Visa policy of Seychelles
All foreign nationals visiting Seychelles are granted visa free access. They must be in a possession of a valid passport, return or onward ticket, proof of accommodation and sufficient funds. The Visitor’s Permit is issued free of charge and is initially valid for up to three months but it can be extended for a fee for a period of up to three months with further extensions not exceeding total period of twelve months.[1][2][3]
Mutual visa exemptions
In addition to the universal unilateral visa waiver, the Seychelles have signed mutual visa exemption agreements with the following countries:
- China — visa-waiver agreement allows for stays up to 30 days. The agreement was signed on 26 June 2013 and is in force.[4]
- European Union — allows all citizens of states that are contracting parties to the Schengen Agreement to stay without a visa for a maximum period of three months during a six months period following the date of first entry.[5] The agreement was signed on 28 May 2009 and entered into force on 1 January 2010.[6]
- Russia — visa-waiver agreement allows for stays up to 30 days.[7][8] The agreement was signed on 2 September 2015 and entered into force on 14 December 2015.[9]
- United Arab Emirates — visa-waiver agreement allows for stays up to 90 days.[10] The agreement was signed on 24 November 2015 and entered into force on 16 July 2015.[11]
An agreement was signed with Brazil on 13 December 2011 but it is not yet ratified. The agreement envisages visa-free stays up to 90 days within 180 days from the date of first entry.[12]
Statistics
Most visitors arriving to the Seychelles on short term basis in 2015 came from:[13]
Rank | Country | Number |
---|---|---|
1 | European Union[14] | 148,767 |
2 | United Arab Emirates | 21,178 |
3 | China | 13,941 |
4 | South Africa | 13,375 |
5 | Russia | 12,222 |
6 | Switzerland | 11,499 |
7 | India | 7,718 |
8 | United States | 6,038 |
9 | Mauritius | 4,001 |
10 | Israel | 2,881 |
Total | 276,233 |
See also
References
- ↑ Entry Formalities, Seychelles Tourism Board
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Passport & Visa Requirements, Immigration and Civil Status Department
- ↑ Seychelles Signs Historic Visa Waiver with China
- ↑ Agreement between the European Community and the Republic of Seychelles on the short-stay visa waiver
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ Seychelles and Russia sign Visa Waiver Agreement set to Deepen longstanding Ties
- ↑ The agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Republic of Seychelles on cancellation of visa requirements at short-term trips of citizens of the Russian Federation and citizens of the Republic of Seychelles (in Russian)
- ↑ Visa-free travel to Russia for all Seychelles passport holders as of December 14
- ↑ Visa free travel to UAE for all Seychelles passports soon
- ↑ It's official! Visa-free travel to UAE for all Seychelles passports as of Thursday
- ↑ Agreement between the Government of the Federative Republic of Brazil and the Government of the Republic of Seychelles on partial exemption of visa requirements, Ministry of External Relations of Brazil. (Portuguese), (English)
- ↑ [2]
- ↑ Top 5 - France 43,370 ; Germany 35,895 ; Italy 21,704 ; United Kingdom 16,572 ; Austria 5,880.