How to Choose a Grenada Citizenship by Investment Law Firm (2026)

To choose a Grenada citizenship by investment law firm, start with the official IMA list: on 18 October 2026 it named 21 Authorised Local Agents, the only parties that can submit an application, and 43 Authorised International Marketing Agents (IMA Grenada approved agents, checked 18 October 2026). Then check which licence the firm holds, who the named lawyer is, an itemised fee schedule and escrow for investment funds before you sign. This guide explains what a Grenada CBI law firm actually does, the one credential you must verify first, the seven things that separate a strong firm from an adequate one, and the exact steps to vet a firm before you commit.

Do you need a law firm, or just an authorised agent?

The labels overlap, and that causes confusion. “Law firm”, “adviser”, “consultant” and “agent” are all used to describe the people who help with a Grenada application, but only two statuses carry legal weight. An Authorised Local Agent is a person or company granted a Local Agent's licence by the Minister under the Grenada Citizenship by Investment Act (No. 15 of 2013); it submits the application and acts as the liaison between the Citizenship by Investment Committee and the applicant. An Authorised International Marketing Agent holds a marketing licence to promote the programme and find applicants, whose files then go through a Local Agent (IMA Grenada FAQ, checked 18 October 2026). A firm can call itself anything; what matters is which licence it holds. A law firm earns its fee through legal due diligence, source-of-funds structuring and bar-admitted accountability, but the licence, not the label, is what lets your file reach the government.

For a longer shortlist, see the Grenada citizenship by investment lawyer directory, which lists 15 Grenada providers, unranked (checked 18 October 2026).

What a Grenada CBI law firm actually does

A good firm runs the application end to end, not just the paperwork:

• Route advice — whether the National Transformation Fund donation or approved real estate better fits your budget, timeline and U.S. E-2 plans.
• Source-of-funds structuring — assembling lawful-source evidence that will survive enhanced due diligence.
• Document assembly and certification — forms, civil documents, translations, apostilles and the IMA's certification rules.
• Due-diligence preparation — pre-screening your profile and preparing you for the mandatory online interview.
• Escrow and government liaison — making sure funds move through the correct regulated channels and managing the IMA relationship.
• Post-approval support — passport issuance, renewals, adding dependants, and planning for a U.S. E-2 application later.

IMA licensing: the one credential to verify first

Before anything else, confirm the firm can legally submit your application. The IMA authorises two kinds of representative, and the difference matters:

• Local Agents are CARICOM nationals ordinarily resident in Grenada, licensed by the Minister, and are the only parties that can submit a citizenship application.
• Marketing Agents (often called International Marketing Agents) can promote the programme and refer applicants, but they must route every submission through a licensed Local Agent.

IMA Grenada's own process starts with the marketing agent: applicants first contact an Authorised International Marketing Agent, who liaises with an Authorised Local Agent, and the IMA says applicants may not contact Local Agents directly (IMA Grenada, checked 18 October 2026). So a firm that works through a partner Local Agent is normal; what matters is that it tells you which Local Agent will file and that both appear on the IMA list. Verify status in four steps:

1. Check the official IMA agents directory at imagrenada.gd/approved-agents and confirm the firm is listed. On 18 October 2026 the IMA listed 21 Authorised Local Agents, the only parties that can submit an application, alongside 43 International Marketing Agents who can promote the programme but cannot file. The list changes, so check it fresh rather than trusting an old copy.
2. Note whether it is a Local Agent or a Marketing Agent. If it is marketing-only, ask who the Local Agent partner is and verify that entity separately.
3. Cross-check the named lawyer's practising certificate through the General Legal Council. An IMA licence is not a substitute for a current bar admission.
4. Check the Government Gazette and IMA notices for licence suspensions or revocations, and ask the firm to confirm in writing that its licence is current.

If a firm cannot point you to its active IMA listing, or gets evasive about its licence, treat that as a disqualifier.

