Living in Anguilla,
How Long Can We Stay As Visitors?

by Al and Jacqueline Capan
(Oceanside, California)

What are requirements to immigrate to Anguilla?. My wife and I am retired (US citizens) both of us in good health and have enough income to support ourselves.

How long can a couple stay in Anguilla as visitors? Any info will help.

Thank you.

Al and Jacqueline

Ken's Reply: Al and Jacqueline, I'll give you some preliminary information here and ask Eustella to write a short article for this.

Basically, as "visitors," you are allowed to stay for one month when you come to Anguilla. In other words, you're on vacation. It's not hard to get that extended month-by-month for up to 6 months, I believe. (I will confirm, so watch for an update of this reply.)

For longer term stays, well, we went the route of moving and living to Anguilla and we're Canadians. So, to avoid giving you any poor information, I'll ask Eustella Fontaine, our Anguilla attorney, to write a brief article to cover the information you need.

(I'm not easy to please when it comes to attorneys, but Eustella is one of two attorneys, the other being our long-time Canadian family friend/lawyer, who methodically dissect my long e-mails and answer every point completely and perfectly. I like her on a professional and personal level.)

Incidentally, I do believe that we (and by "we" I mean Anguilla -- this is our HOME) should be making it as easy as possible for "boomer retirees" to move to Anguilla. You bring more than money to small island, you bring knowledge that can be shared to a people who are eager to learn more than "just tourism" (which, of course, has been a tremendous boon over the past 30 years, so I'm not knocking it!).

The impact of knowledgeable, reasonably well-of people living here will, in the long run, be more than the goods and services that resident purchase (which does help the economy short-term). Younger retirees seek to give back, and there is a younger population here eager to learn.

It's a WIN-WIN relationship. This is simply a wonderful spot to live. I'd like to see Anguilla make it as simple as possible (while doing reasonable due diligence, of course) for you to come and stay as long as you'd like. :-)

I hope this helps a little. Watch for a full reply by subscribing to Anguilla-Beaches.com's e-zine or blog (top right of this Web page for the newsletter, or bottom left for the blog). You'll receive the update when it's released.

Information On How Long You May Remain In Anguilla As A Visitor

by Eustella Fontaine
(The Valley, Anguilla)

Upon arrival at the port of entry into Anguilla (Blowing Point Ferry Terminal or Wallblake Airport), the Immigration Officers at the port of entry are only authorized to provide visitors to Anguilla with up to a one-month stay in Anguilla. A visitor stamp is endorsed in each visitor’s passport.

As a visitor to Anguilla, you are not entitled to work in Anguilla. Visitors at the port of entry in Anguilla will normally be asked to provide the Immigration Officers with your local address in Anguilla. If asked, have proof of a return ticket to their country of origin (it is always wise to print those e-ticket details).

What should you do if you want to stay for a period longer than a month in Anguilla for any one visit? Upon entry and prior to the expiration of the one month stay, make an application to the Immigration Department in Anguilla to extend such a stay.

You will have to complete certain documentation required by the Immigration Department in Anguilla, in addition to providing at least two passport size photos, proof of return ticket to your country of origin and proof that you are able to maintain yourself in Anguilla for the duration of your stay without needing to work in Anguilla.

In any one year and in any one period of stay, the Immigration Department in Anguilla will not approve more than a six month stay in Anguilla for each visitor.

Beyond that, you are actually heading into "residing in Anguilla" territory. That becomes more complex. As Ken mentions, there are good reasons for this. It would be nice to keep the reasons while streamlining the process.

Ken's (Dad's) Reply Thanks very much Eustella. To anyone reading this, Eustella Fontaine is our Anguilla attorney. I asked her to expand upon a comment I made on this page about how long visitors may remain in Anguilla. If you need help on extending your stay or on moving to Anguilla, I highly recommend her as your legal counsel in Anguilla.

Visiting Someone Living In Anguilla

by Amanda
(Laval, Quebec, Canada)

Hello, my fiancee just got accepted at Saint James school in Anguilla as a med school student.

He will obviously be living in Anguilla. My question is how long can I visit him for?

Ken's Reply Amanda, that's a good question. He will, as you say, likely be living in Anguilla on some sort of student visa, on a year-by-year basis.

The medical school here in Anguilla completed its first year this past June/2010 and I believe it's a 2-year curriculum. So I'm not sure of how his visa works.

Since you are not married, however, you would not come in, I do not think, on the basis of his visa. You most likely would have to apply for month-by-month extensions.

But this is not an everyday circumstance. So I'd suggest that you call Eustella Fontaine, our anguilla attorney and who I highly recommend, and buy 1/2 hour of her time. That way...

1) you can be sure of the answer

2) if there is some sort of way to extend your stay to 3 or 6 months, she'll figure out how to get that done.

Sorry I can't answer this with more certainty. But I wish you both well. You'll enjoy your stay down here!