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For
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Nevis Property - How to Buy Property in Nevis
Nevis Property Buying Information
Nevis Alien Land Holders License
A foreign national who wishes to acquire Nevis property will need
to apply for an alien land holding license, as stipulated by the
Nevis Alien Land Holding Regulation Act Cap. 102. If the person
is seeking to become an economic citizen of St. Kitts & Nevis,
the acquisition of property that qualifies for this purpose is
limited to selected developments. See St. Kitts Economic Citizenship
Nevis Property Title Deeds
There are two different systems of transferring and showing proof
of ownership to property. Under the British deed system inherited
from the colonial period, title to property can be transferred
with a deed in accordance with the Conveyancing and Law of Property
Act, which requires a search at the Registry of Deeds for upwards
of 35 years.
A second option is to acquire property by means of a Certificate
of Title based on land surveying plans and subsequent entry in a
title register on the basis of the Title by Registration Act. The
acquisition of title to a property via a deed is less secure because
the deed applies only to the seller and buyer and does not preclude
a third party from asserting a better title. A valid property title
can be acquired only if the basis of the current property title can
be demonstrated to go back 35 years by submitting proof of an unbroken
ownership chain. A Certificate of Title is preferable to a deed.
A title certificate gives the buyer a government guarantee and also
displays all encumbrances, such as mortgages, on the property. If
a property is acquired by means of a deed, the buyer or owner may
subsequently request registration under the Title by Registration
Act at any time by applying to the Registrar of Titles. St. Kitts & Nevis
is a small country in which lawsuits concerning disputes of ownership
title to property are very rare. Before every acquisition, a lawyer
will naturally check whether the ownership title is correct and unencumbered,
and any problems will usually come to light in the course of these
enquiries and resolved in advance
Property Buying Costs
Various acquisition costs are payable when buying property. Whilst
there is no purchase tax in Nevis, there is a 0.5 % contribution
to the National Assurance Fund. These are contributions to a title
assurance which is a legal requirement on St. Kitts & Nevis.
The preparation of plans costs about another US$ 300 and the mandatory
lawyer will charge a conveyance fee of about 2.5 % of the purchase
price. Accordingly, the total real estate acquisition costs amount
to approximately 3% of the purchase price.
All furniture and fittings can be imported duty-free.
Nevis Property Taxes
The Comptroller of Customs assesses the annual rental value of the
property and a 5 % land tax is levied annually on this rental value.
However, in most cases that tax does not amount to more than about
US$ 1,000 per year. No other running taxes are due. If the property
is rented, any rental income is tax-free for the owner. In the event
of a sale, there is no capital gains tax to pay either. The tax system
on St. Kitts & Nevis is also financially interesting to those
who wish to become resident there. This is because income is not
taxed and there are no wealth taxes either.
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