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VMPL
New Delhi [India], May 14: Citizens of the Caribbean Federation, including those of Indian origin, must complete enrolment by 31 July 2027. The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis has launched a mandatory biometric enrolment programme that will modernise the Federation's passport to international standards, with a hard deadline of 31 July 2027 for every citizen to complete the process. The National Biometric Enrolment and Passport Modernisation Programme is led by the Ministry of National Security and the St. Kitts and Nevis Citizenship Unit. It brings the Federation's travel document in line with the biometric standards already in use across the European Union, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, all of which have moved to chip-enabled passports incorporating fingerprint, facial recognition, and digital signature data. For Indian-resident citizens of the Federation, the practical steps are clear. Appointments at Government-designated collection centres opened on 1 May 2026, with a Phase 1 network covering St. Kitts and authorised service providers in key locations worldwide. Phase 2 will extend the network further into the Federation's consular system, with additional cities to be announced. The biometric appointment takes 15 to 30 minutes. Citizens attend a single session, provide fingerprints, a facial scan, and a digital signature, and these are embedded in the new biometric passport. The Government has confirmed that the data capture is one-time only, with no requirement to re-enrol at renewal, a meaningful operational advantage over several other national biometric frameworks. Programme fees are USD 2,500 for the first adult, USD 2,000 for a second adult in the same family, and USD 1,300 for children under 16. The fees are all-inclusive of enrolment and the passport upgrade. The deadline is firm. From 1 August 2027, passports that have not been upgraded will be deactivated and cannot be used for international travel until enrolment is completed. Citizens are advised not to delay, as appointment availability will tighten significantly as the deadline approaches. The programme does not affect the rights or status of any citizen of St. Kitts and Nevis. It is a modernisation of the travel document, not a review of citizenship. Data protection has been built around Government control. All biometric data is transmitted directly to secure systems owned and operated by the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis, with handling aligned to international standards including those derived from the EU General Data Protection Regulation. The service providers supporting biometric collection act as administrative facilitators only, with no access to Government systems. Enrolment must be facilitated by an Authorised Agent, which is a Government requirement for the current phase. Citizens are advised to contact the Authorised Agent who handled their original application to begin the process. The St. Kitts and Nevis Citizenship Unit can be reached directly at biometrics@sknciu.com for any further information. The Government has urged early action across all citizen markets, with the UAE and several Asian locations among the first to receive collection centres under Phase 1. For Indian-resident citizens, contacting an Authorised Agent in the coming weeks is the recommended next step. For further information, citizens can contact the St. Kitts and Nevis Citizenship Unit directly at biometrics@sknciu.com. Media Details St. Kitts and Nevis Citizenship Unit +1 (869) 466-3658 communications@skn-ciu.com Source: St. Kitts and Nevis Citizenship Unit (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by VMPL. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same.)
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