GUYANA | No visa needed for Guyanese to enter Britain as of November 9

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, October 18, 2022 -The United Kingdom's High Commissioner to Guyana Jane Miller on Tuesday announced that Guyanese wishing to visit the United Kingdom for six months or less would no longer require visas to entyer that country as of November 9.

The UK High Commissioner made the announcement alongside President Irfaan Ali this morning at her Georgetown residence. “Today is a historic day for the UK-Guyana relations, and I am delighted to inform you that as of the 9^th of November, those with a valid Guyanese passport can the UK, visa free,” the British High Commissioner announced.

“This visa lift is a real sign of the confidence that the UK has in the growth of our relationship and, together with the direct flight, at the end of March with British Airways, we believe that this change is going to be transformative to our already strong relationship,” she said.

“This visa lift is a real sign of the confidence the UK has in the growth of our relationship and together with the direct flight that will be happening at the end of March with the British Airways, we believe this change is going to be transformative to our already strong relationship.”

The High Commissioner also pointed out that the visitor’s visa will be valid for 180 days every time you visit the country, while those Guyanese who wish to work, study and settle in the UK, would still need get the required visa.

The High Commissioner also announced that a British trade team will be heading to Guyana in November to explore opportunities, as Guyana and the UK further strengthen their relations.

President, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, urged nationals not to abuse the process but to be responsible. “Today, I am very pleased that Guyanese can travel with greater ease to the UK. However, I want to say to all Guyanese that with these waivers come an important responsibility to all of us. We have a responsibility to safeguard these decisions and they come with hard work and they take a long time and we’ll be working very closely with the UK in strengthening our systems to ensure there is proper monitoring and to ensure that there is no abuse of the system,” Ali said.

He said a lot of hard work had gone into such a decision, pointing out that the Advanced Passenger Information System would be used to screen passengers like travellers from any other country, in addition to real time information sharing and monitoring.

“These days we have greater interest in Guyanese citizenship, more persons from the region, greater number of migrants coming as a result of what is happening around us, so we are working now on strengthening our systems to ensure that our systems are not abused,” the GuyanesePresident said.

President Ali had raised the need for visa-free travel to the UK, as a “priority issue” in a meeting with then British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Jamaica and Haiti are the only two CARICOM countries whose nationals need visas to enter the United Kingdom.

Jamaica is the only former colony of Britain in the region whose nationals need visas to enter Britain, despite the fact that the British Privy Council is still regarded as Jamaica's highest court.

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