Agreement inked between Guyana, UAE for visa-free travel

The Guyana Government has signed a new agreement with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to allow visa-free travel for citizens of the two countries.
Prior to this agreement inked earlier this week on the sidelines of the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Guyanese travelling to the UAE were required to have a visa/e-visa.
But according to a social media post from the UAE Mission to the UN, the newly-signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) now aims at “…establishing mutual exemption of entry visa requirements between the two countries”.
The MoU was signed by UAE’s Minister of State for International Cooperation, Reem Bint Ebrahim Al Hashimy and Guyana’s Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister, Hugh Todd.
This was done during a meeting between Minister Al Hashimy and President Dr Irfaan Ali at the Guyana Mission in New York on Tuesday.
Over the years, bilateral cooperation between Guyana and the UAE has become stronger.

In June 2023, Minister Al Hashimy was in Guyana for a one-day visit during which she had several high-level meetings with the Guyana Government focused on enhancing relations between the two nations.
During that visit, Minister Al Hashimy had also participated in the sod-turning ceremony for a facility for persons with disability at Crane, West Coast Demerara (WCD). The facility is funded by the UAE Government.
President Ali and Minister Al Hashimy first met in October 2021 when the Guyanese Leader visited Dubai and they inked a MoU to advance technical assistance and cooperation.
With its new-found oil and gas resources making the country an economic hotspot, Guyana has seen several countries around the world lifting visa requirements for Guyanese.
In June, Anguilla made it visa-free for Guyanese who wish to travel to that country. This decision, the country’s Ministry of Home Affairs said, was in keeping with the United Kingdom removing the visa restrictions imposed on nationals of Guyana on November 9, 2022. However, the UK has since introduced an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) requirement for travellers who do not require a visa to travel to the UK. This ETA requirement will take effect from January 2025.
Currently, Guyana passport holders can travel without a visa to 90 countries, including Brazil, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ghana, Ireland, Malaysia, Panama, Philippines, South Africa, and Suriname.
Back in September 2023, Guyana and the Maldives inked an agreement that would see Guyanese travelling to that country without a visa. The Visa Requirements Agreement will facilitate visa-free travel of citizens of both countries.
In July 2024, the Henley Passport Index ranked the Guyana passport at number 55, with access to 90 visa-free destinations – an improvement from its number 59 ranking, with visa-free access to 88 countries in 2022.
Guyana ties in the 55th spot with Fiji, just above Jamaica which is in the 56th spot, and outperforms nations like Suriname, which is ranked 63, and China, which came in at 60, along with Indonesia and the Dominican Republic, which is 65th and 66th, respectively.
The Henley Passport Index is the original, authoritative ranking of all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa. The index is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) – the largest, most accurate travel information database – and enhanced by Henley & Partners’ research team.
Meanwhile, the Guyana passport is only projected to grow stronger as the Government forges deeper partnerships with nations around the world.
Reports are that Guyana is already in talks with Italy and Mexico on the possibility of visa-free travel.
Additionally, the Government had reported that at least five European countries have agreed to support Guyana’s bid for visa-free travel to Schengen countries.