Property Purchase Procedure and Costs in St Lucia

For non nationals wishing to purchase property in St. Lucia, the property must first be identified and then an application made for an Aliens’ Land Holding Licence.

This application has to be made by a lawyer and involves a police clearance from the purchaser’s country, a banker’s reference and a character reference. The licence will normally cost around  EC$ 200 (£40.00)

Once the purchaser has made an offer that has been accepted, a legal contract has to be drawn up by a lawyer in St. Lucia. A deposit is required to secure the property, this is normally no more than 10% of the property purchase price and is usually refundable. (Make sure this is written into the contract) The vendor's lawyer will hold this deposit until the completion of the sale, when the balance of the purchase price is paid the title passes to the buyer.

The purchaser will require a registered a lawyer to search the register and to ensure that there are no encumbrances, charges, encroachments or other impediments to the sale.

It will normally take up to 3 months for completion to be finalised.

Cost of purchasing property in St Lucia

The legal costs of buying property in St Lucia is between 3% - 5% of the property purchase price.

Stamp duty is normally  2 % of the property purchase price.