1. 28 AH MARCH 2016
Dr. Alex R. Suchy von Weissenfeld is a Senior
Consultant and Area Manager Middle East for
C&S International LLC, an internationally active
business consultancy out of Vermont, USA.
He has spent the last 10 years in Bahrain and
has held a number of academic positions with
several universities during this time. For the
last 5 years, however, his focus has been on
forming companies all around the globe and
helping corporations and individuals use these
International Business Companies to achieve their
personal and professional goals.

2. 29MARCH 2016 AH
Follow-up article to “Diversified Passport Portfolio” by
Dr. Alex Suchy von Weissenfeld in Arabian Homes’
March 2016 issue.
Dominica -
The
Commonwealth,
notthe Republic..!
I
n the last article I promised you a series
on the countries, in which you can not only
register an offshore company to protect
your assets, but also purchase an asset
worth protecting.
This month we are looking at a country
that ranks first on both ends of the scale. A
country, which was among the first to bring
the proposal for “Citizenship by Investment”
through parliament and one that only recently
has decided to allow this investment to be in the
form of real estate. I am talking, about Dominica,
not the Republic, but the Commonwealth. While
the latter is a terrific holiday destination I am
sure, it is the Commonwealth which interests us
here today. This island nation was first colonised
by the French who arrived on a Sunday, which
is why, very much like the “Robinson Crusoe” –
character, it carries that particular name.
One word on the pronunciation of the name
at this point, which you should be mindful of as
a potential new citizen; before the British gained
control over Dominica after the ‘7-Year War’ and
established English as the official language, the
island was called Dominique. In reference to this
‘old’ name, even in English the stress today is on
the 3rd syllable and therefore pronounced “Do-
mi-‘ni-ca”.
As previously mentioned, Dominica became
a popular jurisdiction for international business
companies (IBC’s) or even an attractive location
to re-domicile one you may already own.
Companies, however, are not the only ‘persons’
the Commonwealth likes to count as one of their
own.
When you are thinking of re-domiciling your
company, a legal person, from one jurisdiction
to another, you may have various reasons.
Real estate
by investment programmes
in Dominica.

3. 30 AH MARCH 2016
Laws may have changed in your current
jurisdiction and all of a sudden taxes are
levied on your earnings or your jurisdiction
has come under scrutiny from some
international authority, as a result of which
parties you intend to do business with treat
your company with caution.
For many of us who live in the GCC,
economic factors play a major role. So,
moving to a different country for work is a
common reason for people to leave their
home, but what would encourage people
to adopt a different nationality? Well, the
reasons are similar to those for changing
the jurisdiction of your company, but one
stands out for most and that is freedom of
movement. For various reasons it is often not
so simple for citizens of one nation to travel
freely to another. Visas are required and the
process of obtaining them can be tedious
and long.
Other nationalities, however, can visit
literally any country of their choice without
prior permission, a visa, or can obtain it upon
arrival at the country’s airport, for example.
If visa free travel is your goal, then
Dominica’s Citizenship Program might be
worth investigating. As a Dominican, you
cannot only freely move among all the
Caribbean countries, but a total of 127
countries (at printing date) – including the
European Union – are happy to see you at
their borders and either do not want to see
a visa or will give you one upon arrival. The
advantages do not end there, though. If your
country does not like you wanting to leave or
if you think having two passports could be
useful to you, Dominica is happy to oblige –
Dominica allows dual citizenship and does
not inform your current home country of a
successful application.
Important for international investors is
always a good track record of a stable
and effective legal system and easy
communication with the authorities.
Dominica offers just that. Due to its long
relationship with the United Kingdom -
the Commonwealth of Dominica gained
independence in 1978 after having been a
colony for more than 200 years – English is
not only the prevailing language - making
Important for international investors is always a good track record of a stable
Dominica's nature

4. 31MARCH 2016 AH
Butlers Estate
government communication easy – but also
English Common Law is practiced with a
few local modifications where applicable.
Back to the main topic, our “Citizenship
by Investment” program; like most
Caribbean countries, Dominica’s wealth
originated from the sugar or agricultural
industry, which up to now is a strong
economic factor. Dominica therefore offers
interested parties to make a donation to
the country, which is eventually being used
to help and promote these industries. In
exchange for such donation, the country
may grant you (the results of stringent
background checks permitting) its
nationality and subsequently passport.
And as for taxes, none are due on capital
gains, inheritance or any international
income – unless you decide to move to this
beautiful place of earth – and quite frankly,
why wouldn’t you at some point… you are a
rightful citizen!
The second and most recent way of
obtaining a Dominican passport is by
investing in the real estate sector. Market
entry-level requirements are a little bit more
inviting than in other countries with the
minimum investment starting at 200,000.00
USD, however, beautiful apartments in
a stunning environmental setting can
obviously be worth much more. Dominica
is called “Nature Isle of the Caribbean” for
good reason - just feast your eyes on the
pictures accompanying this article.
If you have any further questions related
to Dominica’s real estate investment
programmes, please contact the editor
of Arabian Homes (contact info under
the editor’s letter) and we will put you in
touch with Miss Giselle Bru, some of you
may remember her as my “go to person”
from the last article (March 2016), who is a
consultant in this field and through her years
of experience very qualified in answering any
question you may have.
As for a little ‘cross-over’ promotion,
Arabian Homes’ sister publication “Business
in Gulf” is going to feature an interview with
the Prime Minister of Dominica in its next
issue. If you are considering becoming a
Dominican, you do not want to miss this.
and effective legal system and easy communication with the authorities.
Dominica has a remarkable array
of flora and fauna and is therefore
named "Nature Island".