfect beach
- Union Island — kite-surfing capital, gateway to the Cays
- Petit St Vincent — private-island resort where your room has a flagpole instead of a phone
Safety & Vibe
Extremely safe and famously friendly. Locals still wave at every passing car. Violent crime is almost non-existent.
How to Buy SIM Card
Digicel or Flow at Argyle International (SVD) or any island shop — XCD 30 starter with excellent coverage.
Current Prime Minister
Ralph Gonsalves — in office since 2001 (affectionately called “Comrade”).
Getting Here
Direct flights to Argyle (SVD) from Miami, New York, Toronto, London. Private jets to Canouan (CIW) or Mustique (MQS). Ferry and water-taxi network is world-class.
Final Thought
This is the Caribbean at its most pure and most exclusive — where the sea is so clear you can read a book through ten meters of water, where billionaires and backpackers somehow coexist, and where the Tobago Cays will make you question every other beach you’ve ever seen. Come by yacht, come by private jet, or come by local ferry with a rum in hand — SVG will ruin all other Caribbean destinations for you forever.