Basseterre

Passport validity requirements

To enter St Kitts and Nevis, your passport must have an ‘expiry date’ at least 6 months after the date you arrive.

Check with your travel provider that your passport and other travel documents meet requirements. Renew your passport if you need to.

You will be denied entry if you do not have a valid travel document or try to use a passport that has been reported lost or stolen.

Dual nationals

When returning to the UK, British citizens must carry a valid British passport or certificate of entitlement. See Dual citizenship.

Visa requirements

You can visit St Kitts and Nevis without a visa for up to 6 months.

All visitors to St Kitts and Nevis must obtain an Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) before travel. The eTA can be applied for online or via the official mobile app. For full details, see the St Kitts and Nevis Electronic Border Management System website.

If you want to stay longer, you must apply and pay for an extension through the St Kitts and Nevis Immigration Department. Email: stkittsimmigrationdept@gmail.com.

It is illegal to overstay your visa or to work without a work permit.

Immigration form  

Before you travel, complete the immigration form online to speed up your arrival in St Kitts and Nevis. You can also complete the form when you arrive using your personal device with a data connection or the free public wifi.

Arriving by sea

You must contact the St Kitts and Nevis Port Authority at least 24 hours before arriving by sea. You must:

• fill in the immigration form
• contact either the Nevis Air and Sea Ports Authority, for Nevis, or the St Christopher Air and Sea Ports Authority, for St Kitts

Airport tax

Arrival and departure tax is usually included in the ticket price of most commercial flights.

If you’re leaving from Robert L Bradshaw International Airport on a flight operated by LIAT, you must pay the departure tax cash or card at the Airport Finance Office.

Vaccine requirements

To enter St Kitts and Nevis, you must have a certificate to prove you’ve had a yellow fever vaccination if you’re coming from a country listed as a transmission risk.

For full details about medical entry requirements and recommended vaccinations, see TravelHealthPro’s St Kitts and Nevis guide.

Customs rules

There are strict rules about goods you can take into or out of St Kitts and Nevis. You must declare anything that may be prohibited or subject to tax or duty.

Customs rules

There are strict rules about goods you can take into or out of St Kitts and Nevis. You must declare anything that may be prohibited or subject to tax or duty.

Emergency services in St Kitts and Nevis

Ambulance: 911

Fire: 333

Police: 911

Coastguard: 465 8484 or 466 9280

Contact your travel provider and insurer

Contact your travel provider and your insurer if you are involved in a serious incident or emergency abroad. They will tell you if they can help and what you need to do.

Refunds and changes to travel

For refunds or changes to travel, contact your travel provider. You may also be able to make a claim through insurance. However, insurers usually require you to talk to your travel provider first.

Find out more about changing or cancelling travel plans, including:

• where to get advice if you are in a dispute with a provider
• how to access previous versions of travel advice to support a claim

Support from FCDO

FCDO has guidance on staying safe and what to do if you need help or support abroad, including:

• finding lawyers and funeral directors in St Kitts and Nevis
• dealing with a death in St Kitts and Nevis
• being arrested or imprisoned in St Kitts and Nevis
• getting help if you’re a victim of crime
• what to do if you’re in hospital
• if you’re affected by a crisis, such as a terrorist attack

Contacting FCDO  

Help abroad   

See how to get help from the UK government abroad including in an emergency.  

Help in the UK   

You can call FCDO in London if you need urgent help because something has happened to a friend or relative abroad.   

Telephone: 020 7008 5000 (24 hours)   

Find out about call charges 

Get travel advice updates   

Sign up to get email notifications when this travel advice is updated.   

Follow FCDO:  

• travel advice on X 

• travel advice on Facebook

Before you travel

No travel can be guaranteed safe. Read all the advice in this guide. You may also find it helpful to: 

• see general advice for women travellers
• read our guide on disability and travel abroad
• see general advice for LGBT+ travellers
• read about safety for solo and independent travel
• see advice on volunteering and adventure travel abroad

Travel insurance

If you choose to travel, research your destinations and get appropriate travel insurance. Insurance should cover your itinerary, planned activities and expenses in an emergency.

About FCDO travel advice

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) provides advice about risks of travel to help you make informed decisions. Find out more about FCDO travel advice.

Get travel advice updates 

Sign up to get email notifications when this travel advice is updated.  

Follow FCDO:    

• travel advice on X 

• travel advice on Facebook 

• Travel Aware on Instagram

Laws and cultural differences

Camouflage clothing  

It is illegal for anyone, including children, to dress in camouflage clothing. You could get a 250 Eastern Caribbean dollar (EC dollar) fine and 3 months in prison.

Illegal drugs and prison sentences

There are severe penalties for all drug offences, particularly drug trafficking. If convicted at Magistrates Court, you could get a fine of up to 400,000 EC dollars or 3 times the street value, whichever is higher, and up to 10 years in prison. If the case goes to the High Court, sentences are a minimum of 15 years, up to life imprisonment.

Marijuana (cannabis) for personal use has been decriminalised, but you must have a licence to use it. There are fines for smoking of marijuana in some public places or without a licence.

LGBT+ travellers

Attitudes towards the LGBT+ community are mostly conservative in the Caribbean. Showing affection in public (for example, holding hands or kissing) is uncommon for opposite or same-sex couples and may receive unwanted and negative attention.

Read more advice for LGBT+ travellers.