This guide gives you the dated Henley Passport Index position for the St Kitts and Nevis passport, shows how it compares with other Caribbean passports, explains the entry rules we could confirm from official pages, and says plainly which questions we could not confirm.
The honest answer: in the October 2026 Henley ranking, St. Kitts and Nevis is 22nd with a visa-free score of 157. That is a ranking figure from one index, not a verified destination list, and we could not confirm current entry terms for St Kitts and Nevis passport holders for the United States or Canada from official pages.
Summary: the current rank, score and date
The Henley Passport Index October 2026 global ranking covers 199 passports and 227 travel destinations. It ranks passports by the number of destinations holders can access without a prior visa. In that edition St. Kitts and Nevis is ranked 22nd with a score of 157. Singapore is 1st with 193.
Put simply, the gap between the top passport and St. Kitts and Nevis is 36 points (193 less 157). The passport sits in the upper part of a 199-passport table, but it is not in the top tier.
The figures above were checked against the published October 2026 PDF on 18 October 2026. Ranks move between editions, so treat the number as a dated snapshot. For how the index is built and what it leaves out, see our Henley Passport Index explained guide, and for the wider picture see most powerful passports in the world.
Why published counts differ
You will see St Kitts and Nevis quoted with many different numbers and ranks in other places. Reasons a figure can differ include:
- Edition date. Henley publishes updated rankings, and a figure from an earlier edition will not match the October 2026 edition.
- What is counted. A source may count only visa-free entry, or may also include electronic authorisations, visa on arrival or e-Visa.
- Where the data comes from. Some figures come from other datasets, not from Henley.
We cannot verify third-party figures against official pages, so we use only the dated Henley ranking. Henley’s methodology page states that the score gives one point where no visa is required, and also where the holder can get a visa on arrival, a visitor’s permit or an electronic travel authority (ETA) without pre-departure government approval, and zero where a visa or a government-approved e-Visa is needed before departure. The data come from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), supplemented by Henley’s own research, and the index is updated monthly. Do not assume a figure from another source is comparable with 157.
Which number should you use? For comparing passports with each other, use a single edition of a single index, as in the table below. For planning a specific trip, no index count replaces checking the entry rules of the destination government for your exact passport and dates.
Visa-free, electronic authorisation and other entry types
An index score is only useful if you know what sits behind it. Entry without a visa is not always entry without paperwork. Some destinations require an electronic authorisation that is not a visa but still has to be obtained before travel.
Two official examples show how this works in practice:
- UK ETA. The UK Government states that an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) costs £20 and allows travel for up to 6 months. St Kitts and Nevis is on the Home Office’s ETA national list, so citizens of St Kitts and Nevis need an ETA to travel to the UK.
- ETIAS. The EU agency eu-LISA states that once an ETIAS authorisation is issued, travellers can stay for up to 90 days in the EU and Schengen Area. The European Commission describes ETIAS as an online travel authorisation for non-EU travellers who do not need a visa to enter 30 European countries, and as of its April 2026 update it is scheduled to start in the last quarter of 2026, with the exact date still to be announced. St. Kitts and Nevis is on the EU visa exemption list, so its citizens fall in that group.
Under Henley’s rules an ETA counts as visa-free, but the ranking PDF does not break the 157 down by entry type, so we do not break the score into visa-free, authorisation, visa on arrival and e-Visa categories. Any article that gives such a split for St Kitts and Nevis should say which dataset and which date it is using.
How the ranking compares with other Caribbean passports
The same October 2026 Henley table lets you compare St. Kitts and Nevis with the four other Caribbean citizenship by investment passports on equal terms.
| Passport | Henley rank (October 2026) | Visa-free score |
|---|---|---|
| St. Kitts and Nevis | 22nd | 157 |
| Antigua and Barbuda | 24th | 154 |
| Grenada | 27th | 148 |
| Dominica | 30th (shared by 2) | 144 |
| Saint Lucia | 31st (shared by 3) | 143 |
Source: Henley & Partners, Henley Passport Index, 2026 Global Ranking (October 2026 edition).
Of these five, St. Kitts and Nevis has the highest score: 3 points above Antigua and Barbuda, 9 above Grenada, 13 above Dominica and 14 above Saint Lucia. These are small differences within the same index, and a single destination can change them. For more detail on the others, see our guides to the Grenada passport and the Dominica passport.
