Kin17 DNA and RNA binding protein (Kin17) is a highly conserved protein that participates in DNA replication, DNA repair and cell cycle progression. Recently, the tumor-promoting function of Kin17 has been demonstrated and increasingly studied. In the present study, the role of Kin17 in the invasion and metastasis of non-small cells lung cancer (NSCLC) was investigated. Elevated Kin17 mRNA and protein expression was identified in a total of 97 NSCLC and benign lung lesion tissue specimens. Kin17 overexpression was significantly correlated with high tumor grade and lymph node metastasis, indicating poor patient prognosis. Scratch and Transwell assays demonstrated that the knockdown of KIN17 inhibited the ability of NSCLC cells to migrate and invade. Furthermore, reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analyses confirmed that knockdown of KIN17 decreased the expression of matrix metalloproteinase 7, epidermal growth factor receptor and v-myc avian myelocytomatosis viral oncogene homolog. The results of the present study indicate that Kin17 is markedly overexpressed in NSCLC tissues compared with benign lung lesion and peritumoral tissue. The upregulation of KIN17 may serve an important role in the metastasis of NSCLC cells. These results indicate that Kin17 is a novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarker of NSCLC, in addition to being a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of patients with NSCLC.