Government’s priority is to secure visa exemptions through bilateral agreements |21 November 2014

“It is among the priorities of the government that visa exemptions feature high on the agenda during talks with all countries with which Seychelles has bilateral agreements,” Minister Jean-Paul Adam has said.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs was speaking during Question Time in the National Assembly on Tuesday.
He was answering a question by majority party member Maria Payet-Marie who had asked him if  during bilateral discussions with countries where visa are required  there are any plans to revise or remove completely the fees Seychellois citizens have to pay for visas if they have to travel to these countries for medical purposes.

“Our approach is to always to have a visa-free agreement,” Minister Adam said.
 But he noted that all countries are sovereign and such decisions depend on the laws in place in these countries which in turn depend on the decision of their parliaments.

Minister Adam added that each country has its own visa policy which are applied for different reasons namely as a means of security control or for revenue.

“In situations where a full visa-exemption or waiver agreement  are not possible, some form of facilitation measures are agreed on and put in place,” Minister Adam said, pointing out as example what has been agreed with the United States which has clearly stated that a visa waiver is not forthcoming.

With regard to visa for medical purposes, in particular to countries like India where Seychelles has agreements with different hospitals, Minister Adam pointed out that the country has different visa fees applicable for different purposes. But he said his ministry is aware of complaints that the fees even for medical visas are too high.

“But we are continuing to engage in such discussions with the different governments and their parliaments while at the same time respecting their policies and procedures,” Minister Adam said.

He noted that a lot of emphasis is always placed on the fact that Seychelles, being a visa-free country, want some reciprocal considerations for its citizens travelling to other countries.

With India in particular, Minister Adam noted that the issue was discussed during joint commission talks in May and more recently with the newly accredited Indian high commissioner but there again, Minister Adam noted that different aspects have to be taken into account by the country in question and these include the impact and repercussion a visa waiver or exemption for Seychellois nationals will have on their relation with other countries.  

In spite of these challenges, Minister Adam said Seychelles is the country in Africa with a well appreciated and strong passport, more visa agreements and is even among only two countries in the world to have a visa exemption agreement with China.

With regard to visa waiver talks with the United Arab Emirates, Minister Adam said these are progressing well and a possible outcome is expected in the near future.

He said this has also taken some time as the country has its specificities and decisions are taken at different levels by different authorities.
“In the United Arab Emirates such issues have to be addressed by a state council which groups all the different emirates and they all have to be in agreement,” the minister noted.

Minister Adam said there are also some technical issues relating to the two countries’ passport systems but he added that he is confident the discussions on the matter will soon be resolved.

As visa processing is often long and complicated, Minister Adam said the consular unit in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been reinforced but there again he stressed that officers there are not the ones who have  the  final say on whether or not to issue a visa.

In order to avoid confusion and other inconveniences encountered by many people while going through the process of applying for a visa, Minister Adam said it is important for everyone to be more attentive and responsible and ensure their passport and tickets meet the necessary visa request forms requirements.