Schengen Area and United Kingdom
Europe is where most readers want certainty, and this is where official pages give a partial picture.
What is confirmed. St. Kitts and Nevis is listed in Annex II of Regulation (EU) 2018/1806, the list of third countries whose nationals do not need a visa to cross the EU’s external borders for stays of no more than 90 days in any 180-day period. In the text we read, the listing carries no condition footnote, unlike Grenada, Dominica, Saint Lucia and a few other countries whose exemption is tied to an agreement with the European Union. The EU Delegation to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean said in a May 2015 press release that St. Kitts and Nevis was granted visa waiver status in 2009, alongside The Bahamas, Barbados and Antigua and Barbuda.
A limit. The same release notes that for France and the Netherlands, visa-free travel applies only to their European territory, and that the rules for their overseas territories, including those in the Caribbean, remain subject to bilateral arrangements or national legislation.
United Kingdom. St Kitts and Nevis is not on the UK Government’s visitor visa national list, so visitors do not need a visa in advance. It is on the Home Office’s ETA national list, so travellers need an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) for travel to the UK on or after 8 January 2025. An ETA costs £20 and allows travel for up to 6 months for tourism, visiting family and certain other reasons.
What we could not confirm. We did not read the terms of the 2009 EU agreement itself, and the regulation text we read is a snapshot, so it cannot show any change or suspension after its date.
Before booking European or UK travel, check the current rules for your passport directly with the destination authority.
United States and Canada
For a US-based reader this is the key question, and we have to be direct: we could not confirm from an official page whether a St Kitts and Nevis passport holder needs a visa to enter the United States, or under what conditions. We therefore make no claim either way. The US Department of State and CBP are the authorities to check.
The same applies to Canada. Our research did not return an official Canadian government page, so Canada entry terms for this passport are not confirmed here. Check the Government of Canada, IRCC, for current rules.
One related point is on firmer ground. A passport does not change the fact that a US citizen is taxed by the US, as the next section explains.
The catches: tax, records and what the passport does not change
US citizens and residents. The IRS states that your worldwide income is generally subject to US income tax regardless of where you live, and that resident aliens are generally taxed on worldwide income in the same way as US citizens. A second passport does not by itself end that. The IRS also publishes capital gains rates: a top long-term rate of 20% above the income thresholds, and a maximum 28% rate on gains from collectibles such as coins or art. For the wider picture, see countries with no capital gains tax and countries with no income tax.
US estate tax for non-US persons. For a decedent who is a nonresident and not a US citizen, the IRS levies estate tax on US-situated property, valued at the date of death. The IRS defines such a decedent as someone neither domiciled in nor a citizen of the United States at death. Form 706-NA must be filed within 9 months after the date of death unless an extension was granted. Holding a Caribbean passport does not remove US-situated assets from this rule.
St Kitts and Nevis taxes. The Inland Revenue Department states that the Income Tax Act was passed in 1966 and came into force on 1 January 1967, and that income tax on individuals was abolished in 1980. We could not confirm from the pages we hold how residence, foreign income or any other individual tax applies today, and the pages do not give a single current effective date. The IRD also states that property tax is due each year on or before 30 June, and lists the Property Tax Act (Chap 20.32, revised 2009). We have no confirmed rates, thresholds or exemptions. The IRD states that taxable entities and individuals must keep tax documents for 6 years.
Not confirmed. We could not confirm from a government passport or citizenship authority the passport issuing office, validity and renewal rules, whether St Kitts and Nevis recognises dual nationality, or the cost and conditions of the citizenship by investment programme. Do not rely on this guide for those points.
Who benefits and where the passport falls short
Based only on what we could confirm, here is a balanced view.
- Where it helps. A score of 157 and a 22nd place in a 199-passport ranking is a strong position, and it is the highest of the five Caribbean passports in the table above in the October 2026 edition.
- Where the numbers stop. The score does not tell you the stay limits, authorisation requirements or conditions for any single destination. It also does not tell you whether the United States or Canada is open to you without a visa, because we could not confirm those terms.
- Where it changes nothing. For a US citizen, a second passport does not change US worldwide taxation or US estate tax rules for US-situated property.
