Cayman Certificate of Permanent Residency (Investment)

Status: active.

The Certificate of Permanent Residence for Persons of Independent Means is the Cayman Islands' residence route for wealthy people who invest KYD 2,000,000 in developed real estate on the Islands. It is itself a grant of the right to reside permanently in the Cayman Islands.

Workforce Opportunities and Residency Cayman (WORC) handles applications. Grants are capped by an annual quota set by Cabinet and published in the Gazette (Immigration (Amendment) Law, 2012).

It is not a work or nomad visa. The certificate is granted without the right to work, and its fees rose under the Caymanian Protection (Fees) Regulations, 2026, in force since May 1, 2026.

The Islands also run a 25-year Residency Certificate for Persons of Independent Means and a Certificate of Direct Investment, which have their own rules and fees.

Applicants must show:

• Ownership of developed real estate in the Cayman Islands with an investment of at least KYD 2,000,000 (WORC form R42).
• Financial resources sufficient to maintain themselves and any dependents. No fixed income figure is published.

Dependents can be included in the application or added later, and each one adds fees (see costs).

Because grants are limited by an annual quota, meeting the criteria does not guarantee a certificate.

Form R42 carries WORC's full document checklist. The core evidence is:

• Proof of ownership of the developed real estate and of the KYD 2,000,000 investment, through land transfer and land register records.
• Evidence of financial resources to support the applicant and dependents.
• Particulars of each dependent who will accompany the applicant and be included in the application.

Applicants should work from the current form, since WORC sets the supporting documents and their format there.

Government fees under the Caymanian Protection (Fees) Regulations, 2026, in force since May 1, 2026:

• Application fee: KYD 500, non-refundable.
• Issue fee: KYD 200,000 if the certificate is granted. It was CI$100,000 before May 1, 2026.
• Dependents: an issue fee of KYD 3,000 for each dependent, plus KYD 3,000 a year per dependent.
• Annual declaration: KYD 500 a year for filing the declaration for the holder and dependents.

The real cost is the KYD 2,000,000 property investment itself. If a holder later gets the certificate varied to allow work, a yearly fee equal to the work permit fee for that occupation applies.

Form R42 with the checklist documents, addressed to the Director of WORC in Grand Cayman.

1. Buy and complete the investment. The developed real estate must be owned before applying, with land register records to prove it.
2. File Form R42. Submit it with the checklist documents and the non-refundable application fee of KYD 500.
3. Pay the issue fee on approval. The KYD 200,000 issue fee is due only if the certificate is granted.

No official processing time is published, and approvals depend on space within the year's quota.

The certificate grants permanent residence, so it is not issued for a fixed visa term. Holders file an annual declaration covering themselves and their dependents, with a fee of KYD 500 a year.

It comes without the right to work. A holder who wants to work in a specified occupation applies to the Caymanian Status and Permanent Residency Board to vary the certificate (Immigration (Amendment) Law, 2012).

Tax position: No direct taxation and no domestic tax residence test (Cayman Islands Tax Information Authority). The Islands levy no income, capital gains or payroll tax, so the certificate brings no Cayman income tax filing.

Holders can still owe tax elsewhere. Countries that tax by citizenship, or that keep treating a departing resident as resident, may continue to tax worldwide income, so applicants should check the rules of their home country before moving.