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Antigua and Barbuda · Travel · · 4 minute readBoth Caribbean states signed agreements in New York covering every passport type, including the ordinary passports held by citizens by investment.
Two of the Caribbean's citizenship by investment countries have signed visa waiver agreements with Azerbaijan on the same day. On September 24, 2026, on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov signed separate agreements with St Kitts and Nevis and with Antigua and Barbuda.
In each case the two sides signed a pair of agreements. One covers diplomatic and official or service passports, carried by officials on government business. The other covers ordinary passports, which every other citizen holds. Together they extend visa free travel to all passport categories.
Both governments presented the agreements as a way to ease official travel and strengthen contact between people, tourism and wider exchanges. The announcements did not set out the permitted length of stay or the date the agreements come into force. Agreements of this kind normally take effect once each government has completed its domestic procedures, so travellers should check the current entry rules before booking.
Azerbaijan sits on the western shore of the Caspian Sea, between Russia to the north and Iran to the south, with Georgia and Armenia to its west. Its capital, Baku, has grown into a regional hub for energy, business and conferences; it hosted the COP29 United Nations climate conference in November 2024. The country has been expanding its own network of visa agreements; the day before, Bayramov signed a visa exemption agreement for official passports with Bangladesh.
For small Caribbean states, agreements like these are part of a patient diplomatic strategy. Neither St Kitts and Nevis nor Antigua and Barbuda has a large diplomatic network, so the annual General Assembly week, when foreign ministers from almost every country are in one city, is one of the most efficient moments of the year to conclude treaties. Each new partner adds to the list of places their citizens can visit freely and builds relationships at the United Nations and in other forums where every vote counts equally.
People who become citizens of St Kitts and Nevis or Antigua and Barbuda through investment receive ordinary passports, the same as any other citizen. Because the new agreements cover ordinary passports, they apply to these citizens on equal terms once in force.
Azerbaijan is unlikely to be the deciding factor for most applicants, but it is a useful addition for anyone who travels in the Caucasus, the mountainous region between the Black Sea and the Caspian. It is particularly relevant for clients who combine a Caribbean citizenship with our Georgia residency program, since Tbilisi and Baku are neighbouring capitals connected by direct flights and road crossings, and travel between Georgia and Azerbaijan is common for business and leisure.
The fact that both countries signed on the same day also illustrates how similar the two programs have become in their diplomatic reach. The differences between them lie elsewhere: in the minimum investment, which family members can be included, processing times and presence rules. We help clients compare St Kitts and Nevis with Antigua and Barbuda, work with our local team in each country, and quote our fees in writing before any work begins.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or investment advice.
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