The passport is most useful to someone whose main goal is simpler travel to the regions where it is confirmed to work, who has checked the specific destinations they travel to most. It is a weaker fit if your key destination is one we could not confirm, or if you expect tax relief from a US perspective. Compare other programs and routes through our St. Kitts and Nevis Citizenship by Investment page, and note that GoldPassports is an authorised agent for that program.
How we verified this and what to check yourself
Figures in this guide were checked against official or issuer pages on 18 October 2026: the Henley ranking PDF, IRS pages, the Inland Revenue Department of St. Kitts and Nevis, the EU Delegation press release, Regulation (EU) 2018/1806, eu-LISA and the UK Government ETA page. Henley is a commercial index provider, so its ranking is an index figure, not a government statement of entry rights.
Before you travel or apply, check three things with the destination authority: the current entry rule for your passport, any electronic authorisation and its fee, and the permitted length of stay. For other options, you can browse our Insights library.
Want to know which option fits your situation? Request a free call and an advisor will give you a straight answer, including when a second passport will not change your travel or tax position.
Last verified against the sources below on 18 October 2026. This article is general information, not legal or tax advice.
Thinking about St. Kitts and Nevis?
See the requirements, costs and official sources for the St. Kitts and Nevis program, checked against the government's own pages. View the St. Kitts and Nevis program.
Frequently asked questions
What is the St Kitts and Nevis passport ranking in 2026?
In the October 2026 Henley Passport Index, St. Kitts and Nevis is ranked 22nd with a visa-free score of 157, out of 199 passports. Ranks change between editions.
How many countries can St Kitts and Nevis citizens visit without a visa?
The October 2026 Henley score is 157 destinations, out of 227 covered by the index. Other sources publish different figures, and we could not verify them against official pages.
Can a St Kitts and Nevis passport holder enter the United States or Canada without a visa?
We could not confirm this from an official page, so we make no claim. Check the US Department of State, CBP and the Government of Canada (IRCC) for current rules.
Does the passport give visa-free access to Schengen countries?
Yes, for stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. St. Kitts and Nevis is listed in Annex II of Regulation (EU) 2018/1806, in the text we read without a condition footnote. The European Commission says ETIAS, a travel authorisation for visa-exempt travellers, is scheduled to start in the last quarter of 2026.
Do citizens of St Kitts and Nevis need a visa or an ETA for the United Kingdom?
They do not need a visa, but they need an electronic travel authorisation (ETA). St Kitts and Nevis is on the Home Office's ETA national list and not on the visitor visa national list. An ETA costs £20 and allows stays of up to 6 months.
Does a second passport change US tax for US citizens?
No. The IRS states that your worldwide income is generally subject to US income tax regardless of where you live. A foreign passport does not by itself change that.
Does St Kitts and Nevis tax individual income?
The Inland Revenue Department states that income tax on individuals was abolished in 1980. We could not confirm how residence, foreign income or other taxes apply today.
Official sources
Figures on this page come from the sources below and were last verified on 18 October 2026. Rules change; always confirm the current position. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.
- Henley & Partners: Henley Passport Index, 2026 Global Ranking (October 2026 edition, PDF)
- Inland Revenue Department, Government of St. Kitts and Nevis: Income tax
- Inland Revenue Department, Government of St. Kitts and Nevis: Tax laws
- Internal Revenue Service: Publication 54, Tax Guide for U.S. Citizens and Resident Aliens Abroad
- Internal Revenue Service: Topic no. 409, Capital gains and losses
- Internal Revenue Service: Estate tax for nonresidents not citizens of the United States
- Internal Revenue Service: Instructions for Form 706-NA
- European Union Delegation to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean: Press release (28 May 2015)
- European Union: Regulation (EU) 2018/1806, Annex II
- eu-LISA: ETIAS
- UK Government: Get an electronic travel authorisation (ETA)
- European Union: Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 (EUR-Lex, Annex II)
- UK Government: Immigration Rules Appendix Visitor Visa National List
- UK Government: Immigration Rules Appendix ETA National List
- Henley & Partners: Henley Passport Index methodology
- European Commission, DG Migration and Home Affairs: Main differences between the EES and ETIAS (28 April 2026)
