Belize Not Snubbed on Spain Visa List, Says Fonseca

Did Belize get snubbed by Spain on visa-free travel? Not exactly, says the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Foreign Minister Francis Fonseca says the list making the rounds is not new and does not represent a fresh decision against Belize. He says it is a consolidated list of countries that have enjoyed visa-free access to the Schengen Area since 2018. Fonseca adds that Belize continues to push for a full Schengen visa waiver, but says the process remains highly political.

 

Francis Fonseca, Minister of Foreign Affairs

“Waiver was given for certain countries back in 2018. So, it is not new information. The Schengen visa waiver has been a very challenging issue for successive governments in Belize. What we have done and been successful in doing over the past few years is to get what is called a cascading visa, which allows persons from Belize who are going into the Schengen region, instead of a one time visa, we use to have to go, if you are going to Spain you would have to go and get a visa, a one time entry. Now, the cascading visa allows you to get entry for three to five years, so you don’t have to go up and down. But the whole Schengen visa thing is caught up in EU politics. It is a very difficult issue as you know.”

 

According to Fonseca, a comprehensive visa waiver agreement between Belize and the European Union remains under active discussion.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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