With France’s planned establishment of an embassy here next year, Guyanese will no longer have to travel to Suriname to have their Schengen visas processed as Paris says it will handle it.
“I know how complicated it is now [but] it won’t be necessary any more to go to Suriname,” Jean-Jacques Forté – Chargé d’Affaires for France here told Stabroek News yesterday in response to questions on the issue.
He explained that “the process for the visas is independent” from the opening of the embassy here but the embassy will also begin processing visa applications in 2025.
As it stands, Guyanese must travel to Suriname to apply for a Schengen visa which allows travel through large parts of Europe. The application and processing take a minimum of three days.
On August 17, 2022, President Irfaan Ali had urged the European Union to put arrangements in place for Guyanese to be able to access Schengen visas here for travel to Europe, rather than having to go to Paramaribo. He had then given a three-month timeframe in which he said he would like to see some resolution.
Then speaking at the launch of the EU/Guyana Chamber of Commerce, and one of the final engagements of former EU Ambassador Dr Fernando Ponz Cantó, the President had pointed to the urgency for the ease of travel between Guyana and Schengen visa countries.
Last year, Ali had said that at least five EU countries have agreed to patronise Guyana’s bid for Schengen visa-free travel. He however noted that Guyana’s passport must be improved and upgraded with biometrics before this can happen.
It is unclear if this system must also be in place for the French to begin their processes.
Stabroek News had reported last year that during bilateral discussions with Deputy Prime Minister of Slovenia, Tanja Fajon, Ali had raised the difficulties Guyanese face in having to travel to Suriname for Schengen visa interviews and discussed this country’s nomination letter for visa-free Schengen status and the possibility of an interim in-country processing of Schengen visa applications. They had met on the sidelines of the European Union-Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (EU-CELAC) in Brussels, Belgium.
Before leaving for Brussels, Ali had told the Stabroek News that Schengen visa-free status, and in the short-term, the possibility of processing being done here for the visa was something he would “definitely” raise at the meeting.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Hugh Todd had told this newspaper that Ali’s discussion on the visa issue was part of the government’s foreign policy advancement and by extension Guyana’s holistic development agenda, as having European business partners here for the private sector was of key importance.
When European Ambassador Rene van Nes had been asked for an update late last year, he had noted that almost all countries now have passports with biometric data, but clarified that the Schengen visa requirement would not be automatically waived when Guyana upgrades its passport.
The Schengen countries are Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
Following the visit of France’s Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs, Stéphane Séjourné, on Monday, a joint communique was issued with the announcement of the establishment of the embassy.
“Given the desire to forge closer links as neighbouring countries and friends, Guyana and France have decided to write a new chapter in their history by opening a French Embassy in Georgetown in 2025. France will be the first EU (European Union) country with this level of diplomatic representation in Guyana,” the joint communiqué added.
This is since Britain’s exit from the EU in 2020.
The joint communiqué stated that opening a French embassy will boost the development of cooperation in various sectors, including the economy, in priority areas for Guyana where French companies hold renowned expertise.
“The Government of Guyana looks forward to the establishment of the Embassy which signals the benefits of the economic transformation being experienced by the nation and the interest of France in developing its relations with the Caribbean region.
“The Government of the French Republic welcomes the opening of this Embassy, which will help strengthen the integration of our overseas territories in the region and illustrates its ambition to consolidate the universal character of its diplomatic network,” the joint communiqué said.
