Basseterre, St. Kitts, March 06, 2016 (SKNIS): St. Kitts and Nevis’ passport has been ranked fourth according to a visa restriction index in a listing of the Caribbean’s Top Ten Most Powerful Passports released by Henley &Partners, a citizenship-by-investment international planning firm.
St. Kitts and Nevis ranked fourth only after Barbados, which was rated as number one, Bahamas, which classified as number two and Antigua and Barbuda, which positioned as number three.
The top four countries also have an impressive world ranking on the Henley & Partners Visa Restriction Index. Barbados’ passport ranked 26 worldwide, allowing its holders to travel to 141 countries visa-free; Bahamas’ passport was categorized as 27, where citizens can visit 140 countries visa-free; Antigua and Barbuda’s passport was classified as number 30, giving its holders the privilege of travelling to 134 countries without a visa; and St. Kitts and Nevis’ passport, which ranked 32 globally, gives visa-free entry to 132 countries.
According to Henley & Partners, the St. Kitts-Nevis Passport worked its way back into the top 4 in the Caribbean after receiving heavy blows from the removal of the Canadian visa waiver, as well as the issuance of an Advisory by the US Treasury largely as a result of bad management by the former Douglas-led Administration. The citizenship-by-investment international planning firm also praised the Dr. Harris-led Administration, saying that a change in the administration in St. Kitts-Nevis has resulted in a positive change for the St. Kitts-Nevis passport in terms of its powerful ranking.
The other countries to rank in the Caribbean’s Top Ten Most Powerful Passports are: Trinidad and Tobago, ranking fifth; St. Lucia in sixth position; St. Vincent and the Grenadines, taking seventh place; Grenada in position eight; Dominica ranking as ninth; and Guyana taking the tenth position.
Of the ten countries, Dominica, Grenada, Antigua, St. Lucia and St. Kitts and Nevis have citizenship-by-investment programmes.