St Kitts and Nevis’ passport ranked higher than several European nations

St Kitts and Nevis’ Foreign Ministry Positions Passport Higher than Several European Countries.

In an October 2018 index analysing the number of countries people can travel to visa-free or with a visa-on-arrival, St Kitts and Nevis’ passport was ranked 26th out of 199. The top countries were Japan, at number 1, Singapore at number 2, and France, Germany, and South Korea jointly at number 3. St Kitts and Nevis, a developing state in the Caribbean Sea, attained a higher position than many European countries, including Albania (49), Georgia (50), Macedonia (43), Montenegro (45), Russia (47), and Serbia (39). Other notable countries surpassed by St Kitts and Nevis include China (71), Paraguay (34), Qatar (60), and South Africa (52). The island-nation is also top of the OECS countries.

There are many aspects of citizenship that can make one proud. Some of these aspects, such as heritage, community, and the celebration of democratic values, are hard to quantify. Others, such as the ability to cross national borders on the basis of one’s citizenship alone, can be more readily measured. ‘Travel power,’ sometimes referred to as a person’s ‘freedom of movement,’ is, indeed, ever more important, particularly as we take further steps into globalisation and seek greater international opportunities and connectivity.

The ‘travel power’ associated with citizenship of St Kitts and Nevis,’ and embodied in its blue CARICOM passport, is growing rapidly. At the heart of this growth are the continued efforts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, headed by Mark Brantley. Having gained the trust of countries from all corners of the world, the Ministry has strengthened St Kitts and Nevis’ global status and diplomatic footprint to levels never seen before in the history of the Federation.

Such impressive success is down to the consistent work of the Government and Foreign Ministry to improve St Kitts and Nevis’ passport power by signing and implementing visa-free agreements with other jurisdictions. Through its overseas missions, the Foreign Ministry has reached out, reinforced existing partnerships, and established new ones, and by so doing secured greater freedom of travel for its people.

Foreign Minister Mark Brantley has spearheaded this campaign, working with many of his foreign counterparts to establish new diplomatic ties and obtain visa-free agreements, and actively promoting the value that international partnership can bring to the parties involved, particularly where these are small island developing states. These efforts have resulted in the number of countries to which Kittitians and Nevisians can travel visa-free increasing dramatically and in St Kitts and Nevis’ international standing rising since the current Government took office in 2015. In just the past year, St Kitts and Nevis signed visa-free agreements with the Gambia, Nepal, and Rwanda, and forged diplomatic relations with the Kyrgyz Republic, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Swaziland, and Tajikistan. Since 2017, St Kitts and Nevis’ global passport ranking rose from number 30 to 26.

The Government of St Kitts and Nevis is committed to increased international collaboration and free movement for its citizens. It aims to build bridges for its people by actively fostering partnerships with other governments, developing international business relations, and encouraging greater people to people connections. Under this regime, Kittitians and Nevisians can feel secure knowing their citizenship and freedom of travel are prioritised and protected.