No more Caribbean passport without a trip: biometrics and interviews

In short

• From 14 April 2026 new Saint Kitts and Nevis applicants give biometrics in person. Everyone who already obtained citizenship by investment must do so by 31 July 2027, or the passport will stop working for travel.
• On 10 June 2026 Dominica announced that new citizens collect and renew passports only on the island. No start date yet.
• In late 2025 Antigua introduced 30 days' presence in the first 5 years and mandatory fingerprints and photos.
• Since 1 January 2026 nationals of Antigua and Dominica are not issued new US tourist, student or immigrant visas.
• Interviews are mandatory in all five programmes. The common 30-day rule awaits the launch of the ECCIRA regulator.

A call from Washington

The changes did not start on the islands. On 16 December 2025 the US president signed a proclamation partially restricting entry for a number of countries. Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica were on the list. The reason was stated directly and without diplomacy: these countries historically granted citizenship by investment without residence requirements. The text explained Washington's fear: a person from a restricted country buys a second passport where there are no restrictions and uses it to apply for a US visa.

Since 1 January 2026 nationals of the two countries are not issued new immigrant visas, tourist and business visas, student visas or exchange visas. Visas already issued remain valid. Saint Kitts, Grenada and Saint Lucia were not on the list, although they sell passports under the same model.

Here, in my view, lies the main lesson of the year. The passport cost $230,000, the person passed due diligence, everything was above board. Then a decision taken in another country cut him off from America. Not because he was a bad applicant, but because too many before him got the same passport without ever setting foot on the island.

What this means for you. The value of a Caribbean passport rests on the trust large countries place in whom it is issued to. When trust falls, all holders suffer at once, including those who passed vetting honestly.

How the islands responded

Antigua reacted first. The prime minister said the US wording did not reflect current law and pointed to what had changed: parliament had introduced 30 days of physical presence in the first five years of citizenship instead of the previous five days, plus mandatory fingerprints and photos. Antigua's embassy in Washington began talks on lifting the restrictions.

A chain reaction followed. On 14 April 2026 Saint Kitts and Nevis launched its national biometric enrolment and passport modernisation programme. On 10 June Dominica announced that new citizens would collect and renew passports only on the island, with details promised in the budget. Together the five states are preparing the ECCIRA regional regulator and a common rule: 30 days in the country in the first five years after citizenship.

In parallel, since 30 December 2025 the EU has had a visa suspension mechanism in which selling citizenship is named directly as a ground. We covered this in detail in our piece on Caribbean visa-free access to Schengen. For the islands it means one thing: every new trust measure is an argument in talks with Brussels and Washington.

What this means for you. Personal presence is the price of keeping visa-free access to Europe and a chance to regain US visas. The islands pay it through their new citizens.

What each country requires now

Summary as of 11 October 2026. "Via passport procedure" means fingerprints and photos are taken when the passport is issued under the country's general rules, not as a separate programme step.

The toughest measure today is in Saint Kitts: it applies not only to new applicants but to everyone who became a citizen by investment earlier. The most uncertain is Dominica: the decision is announced, but the procedure and date are not. Antigua has lived under its new rules for almost a year.

Saint Kitts: a deadline for existing passport holders

If you hold a Saint Kitts passport by investment, here are the facts that matter. By 31 July 2027 every programme citizen, including children and dependants, must complete biometrics. From 1 August 2027 a passport without biometrics is deactivated for travel. Citizenship remains, but you can no longer travel on that passport.

The procedure takes 15-30 minutes: fingerprints, a digital facial image, a digital signature and sometimes an iris scan. Only an authorised agent books it through the government portal. Centres operate on the island and abroad: in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Istanbul, London, Singapore, Hong Kong and other cities. The fee is $2,500 for the main adult applicant, $2,000 for a second adult and $1,300 for a child under 16, and it includes the new passport.

A step-by-step booking guide and document checklist are in our separate guide to Saint Kitts biometrics.

What this means for you. Less than ten months remain. In spring 2027 centres will be packed, so book now rather than in summer.

I welcome these changes, even though they add work for us. A passport you can get without a single trip was always the weak spot of the Caribbean. For a serious client one flight for biometrics is no problem if he knows about it in advance. The problem is finding out in the last month. So now we build the route into every Caribbean project from the start: where to give biometrics, when to fly, how to combine the trip with family plans.

Sergey EvdokimovManaging Partner, BRIDGES

What personal presence costs

Take a family of four with Saint Kitts passports: two adults and two children under 16. Government fees for biometrics and new passports come to $2,500 + $2,000 + $1,300 + $1,300 = $7,100. Add flights for the whole family to the nearest centre, one or two nights in a hotel and the agent's booking services. For a family from Moscow the simplest option is Dubai or Istanbul: a short flight, no visa, and the procedure takes one day.

Against a passport price from $250,000 this is small money. What is costly is missing the deadline. A passport deactivated on 1 August 2027 in the middle of a trip may cost a failed deal or a holiday, and rebooking at a busy centre takes weeks.

The interview is not a formality

Interviews became mandatory in all five programmes back in 2024, yet many still treat them as a tick-box chat. That is a mistake. The interview is part of due diligence, and an application can be refused on its outcome. In Saint Kitts all applicants over 16 take it: by video, on the island or at an approved location abroad.

The questions are not about beaches. Where the investment money comes from and whether the income history matches the documents in the file. Why you want citizenship, and the answer must be honest, without rehearsed phrases. What you know about the country and whether you plan to visit. Who is in the application and what family members do. The most common cause of follow-up questions is a mismatch between what the applicant says and what is in the file. So we take clients through the questions in advance and check the answers against the papers.

What this means for you. Prepare for the interview as seriously as for document checks. It is the same thing, only out loud.

What this means for Russians

For a Russian citizen personal presence is a matter of routing, not a ban. Saint Kitts biometric centres operate in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Istanbul, which are easier for Russians to reach than the Caribbean. But the trip must be planned for the whole family: children also go through the procedure, so you need a date when everyone is free and valid passports for each person.

One more practical point. If US visas matter to you, today that is an argument against Antigua and Dominica and in favour of Saint Kitts, Grenada or Saint Lucia. The restrictions are reviewed every 180 days and may be lifted, but I would not build a plan on that.

My conclusion

The Caribbean passport has become slightly harder to obtain and noticeably more reliable to use. Biometrics, interviews and presence days bring it closer to European standards and so improve the odds of keeping visa-free Schengen access and regaining US trust. For a serious investor that is a plus. Those looking for a document without a single trip and without questions will no longer find it in the Caribbean, and frankly that is for the better.

What to watch next: the launch of ECCIRA and how the 30 days are counted, the start date for on-island passport issue in Dominica, the review of US restrictions and the islands' talks with the EU.

Sources

Saint Kitts and Nevis biometrics: the national biometric enrolment and passport modernisation programme announced by the Ministry of National Security and the Citizenship by Investment Unit on 14 April 2026, and the programme's official page. US restrictions: US presidential proclamation of 16 December 2025. Antigua: statement by the government of Antigua and Barbuda in December 2025. Dominica: statement by the prime minister on 10 June 2026. EU mechanism: the regulation on the visa suspension mechanism. Prepared by Sergey Evdokimov, Managing Partner at BRIDGES. All facts were checked on 11 October 2026.

Related: Saint Kitts and Nevis citizenship, Dominica citizenship, which Caribbean passport to choose.