St Kitts programme citizens must enrol biometrics by July 2027

Everyone who became a citizen of St Kitts and Nevis through its investment programme, including dependants and children, must give fingerprints and a facial image by 31 July 2027, according to the country’s Citizenship Unit. Passports issued through the programme before 14 April 2026 will no longer be accepted for international travel after that date. Citizenship itself is not affected.

The unit said on 28 September that its executive chairman, Calvin St Juste, had urged agents in recent meetings to ensure clients are clearly informed of the requirement and the deadline. Since 1 September, passport production has been part of the enrolment process, so a new passport follows enrolment.

Who must enrol, and how

The requirement applies to all citizens who obtained citizenship through the programme. The government’s information service said in March that native-born and other citizens are encouraged to enrol but are not subject to the 31 July 2027 deadline. A holder who misses it remains a citizen but needs to enrol to obtain a valid travel document, the unit says.

Enrolment is booked through an authorised agent on the government’s biometric enrolment platform; enrolment through any other platform or third-party provider is prohibited. The account is opened with the holder’s Certificate of Registration number. The appointment takes 15 to 30 minutes and collects fingerprints, a digital facial image and a digital signature, with an iris scan where applicable. Biometrics are captured once and remain valid for the life of the passport, with no separate fee at renewal.

For new applicants, enrolment has been a mandatory part of every application submitted since 14 April 2026, and the appointment can be booked from the Approval in Principle stage.

What it costs

Fees are USD 2,500 for the main adult applicant aged 16 and over, USD 2,000 for a second adult and USD 1,300 for each child under 16, covering both enrolment and the passport upgrade. Appointments booked and completed between 20 July and 31 December 2026 carry a 10% reduction, which applies only to new bookings; the unit says the window will not be extended. By TLT’s calculation, a family of two adults and two children under 16 would pay USD 7,100 at standard fees, or USD 6,390 within the reduction window. A private enrolment suite in London costs an extra USD 500.

Passports now follow enrolment

Under the process in place since 1 September, personal information, biometric data and supporting documents are submitted digitally through the government portal after notarisation. Passports for citizens by investment are produced and dispatched centrally in St Kitts and cannot be collected at high commissions or embassies. The upfront payment includes passport production but not delivery or agent fees. The unit expects an initial lead time of four to six weeks, counted from 1 September or from the date of enrolment, whichever is later.

For Vietnamese holders

The deadline covers Vietnamese families who acquired St Kitts citizenship through the programme, children included. No collection centre is listed in Vietnam. The nearest named centres are in Hong Kong and Singapore; the others are in St Kitts, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Istanbul, London, Ottawa, Toronto, the Washington DC area, Lagos and Jeddah; the page also lists Iraq and unspecified embassies and high commissions. The unit says the nearest available locations are shown on the portal at booking. The unit’s guide suggests using, where possible, the agent who handled the original application.

Also raised with agents

In the same agent meetings reported on 28 September, the chairman said the regional framework under the Eastern Caribbean Citizenship by Investment Regulatory Authority will take effect only once the Authority is operational and all participating states have agreed and communicated a commencement date. TLT set out what the regional agreement does and does not yet change in August.