Government’s priority is to secure visa exemptions through b

[Grandlarousse]

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.

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