(SenePlus) – In his General Policy Statement before the National Assembly this Friday, December 27, 2024, Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko announced a significant reform of Senegal’s visa policy, placing reciprocity at the heart of diplomatic relations.
This new policy particularly targets countries that require visas from Senegalese nationals. The government intends to open discussions with category B and C countries to demand in return free visas for Senegalese people, strictly applying the principle of reciprocity.
The Prime Minister recalled that the abolition of the paid biometric visa procedure, which came into force on May 1, 2015, had never been formally recorded in the legislative and regulatory texts. This particular legal situation provides a legal basis for the implementation of the new policy.
The government also plans to enter into discussions with countries whose procedures for processing visa applications are considered detrimental to Senegalese people. These negotiations will focus on several sensitive points: access to appointment booking platforms, pricing of fees, procedures for verifying the authenticity and transmission of civil status documents.
However, Sonko stressed the need for a measured approach, taking into account lessons from the past. The government will carefully assess the potential impacts on tourism, anticipate issues of administrative delays and ensure the availability of material and human resources at airports and land border crossings before any implementation.
This measure is part of a broader policy to protect the interests of Senegalese abroad, which also includes the appointment of liaison magistrates in certain diplomatic posts and the creation of a High Authority of the Diaspora attached to the Prime Minister’s Office.
Senegal
