Since St. Kitts and Nevis attained full independence in 1983, relations with the U.S. have been friendly. The U.S. Embassy in Bridgetown, Barbados, conducts bilateral relations with St. Kitts and Nevis.

The United States seeks to help St. Kitts and Nevis develop economically and to help strengthen its moderate, democratic, parliamentary form of government. St. Kitts and Nevis is a beneficiary of the U.S. Caribbean Basin Initiative. U.S. assistance is primarily channeled through multilateral agencies such as the World Bank, the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), and the newly opened USAID office in Bridgetown, Barbados. In addition, St. Kitts and Nevis receives counternarcotics assistance and benefits from U.S. military exercises and humanitarian civic action construction projects.

St. Kitts and Nevis is strategically placed in the Leeward Islands, near maritime transport lanes of major importance to the United States. St. Kitts and Nevis' location close to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands makes the two-island federation attractive to narcotics traffickers. To counter this threat, the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis cooperates with the U.S. in the fight against illegal narcotics. In 1995, the government signed a maritime law enforcement treaty with the United States, later amended with an overflight/order-to-land amendment in 1996. St. Kitts and Nevis also signed an updated extradition treaty with the U.S. in 1996, and a mutual legal assistance treaty in 1997.

St. Kitts and Nevis is a popular American tourist destination. In 1999, over 40% of the84,000 stay-over visitors were from the U.S. The majority of the 143,800 yacht and cruiseship passengers also were from the U.S. In the aftermath of September 11, 2001, tourism declined by approximately 9%, according to American Airlinesofficials. Government officials cite the loss of airline connections, including those of U.S. carriers, between the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis and the U.S., Canada, and Europe as the critical factor. After 9/11 both U.S.-based and regional carriers have reduced the number of flights to the Federation. The number of "stay-over" visitors to the islands suffered a 10% falloff, and even though cruiseship arrivals increased, this situation remains unstable. The tourism situation improved slightly in 2002, with the number of tourist visitors totaling 243,198, a majority of these from within the Caribbean, followed closely by arrivals from the U.S. Visitor expenditure totaled $57 mil and the government is optimistic.

Government officials are convinced that continued construction of a 648 room, U.S.$200 million Marriott Royal St. Kitts Resort and Casino and a Paradise Beach Resort and Casino at Frigate Bay, St. Kitts are signs of confidence in the economic future of St. Kitts and Nevis, despite the world-wide effects of the 9/11 tragedies. Fewer than 1,000 U.S. citizens reside on the island, although students and staff of Ross University Veterinary School and the Medical University of the Americas (Nevis) constitute a significant population of U.S. citizens.

The United States maintains no official presence in St. Kitts and Nevis. The ambassador and embassy officers are resident in Barbados and frequently travel to St. Kitts and Nevis. A U.S. consular agent residing in nearby Antigua, however, assists U.S. citizens in St. Kitts and Nevis.

The U.S. Embassy in Barbados is located in the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Building, Broad Street, Bridgetown (tel: 246-436-4950; fax: 246-429-5246). Consular Agent: Juliet Ryder Hospital Hill, English Harbor, Antigua Tel: (268) 463-6531.