Suriname reintroducing visa requirements for a number of countries
Suriname has reinstated visa requirements for 21 nations, less than a year after abolishing them for all countries.
According to Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Business, and International Cooperation Albert Ramdin, the visa requirement will take effect on May 1 for citizens of 21 nations who have been discovered to be abusing visa-free travel to Suriname.
They include the Dominican Republic, Cuba, and Venezuela in the Caribbean. India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Bangladesh are among the others. Kenya, Ghana, Somalia, Cameroon, Ethiopia, and Syria are among the countries involved.
On Wednesday, the decision was made to restore the requirement.
Although arrivals from China, Morocco, Romania, and Colombia have increased, the visa requirement for citizens of these countries has not been imposed.
Ramdin stated that bilateral agreements on visa abolition with some of these nations were considered. Romania, a member of the European Union (EU), is one of them.
Surinamese have urged that the EU remove visa requirements for them.
“We don’t want to jeopardize that matter unnecessarily,” Ramdin explained.
Concerning Colombia, the Foreign Affairs Minister stated that many Surinamese travel there for medical treatment and that the government would not erect additional barriers.
“It is a weighing of interests that you make,” he explained.
Ramdin noted that when the government offered visa-free travel to Suriname on July 1, last year, the intention was to attract as many visitors as possible while also making the country more accessible to foreign businesses.
However, he stated that an investigation was conducted and that it was discovered, among other things, that travelers were utilizing Suriname as a layover.
“The Immigration Department, Directorate of National Security, and Foreign Affairs have conducted an in-depth review over the last few months.” “What we see is confirmation that visa-free travel is not being used for the intended purpose,” Ramdin added.
He went on to say that the visa relaxation was granted because Suriname did not have consular offices in all countries where visa applications could be submitted, and that “a small group abuses this, and that is something we cannot allow.”
The visa requirement has thus been reinstated for the nations that have seen the greatest surge of travelers. The influx of people from other countries is still being tracked.
Ramdin stated that while he recognized that migrants were striving for a better life, Suriname did not want to cause difficulties for other countries.
“We also consider national interest.” We don’t want difficulties with other countries because we’ve turned into a conduit. “We don’t want to be perceived as a country that facilitates human smuggling and illegal migration,” he said.
Last week, 150 immigrants, including Pakistanis and Africans, were detained at the international airport after being denied entry.
They will all be repatriated, according to Ramdin. Some have already been deported.
Ramdin highlighted that even if visas were not necessary for travel, the country’s immigration legislation remained in effect, and that being able to travel visa-free did not guarantee admittance to the country.
He stated that the Immigration Service determines whether travelers fit the requirements for entry into the nation, and those who do not match the requirements are denied entry.
