Visa waivers given to 43 and not 17 countries – immigration

The Department of the Immigration has clarified that visa waiver apply to a total forty-three (43) countries contrary to earlier reports that had indicated that only about 17 countries had been awarded. This move has made zambia one of the most liberal countries to visit.

However, the move has also attracted concerns that Zambia has awarded visa waiver to countries not willing to reciprocate, a scenario that questions the countries ability to negotiate and value its sovereignty. Others say the fact that no African countries have been included on the list, speaks volumes about the loop sided thinking of policy makers.

Responding to a Zambian Business Times – ZBT press query, Immigration department Public Relations officer Namanti Nshinka confirmed that they are actually 43 countries in which visa waivers apply.

Nshinka told ZBT that visa policies are the primary instrument for regulating and controlling immigration. “In our case, we have three categories of immigrants’ vis-à-vis visa requirements. Firstly, we have countries that do not require visas to enter Zambia (visa-free countries). Secondly, we have those that can get visas on arrival or at the Zambian Missions Abroad, and thirdly, those that require pre-approved visas (referred visas) before traveling to Zambia. The second and third categories may also apply for their visas online.”

He explained that the underlying idea of requiring people to have a visa before entering the country is for the Department and other law-enforcement agencies to carry out pre-arrival security screening to determine the traveler’s suitability to enter the country. “In other words, the visa requirement before travel prevents people from starting their journeys without prior permission.”

The 43 countries that have been recently included are;

1	Australia	13	Finland	25	Luxemburg	37	Slovenia
2	Austria	14	France	26	Malta	38	South Korea
3	Bahrain	15	Germany	27	Netherlands	39	Spain
4	Belgium	16	Greece	28	New Zealand	40	Sweden
5	Bulgaria	17	Hungary	29	Norway	41	The United States of America
6	Canada	18	Iraq	30	Oman	42	United Arab Emirates
7	China	19	Ireland	31	Poland	43	United Kingdom
8	Croatia	20	Italy	32	Portugal
9	Cyprus	21	Japan	33	Qatar
10	Czech Republic	22	Kuwait	34	Romania
11	Denmark	23	Latvia	35	Saudi Arabia
12	Estonia	24	Lithuania	36	Slovakia

Nshinka said it must be noted that only seven (7) countries, Bahrain, China, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, of the Forty-three (43) countries in the visa-waiver list previously required prior permission.

He said Ireland was already in the visa-free category, while the other thirty-five (35) could get visas on arrival.