Vincentians, Brazilians will be able to travel to respective countries without visas

With the recent reciprocal waiver of visas for nationals of St Vincent and the Grenadines and Brazil, officials are highlighting the opportunities to be derived.

On October 30, in his first interaction with the media since being stationed in this country, Chargé d’Affaires {{more}}of the Federative Republic of Brazil Miguel Magalhaes officially announced that Vincentians and Brazilians will be able to travel to the respective countries without a visa, whether for business or tourism.

“We hope to attract more Brazilians coming to St Vincent. It’s a destination that has been in the mind of some Brazilian airlines. We are very much interested in developing that,” Magalhaes said.

The Brazilian ambassador, who revealed that there are already airlines flying to Barbados and St Maarten, pointed out that it is the hope that once the Argyle international airport is completed, Brazilian airlines, as well as a number of tourists will be attracted to the multi-island state.

In addition, Magalhaes noted that the visa waiver between the two countries is an important step for Brazil, particularly because they take visa concessions very seriously.

“To give you an idea of how serious we take the visa waiver programme; American citizens need a visa to go to Brazil and the reason is we apply strict reciprocity of the visa waiver programme,” he said.

“So, St Vincent, having always considered Brazilian citizens a part of their visa waiver programme, we reciprocated the measure and now it is official.”

Furthermore, he expressed hope that the waiver, which is effective as of November 15, will not only contribute to bilateral relations, but also a strong development of tourism between the two countries.

In his remarks, Camillo Gonsalves, Minister of Foreign Affairs of St Vincent and the Grenadines, shared the idea of Brazil being important to national foreign policy as well as to global outlook and outreach.

Gonsalves noted that this visa waiver is another step in connecting the multi-island state to the rest of the world.

“It’s all a part of expanding the world for St Vincent and the Grenadines. We are a small country, but we are a part of a shrinking world that’s getting closer and closer together. We hope that this is something we can take advantage of in its own right, because Brazil is the other massive country in our hemisphere,” he said.

Vincentians and Brazilians will be able to visit the respective countries for a period not exceeding 90 days in the first instance. If necessary, persons can renew their stay for an additional 90 days.

The waiver is particularly geared toward tourism purposes, as persons going to work or study are still expected to fulfill the necessary requirements.(BK)