Following diplomatic involvement by Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris, the Ambassador to Taiwan, Her Excellency Jasmine Huggins and the Honourable Mark Brantley, the Republic of China (Taiwan) has announced today that it is offering visa free access to nationals of St Kitts and Nevis.
The Prime Minister said:
“Taiwan has been a great supporter of St Kitts and Nevis and this step further demonstrates the strength of our collaborative partnership which brings benefits to the citizens of both countries in the areas of business, tourism, trade and cultural reciprocity.”
The measure, which takes place with immediate effect will grant nationals up to 30 days visa-free entry into Taiwan.
The Hon. Mark Brantley said:
“I feel privileged to have played a part in achieving this exciting opportunity for the citizens of St Kitts and Nevis and for further embedding a truly bilateral relationship. The visa free access granted today by Taiwan is a clear indicator of the global confidence in the integrity of our passport and the due diligence measures that we have put in place to make applying for citizenship by investment a more robust process. It also means that the power of our citizenship has been further boosted and elevated to a global level of free movement, making it one of the most powerful in the Caribbean and Latin America.”
Her Excellency Jasmine Huggins advised that in order to benefit from this arrangement, citizens must satisfy a number of criteria. She said that they must hold a standard passport valid for at least six months; hold a return flight/ boat ticket, or a flight/boat ticket; have a valid visa for an onward destination; and possess no criminal record, as verified by immigration units upon arrival at an airport or port in Taiwan.
Over the last 2 years, nationals of St Kitts and Nevis have already had visa free travel to a range of other countries to include Brazil, The Maldives, Indonesia, Seychelles, Bolivia, Sierre Leone, Kenya, Ukraine, Kosovo, Kazakhstan and now Taiwan.