(CNS) Updated Friday: Following the news that Cayman Airways Ltd had been informed by the Government of Honduras that, as of yesterday, people with a British passport needed a visa to enter that country, the Honduran government had now advised CAL that UK passport holders who are domiciled in the Cayman Islands are exempt from the visa requirement.
In a statement issued late Thursday evening, CAL said that nationals of the Cayman Islands and nationals of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland who are domiciled in the Cayman Islands are now exempt from the visa requirement for entry into Honduras. These individuals are now classified under Category “A”, meaning they no longer need to obtain a visa to travel to Honduras, but they will be required to show proof that they live in Cayman.
The Honduran government said they decided to waive the visa requirement for people living in the Cayman Islands because of the “important Honduran community” here and because the direct flights between the two countries had boosted tourism. A third reason was that “Honduras is a prominent destination on the Caribbean cruise circuits, which favours the country’s economic growth.”
Honduras imposed the visa regime for people who hold British passports on Thursday. This follows the imposition last year by the British government that all Hondurans need a visa to enter the UK. Britain also imposed a visa regime on Dominica, Namibia, Timor-Leste and Vanuatu.
The move by the previous Conservative government was said to have been made due to a huge uptick in asylum claims and abuse of the provision to visit the UK for a limited period as non-visa nationals in order to apply. There has been so sign that the new Labour government will change this policy.
Cayman Airways Ltd, which operates two return flights to La Ceiba per week, said yesterday it had been informed by the Honduran government that, effective 15 August, the following nationals will require a visa for entry into Honduras: nationals of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, holders of British passports from the Special Administrative Regions of the People’s Republic of China (Hong Kong) stating “British nationality”, and holders of British Passports originally from other British territories, including the Cayman Islands.
The Honduran government’s new visa requirements for British passport holders are in stark contrast to its general policy. In June this year, it implemented a visa-free entry policy for tourists from 117 countries to attract more international visitors and stimulate economic growth through tourism.
Travellers exempt from needing a visa to enter Honduras for visits up to 90 days include those from the Schengen Area, such as Germany, France, Spain, Italy, and the Netherlands; Latin American countries, such as Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina; as well as Japan, South Korea, Australia and Canada.
Under the Central America-4 Free Mobility Agreement, travellers with a visa from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras or Nicaragua can visit the other three countries without needing an additional visa.
See more details of the decision to rescind visa requirements on the Honduran Government website.
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Publish date : 2024-08-15 04:55:00
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