Saint Kitts and Nevis passport | |
---|---|
Type | Passport |
Issued by | Saint Kitts and Nevis |
First issued | 11 November 2010 [1] (current version) |
Purpose | Identification |
Eligibility | Citizenship of Saint Kitts and Nevis |
Expiration | 10 years |
The Saint Kitts and Nevis passport is issued to citizens of Saint Kitts and Nevis for international travel. Prior to 1983, Saint Kitts and Nevis, together with Anguilla, was an associated state of the United Kingdom. The passport is a Caricom passport as Saint Kitts and Nevis is a member of the Caribbean Community. As of 29 July 2023, [update] citizens of Saint Kitts and Nevis had visa-free or visa on arrival access (including eTAs) to 154 countries and territories. [2]
In 1984, Saint Kitts and Nevis introduced an immigrant investor program, and as of March 2015 [update] , the country is the most popular place to acquire citizenship through investment, which includes the right to a passport. [3] The minimum cost for a single applicant to acquire citizenship is US$250,000, with additional costs being levied for each eligible family member the applicant wishes to include. [4] [5] Applicants must complete a background and due diligence check process, as well as various other legal requirements. [4] Once successfully vetted and granted citizenship, they can apply for a passport. [3] [2] There is no requirement to live in or visit the country (although an interview is required [4] ), and there is no tax on citizens' individual income (including capital gains). [6] [7]
In May 2014, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network issued a warning that St. Kitts and Nevis had granted passports to foreign individuals who had abused the Citizenship-by-Investment program sponsored "for the purpose of engaging in illicit financial activity." [8] In November 2014, Canada announced it was requiring St. Kitts and Nevis citizens to obtain a visa from 22 November 2014, due to concerns about “identity management practices within its Citizenship by Investment program.” [9] Following the announcement, the government of St. Kitts and Nevis initiated a recall on all biometric passports issued between January 2012 and July 2014, and replaced them with new passports which showed the holder's place of birth as well as any previous name changes. [10] Canada subsequently reinstated visa-free (eTA) travel by air for any St. Kitts and Nevis citizens who have either held a Canadian visa within 10 years prior to their arrival, or who currently hold a valid United States non-immigrant visa. [11]
The St. Kitts and Nevis Citizenship-by-Investment program is one of the longest-standing programs of its kind in the world. The country opened its doors to foreign investors in 1984. Since then, they have continued to offer their citizenship to those that are qualified and who have donated a significant amount of capital into the economy. St. Kitts and Nevis also offers a fast-track service to clients, including the issuance of passports which previously had been subject to lengthy delays. [12]
As of 29 July 2023, [update] citizens of Saint Kitts and Nevis had visa-free or visa on arrival access (including eTAs) to 154 countries and territories, ranking the Saint Kitts and Nevis passport 24th in the world in terms of travel freedom according to the Henley Passport Index. [2]
Saint Kitts and Nevis, officially the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis, is an island country consisting of the two islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis, both located in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands chain of the Lesser Antilles. With 261 square kilometres (101 sq mi) of territory, and roughly 50,000 inhabitants, it is the smallest sovereign state in the Western Hemisphere, in both area and population, as well as the world's smallest sovereign federation. The country is a Commonwealth realm, with Charles III as King and head of state.
A visa is a conditional authorization granted by a polity to a foreigner that allows them to enter, remain within, or leave its territory. Visas typically include limits on the duration of the foreigner's stay, areas within the country they may enter, the dates they may enter, the number of permitted visits, or if the individual can work in the country in question. Visas are associated with the request for permission to enter a territory and thus are, in most countries, distinct from actual formal permission for an alien to enter and remain in the country. In each instance, a visa is subject to entry permission by an immigration official at the time of actual entry and can be revoked at any time. Visa evidence most commonly takes the form of a sticker endorsed in the applicant's passport or other travel document but may also exist electronically. Some countries no longer issue physical visa evidence, instead recording details only in immigration databases.
Denzil Llewellyn Douglas is a Saint Kittitian and Nevisian politician and the longest-serving prime minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis, in office from 1995 to 2015. He was the leader of the Saint Kitts and Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP) from 1989 to 2021. He was the leader of the parliamentary opposition from 1989 to 1995 and from 2015 to 2022.
