Visa restrictions for 8

Persons WISHING TO travel to St. Vincent and the Grenadines who are nationals of eight foreign countries now need a visa to enter this country.

According to Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of National Security, Godfrey Pompey, the restriction to limit the entry by nationals of the Dominican Republic, Jordan, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Nigeria and the People’s Republic of China has been in place since December 22, 2004.{{more}}

The Permanent Secretary stated that the decision to place visa restrictions on the eight countries was taken by the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines in an effort to curb the efforts of some nationals of those countries who use St. Vincent and the Grenadines as a stepping stone to entry into other countries or as a base for illegal activity.

According to Pompey, when applications for entry to this country are made, the visa is only issued after a thorough background check has been done on the person applying for the visa. He added, “We also prefer if the applicant is sponsored by someone resident in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.”

Application forms for the visas may be obtained from the Ministry of National Security or from any of this country’s embassies or consulates overseas.

The forms may also be obtained online from the Government website. The application fee is EC$200.