A passport can look legitimate, yet a single question can end the trip. Some travelers reach the gate expecting routine entry, then face pointed questions about how they became citizens. Officials insist the rules are unchanged, while advisers report the opposite. The shift feels silent, yet it hits hard. The tension leaves frequent flyers uneasy, because plans depend on decisions made in seconds. For some, Norway has become the pressure point in that widening gap.
Airport checks in Norway clash with official reassurances
Since August, reports describe travelers being refused entry or removed after presenting CBI passports for short visits. The cases involve citizens of Saint Kitts and Nevis, Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, and Saint Lucia. All five hold visa-free access on paper, which makes the sudden refusals stand out.
When journalists asked the immigration directorate, UDI, about the claims in August, officials denied any shift. A press advisor said Saint Kitts and Nevis citizens remain visa-free for this destination and Schengen. No recent change existed. The advisor extended that reassurance to all five CBI jurisdictions.
Border interviews reportedly moved in the opposite direction at Bergen and Oslo. At least five refusals were described between August and November, with officers asking directly about “investment passports.” Because no public notice appeared, travelers learned the real test only at the desk, and plans collapsed instantly in Norway.
The Bergen deportation and a test of passport validity
One early case occurred at Bergen Airport on August 9. An Indian national arrived for tourism and presented a Saint Kitts and Nevis passport. Officers, at passport control, asked if it was an “investment passport.” He confirmed citizenship came through investment, and police removed him the same day.
The written decision relied on Immigration Act Section 17, which covers removal for invalid travel documents. Police argued the passport was “not valid” because personal attendance is required when applying for a passport. Under that logic, a foreign-issued document fails if the applicant did not appear in person.
Critics say this reasoning treats application logistics as a substitute for a visa rule. Saint Kitts and Nevis issues passports under its own sovereign procedures, like most states. By importing domestic standards into a foreign passport, the border can nullify it without warning, and entry disappears in Norway.
Consultants say Norway cases spread beyond one officer
By mid-October, advisers said the Bergen removal no longer looked isolated. Eric Major, CEO of Latitude Consultancy, confirmed three cases involving clients. He also cited colleagues in the industry, including Rajneesh Pathak at Global North and Nuri Katz at Apex Capital Partners. Each case centered on CBI status.
Dom Barnes, Latitude’s UK country manager, described his firm’s experience at Bergen. Passport control stopped the traveler, and no contact was made with Saint Kitts authorities. No legal action followed, and the difficulty remained limited to this destination. Other EU and EEA entries went smoothly during the same journey.
Major first suggested the Bergen officer “must have been a rookie.” Later incidents, however, appeared at different airports and involved multiple officials. That shift pointed to a systematic approach in practice, not a one-off error. For consultants, Norway had become the outlier within otherwise predictable European travel.
Oslo’s overnight removal process raised the stakes
In November 2025, Cross Border Freedom reported a tougher process in Oslo. Managing partner Neda Azarmehr said two Dominican CBI clients were stopped. Both had entered the country the previous year using the same passports without incident. Officers separated them at passport control and began individual questioning immediately.
Authorities asked how citizenship was obtained, why passports were not collected directly in Dominica, and why both documents were carried. Officers then said deportation would occur the next day. Officials held the Dominican passports overnight, until morning. The travelers stayed at a hotel, then returned to the airport.
According to the firm, a Norwegian immigration lawyer hired by officials spoke to the travelers. He said refusals began this summer, and a border challenge would fail in real time. Passports were returned only at the aircraft door, before an Istanbul-bound flight. The account suggests coordination inside Norway.
An unpublished policy and a Schengen workaround
Cross Border Freedom said Dominican representatives described an unpublished operational policy. It allegedly refuses entry to all Caribbean CBI passport holders, regardless of program, background, nationality, or past travel history. Azarmehr called it the first verified case of a Schengen state systematically turning away Caribbean CBI citizens.
Dominica’s government acknowledged the restriction covers all five CBI programs, while saying diplomatic channels were reviewing it for affected travelers. Publicly, Norway issued no regulation, directive, or notice about visa-free access. UDI also said its August reply described general policy only, because individual cases remain confidential.
Officials bypass Schengen lists by targeting passport validity. Section 17(1)(a) permits removal without a valid passport or other approved travel document. UK and US remote renewals pass, yet Caribbean CBI passports draw scrutiny. May said a citizen-mother claim shifts proof to officers, a “mission impossible.”
Travelers face a rule they cannot see in advance
Visa-free entry sounds simple, yet practice can overrule paperwork. Travelers describe surprise interviews, immediate removal orders, and almost no workable appeal at the airport. The lack of notice also raises costs fast, and it strains trust in border rules. A public directive would at least set expectations, whether strict or lenient. Until clarity arrives, CBI passport holders must plan for extra scrutiny and sudden refusals. In the current climate, Norway sits at the center of that uncertainty.
