Despite official assurances from Norwegian authorities, passport holders from five Caribbean nations participating in Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programs are facing systematic entry refusals and deportations at Norwegian airports, according to investigations by Immigration Migration Insider (IMI).
Since August 2024, travelers carrying CBI passports from Dominica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, and Saint Lucia have encountered heightened scrutiny and denial of entry at both Bergen and Oslo international airports. Border control officers have been specifically interrogating these individuals about their method of obtaining citizenship, despite these countries historically enjoying visa-free travel privileges to Norway under the Schengen arrangement.
The situation presents a stark contradiction between official policy and on-the-ground implementation. Norway’s Directorate of Immigration (UDI) explicitly stated in August that visa-free access for these Caribbean nations remained unchanged. However, IMI has documented multiple instances where Norwegian police have invoked Section 17 of the Immigration Act to declare CBI passports invalid, citing Norway’s requirement for personal attendance during passport issuance as grounds for refusal.
Notable incidents include an Indian national using a Saint Kitts and Nevis passport who was promptly removed from Bergen Airport in August after authorities deemed his travel document “not valid in Norway.” In a separate November occurrence, two Dominican citizens were detained overnight in Oslo, subjected to intensive questioning regarding their passports, and subsequently deported the following day.
Several immigration consultancies—including Latitude, Cross Border Freedom, and Apex Capital Partners—have confirmed multiple cases affecting their clients. Industry experts challenge Norway’s justification, pointing out that numerous countries, including the United Kingdom and United States, permit remote passport renewal procedures without compromising international recognition of these documents.
The Norwegian government has not issued any public directive regarding this apparent policy shift, maintaining that current border enforcement actions merely reflect “general policy” implementation. This development creates a paradoxical situation where Caribbean CBI nations technically retain visa-free status on paper while their citizens face effective exclusion in practice.