Rwanda now offers a visa on arrival for all countries
On November 16, in a statement, the Rwandan government officially announced that all citizens of all countries in the world could benefit from a 30-day visa on arrival, without prior request.
Already in place for all African countries and a number of countries outside the continent, from 1 January 2018, this system will expand to all countries in the world.
Rwanda is reputed to be one of the most open countries in the publications of the Visa Opening Index. Citizens of certain countries will obtain free visas with a validity of 90 days. The countries in question are Benin, Central African Republic, Chad, Ghana, Guinea, Indonesia, Haiti, Senegal, Seychelles and Sao Tome and Principe. This is in addition to the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Member States of the Community of East African Member States, Mauritius, the Philippines and Singapore. This takes effect immediately, and could eventually extend to all countries on the African continent.
Rwanda’s migration policy applies to all nationalities, provided the length of stay is a maximum of 30 days.
Nationals from Australia, Germany, Israel, New Zealand, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States will receive a visa of entry valid for a maximum of 30 days and will pay a visa ( $ 30) upon arrival without prior request.
The November 16 communiqué also addresses the area of visa waiver for some holders of diplomatic and service passports, another directive that takes effect immediately.
Previous visa adjustments have seen a significant increase in the number of visitors entering the country. When Rwanda decided to issue an arrival visa to all Africans, the number of African nationals who obtained visas upon arrival at Rwandan entry points increased from 31,054 in 2013 to 77,377 in 2016 (New Times).
The country considers that the free movement of people will promote trade and tourism, and contribute to improve the integration policy of the continent.
Source: Independent
