Spain has named nine Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries among 60 nations worldwide whose citizens will be allowed to enter the European country without a visa for short stays.
According to a statement from Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the CARICOM countries included on the list are Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, The Bahamas, Dominica, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, and St Vincent and the Grenadines.
The announcement does not include several other CARICOM member states, including Jamaica, Guyana, Suriname, Belize and Haiti, whose citizens will continue to require visas before travelling to Spain.
The visa exemption allows holders of ordinary passports from the approved countries to visit Spain and other countries within the Schengen Area for tourism, business travel and other short-term purposes.
Travellers will be permitted to stay for up to 90 days within any 180-day period without first obtaining a Schengen visa.
In addition to the Caribbean countries, Spain is extending visa-free access to citizens of eight African nations: Botswana, Namibia, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mauritius, Seychelles, Cape Verde and Rwanda.
The move forms part of Spain’s broader visa policy for countries considered to meet the requirements for short-stay visa exemptions.
Citizens of most other Caribbean and African countries will still be required to apply for a Schengen visa before travelling to Spain or other countries within the Schengen zone.
caribbeannationalweekly.com