Turkish passports are issued in accordance with the Passport Act from 15 July 1950 to Turkish citizens to travel abroad. Citizens of the de facto state of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) are also eligible to apply for a Turkish passport.
Trinidad and Tobago passports are issued to citizens of Trinidad and Tobago for international travel; allowing the passport bearer to travel to foreign countries in accordance to stipulated visa requirements. All Trinidad and Tobago passports are issued through the Ministry of National Security, Immigration Division and are valid for a period of ten years for adults, and five years for children under 16.
A Barbados passport is a travel document issued to citizens of Barbados, in accordance with Citizenship Act from 1978, the Immigration Act from 1997, and the Barbados Constitution, for the purpose of facilitating international travel. It allows the bearer to travel to foreign countries in accordance with visa requirements, and facilitates the process of securing assistance from Barbados consular officials abroad, if necessary.
The CARICOM passport is a passport document issued by the 15 member states of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) for their citizens. It can be used both for intra-regional and international travel. The passport was created to facilitate intra-region travel; however, citizens of the OECS that are citizens from Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Guyana and St. Vincent and the Grenadines may use a member-state issued drivers licence, national identification card, voters registration card or social security card for travel within the OECS area.
Commonwealth of Dominica (Dominican) passports are issued to citizens of Dominica for international travel. The passport is a CARICOM passport as Dominica is a member of the Caribbean Community. The Dominican government began issuing biometric passports to its citizens on 19 July 2021, having spent $13 million upgrading its passport system to improve national security across its borders.
The visa policy of Canada requires that any foreign citizen wishing to enter Canada must obtain a temporary resident visa from one of the Canadian diplomatic missions unless they hold a passport issued by one of the 54 eligible visa-exempt countries and territories or proof of permanent residence in Canada or the United States.
The Grenadian passport is a travel document issued to citizens of Grenada, in accordance with the Grenadian Citizenship Act of 1976 and the Grenada Constitution, for the purpose of facilitating international travel. It allows the bearer to travel to foreign countries and the Commonwealth of Nations, in accordance with visa requirements, and facilitates the process of securing assistance from Grenadian consular officials abroad, if necessary.
Immigrant investor programs are programs that allow individuals to more quickly obtain residence or citizenship of a country in return for making qualifying investments.
CARIPASS is a voluntary travel card programme that will provide secure and simple border crossings for Caribbean Community (CARICOM) citizens and some legal residents of CARICOM nations. The CARIPASS initiative is coordinated by the Implementation Agency for Crime and Security, and seeks to provide standardised border control facilities within participating Caribbean communities.
Economic citizenship can be used to represent both the economic contributions requisite to become a citizen as well as the role in which one's economic standing can influence his or her rights as a citizen. The relationship between economic participation and citizenship can be considered a contributing factor to increasing inequalities and unequal representation of different socioeconomic classes within a country.
Visitors to Antigua and Barbuda must obtain an Electronic Entry Visa (EEV), unless they come from one of the visa exempt countries.
Visitors to Saint Kitts and Nevis must obtain a visa, unless they come from one of the visa exempt countries.
Visa requirements for Saint Kitts and Nevis citizens are administrative entry restrictions imposed by the authorities of foreign states on citizens of Saint Kitts and Nevis. As of 29 July 2023, citizens of Saint Kitts and Nevis had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 158 countries and territories, ranking the Saint Kitts and Nevis passport 24th in terms of travel freedom according to the Passport Index.
Henley & Partners is an investment migration consultancy based in London. The company offers services to individuals and consults governments on residence and citizenship programs. In some cases, the company even runs the programs on behalf of governments. The company has pioneered the industry of selling citizenship and passports.
Christian H. Kälin or Kaelin is a Swiss businessperson, author, government advisor and lawyer who is the chairman of Henley & Partners, an architect of citizenship-by-investment programs that allow wealthy individuals to obtain additional passports.
The Commonwealth of Dominica has been operating a citizenship by investment programme since 1993, making it the second Caribbean island-nation to launch one such programme – having been preceded by the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis.
The primary law governing Saint Kitts and Nevis nationality regulations is the Saint Christopher and Nevis Citizenship Act, which came into force on 28 February 1984.