PM Browne says UK has not removed Antigua from visa free list
LOOP CARIBBEAN NEWS—Prime Minister Gaston Browne has said Antigua and Barbuda passport holders do not need a visa to travel to the United Kingdom.
Responding to questions from the Opposition in the Parliament on Thursday, Browne said Antiguans would need to apply for the UK’s Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) when it rolls out in 2024.
“The United Kingdom has introduced what is called the Electronic Travel Authorisation that is required of all countries outside of the United Kingdom including the United States and Antigua and Barbuda is no exception. It is literally not quite a visa; it is a pre-screening arrangement in which requests for visas are made online within sufficient time,” he said.
Browne’s comments followed news on July 19 that the UK had removed Dominica and Vanuatu from its list of visa-free countries to protect its national security after a review found abuses in their Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programs, which resulted in unsavoury characters gaining access to British soil.
The UK’s Visas and Immigration Department has already announced the first group of countries whose nationals would require an ETA to travel and transit through the country.
From 15 November 2023, Qatari nationals will need an ETA to visit and transit the UK.
Nationals of Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates would need an ETA from 22 February 2024.
The ETA costs £10 per applicant and is usually issued in about three business days once all your documents are verified.
The ETA is valid for two years or until your passport expires.
The European Union has also signalled its intention to remove countries with CBIs from its visa-free list.
The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) recently held talks with the EU to address their national security concerns.
Barbuda MP Trevor Walker pressed the prime minister about the impact the ETA requirement would have on Antigua and Barbuda’s lucrative CBI program given that having access to about 150 countries visa free is the major selling point of an Antigua and Barbuda passport.
Brown responded: “We do not anticipate any reduction. As I have said, it is not a visa requirement, it is what is called an ETA and even our CIP citizens will be eligible for access into the United Kingdom under the ETA.”