VISA FREE TRAVEL FOR EXPATRIATES WITHIN THE ‘COW’ COUNTRIES FINALLY A REALITY
(Posted 26th February 2015)
The East African Tourism Platform, the regional tourism apex body affiliated to the East African Community, has just recorded one of their most significant achievements, when Kenya finally came on board a few days ago to make Visa free travel among the three CoW countries of Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya finally a reality.
Duly registered expatriates with work permits or residency will now be issued a so called ‘Interstate Pass’ tailored on the same form used by citizens travelling with their ID or Voters Cards, allowing cost free entry from their country of residence to the other two countries.
This measure will no doubt make visits to for instance the Kenya coast much more affordable as a family of four now saves 200 US Dollars in fees, and cheaper air transport too will help to make visits to the resorts in Mombasa and Malindi more attractive.
EATP just an hour ago released the following statement, which is reproduced here in full for the benefit of readers:
Start quote:
Update from the Northern Corridor Integration projects – Tourism and Immigration Cluster
Another quick win for tourism through the Joint Marketing Committee in which EATP Country representatives Bonifence and Mike are members and EATP is an observer.
Effective 15th February 2015, All Foreign residents with valid work/residents permits issued in Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda began travelling within these countries without the requirement to apply for a visa on arrival or pay visa fees at the destination. All Foreign residents are now being issued with a free Interstate passes at the airport of departure for admission to the destination. Rwanda and Uganda implemented this reform on 15th Dec 2014 but the impact only became real when Kenya effected the directive on 15th Feb albeit with government communication challenges.
EATP will continue to lobby for Free movement of persons, services and other tourism related issues within the full EAC. However, this will only be possible if the Tourism and Wildlife Management Sectoral Council meetings are held and the agenda is reviewed to address current needs and quick wins.
We will need the National Tourism Associations to lobby at Partner State level for frequent meetings as the EAC Tourism and Wildlife Management Sectoral Council is on its 6th meeting while other Sectoral Councils are on their 15th meeting, hence the very slow progress on Tourism and Wildlife Management. The Private Sector should propose agenda items with the greatest impact on their businesses and within the provisions of the EAC Treaty and Common Market Protocol for our consolidation and presentation.
Kindly follow link. https://twitter.com/FrankMatsaert/status/570596855605805056/photo/1 to see interstate pass issued today. Frank Matsaert is the CEO of Trademark East Africa, our key Supporter and Partner.
End quote
Waturi Wa Matu, the Coordinator of the East African Tourism Platform, earlier in the evening posted the following note on the social media:
‘This achievement makes my so proud of the work we do at the East Africa Tourism Platform. Effective 15th February 2015, All Foreign residents with valid work/residents permits issued in Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda can now travel within these countries without the requirement to apply for visa and pay a fee. They will now be issued with Interstate passes at the airport of departure. Rwanda and Uganda implemented this reform on 15th Dec 2014 but the impact only became real when Kenya effected the directive. We will continue to lobby for Free movement of persons within the EAC through the review of Visa and Immigration policies’.
While all credit must go to Waturi who tirelessly and almost stubbornly pursued the goal of Visa free travel for expatriates across the Northern Corridor Integration Project countries, were reactions equally swift over the course of the past few hours in condemning Burundi for their shortsighted isolationism after the least developed, in tourism terms, country of the East African Community slammed the brakes on tourist visits, making travel to Burundi next to impossible. In a detailed exchange of emails with a tourism investor in Uganda and South Sudan, who intends to come to Burundi to research investment opportunities, it became patently clear that the measures taken by the Burundian government are regressive and counterproductive, with some even claiming that the new rules violate agreements the country signed when joining the East African Community.
Below is the mail, outlining what difficulties and cost the intending investor is experiencing, leading this correspondent to unequivocally condemn the Burundian government for their unilateral demand for Visa in advance, while calling upon them to immediately rescind the decision unless the country become a tourism pariah in East Africa:
Start text:
I just talked to the Burundi Embassy in Kampala. Yes everyone needs a visa to board.
Here is what I need to do to get the visa-
They want:
1. My passport
2. 1 photo
3. Invitation letter from Burundi detailing why I am going to Burundi, where I staying etc.
4. There is no embassy in [my
country of residence]. So I need a letter from their Washington DC embassy (the nearest embassy to me) that it is ok for Kampala to give me a Visa when I get there.
5. The cost was given as $90 US
6. I must get to the embassy around 8.30-9.00am turn in everything, then come back between 8.30-11.00 two days later.
So I must arrive in Kampala the day before and spend the night. To use FlyDubai from Dubai who only fly Tuesday and Friday DXB-EBB-BJM.
Arrive Tue get Uganda Visa, taxi to Kampala, spend the night Wednesday taxi to embassy, spend another night Thursday – wait until Friday 8.30 to get the Visa and then another taxi [back] to Entebbe.
So with hotel, food, taxis, both visas I will spend about $700 vs just getting it at the airport for $90.
That is what I will do next month [because I have to]. But I think the average tourist will not do it.
End quote.
EATP will reportedly take up this issue through their regular tourism channels with Burundi to lobby for the immediate removal of the new rule and to restore a Visa on arrival policy as was in place before.
In the meantime were responses to the lifting of Visa requirements for expatriates also coming from Tanzania, where one regular contributor from Arusha wrote: ‘This will benefit travel across the three countries a lot. Add to that the common tourist Visa in place among the three at a cost of only 100 US Dollars. It saves 30 Dollars if one visits all three countries. I think it is time for us in Tanzania to revisit this issue and find ways and means to join both initiatives. First and most important, should EAC citizens be able to travel across the region without passport. ID cards should suffice for border crossings. Expats will now flock to the Kenya coast, or to Lake Kivu or the Lake Victoria islands but maybe not to Tanzania because of the fees. These three countries have accomplished something in the space of just over a year which the EAC has talked about for two decades. This is just not good enough. Let’s sort out our issues with Kenya and join hands the way the founders of the EAC intended it to be. This latest move by the three leaves us not just in the cold but freezing’.
Again, credit to EATP and Waturi Wa Matu who deserve a mega bouquet, alongside the three countries Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya and of course the barbs of the year to Burundi, which while sovereign and entitled to her own decisions has just shot her tourism legs off and crippled their nascent tourism sector. Watch this space.
2 Responses
Security, diseases and other evils may affect travel. But the greatest barrier to travel are immigration laws (visas). Until this is sorted, the true economic impacts and transformational values of tourism will never be realised. Congratulations EATP for efforts in breaking travel barriers across East Africa