Seven things to look for before you sign

Beyond the licence, these factors separate a strong firm from a merely adequate one. The best firms meet all seven and will document every claim:

1. An active IMA Local Agent licence — or a clearly named, independently verified Local Agent partner.
2. Named, bar-admitted lawyers handling your file, not anonymous “case managers”.
3. A real track record of Grenada approvals, with references or anonymised case examples you can check against the published approval data.
4. Transparent, itemised pricing — legal fees, government fees, due-diligence fees and any real-estate commission listed separately, with client funds held in escrow.
5. Genuine U.S. E-2 experience. Grenada's E-2 treaty access is its main differentiator, and the planning around it is technical.
6. Neutral route advice. A firm that pushes one specific real-estate project, especially one it profits from, has a conflict of interest.
7. Responsiveness and genuine post-approval support, including renewals and adding dependants over time.

Red flags that should make you walk away

• A guarantee of approval. No firm controls the IMA's independent background checks; any guarantee before due diligence is dishonest.
• No preliminary compliance check. Reputable firms pre-screen you before submission. Skipping it gambles with your largely non-refundable government fees.
• Opaque or bundled fees. A single lump sum with no breakdown hides where your money goes.
• Pressure toward a particular property. Your lawyer should advise neutrally, not act as a sales agent.
• No IMA licence, or refusal to share the licence number. This is the most fundamental disqualifier.
• Promises of unusually fast approval. IMA Grenada offers no expedited service and quotes a processing time of three to six months.

What it costs, and which fees are fixed

The total has four parts: the qualifying investment, government fees, due-diligence fees and the firm's professional fee.

The investment starts at USD 235,000 for a National Transformation Fund donation, which covers a main applicant and up to three dependants (Grenada sets the same floor for one person as for a family of four). Each dependant beyond that adds USD 25,000 or USD 50,000 depending on the category, and each sibling adds USD 75,000 (Grenada Citizenship by Investment (Amendment) Regulations, 2024, SRO 12 of 2024, in force 1 July 2024). The real-estate route starts at USD 350,000 to buy an approved unit outright, or USD 270,000 for a share in a co-owned unit in an approved tourism-accommodation project valued at a total of at least USD 440,000, and either way you hold the investment for at least five years. The real-estate route also carries a separate USD 50,000 government contribution. The full schedule is in the table below.

Here is the part that helps you compare firms: the government and due-diligence fees are standardised and are the same whoever you hire. The IMA fee table puts due diligence at USD 5,000 per applicant aged 17 or over, with no charge for children under 17, though the IMA's own FAQ page lists USD 6,000, so confirm the current figure with your agent (IMA Grenada and IMA FAQ, checked 18 October 2026). The IMA FAQ also says all fees are non-refundable and that investment payments go to the escrow account of the authorised Local Agent. The only component that genuinely varies is the firm's professional fee, so that, plus transparency, is what you are really comparing. Be wary of quotes far below market, which can signal hidden real-estate commissions or corners cut on compliance. For the line-by-line breakdown see our Grenada citizenship by investment cost and requirements guide, and always confirm against the official IMA schedule.

How to vet and engage a firm, step by step

1. Build a shortlist from the official IMA agents directory rather than from ads.
2. Confirm each firm's agent type, and the Local Agent partner if it is marketing-only.
3. Verify the named lawyer's practising certificate and check for any licence revocations.
4. Request a written, itemised fee schedule and confirmation that funds are held in escrow.
5. Ask for a preliminary source-of-funds and eligibility review before you pay anything substantial.
6. Compare two or three firms side by side on licence, E-2 expertise, fees and responsiveness before signing a retainer.

Can you apply without a law firm?

No. Grenada does not allow direct applications — the law requires every file to be submitted by a licensed Local Agent. That makes your choice of firm more consequential than in programmes that permit self-filing: the firm is not just an adviser, it is the only channel between you and the IMA. The upside is built-in accountability, because licensed agents are responsible for verifying that applications are complete and compliant before they reach the government.

How Movingto helps

Movingto is a Portugal-first immigration firm that puts a named, Bar-registered lawyer from its in-house legal team on your case and publishes its fees.

Movingto is not a Grenada CBI agent and is not on the IMA list of authorised agents. If you are weighing Grenada, contact us to talk through the route, the official costs and how it compares with Portugal. We also keep the underlying data in the open: see our Grenada CBI approval statistics and the U.S. E-2 visa pathway guide, so you can decide on verified figures rather than marketing claims.