Philipsburg:--- Nationals of Guyana and Jamaica will now have to obtain a visa before they are allowed to enter St. Maarten announced Minister of Justice Roland Duncan. Minister Duncan said that as of April 11 2011, anyone travelling to Sint Maarten of Guyanese and Jamaican nationality will now require a VISA for entry into the country Sint Maarten. This new regulation is based on a decision taken earlier this year by the Minister of Justice, with the support of the Council of Ministers. The Consulate of the Netherlands has also issued communiqués to various stakeholders informing them of this new development.
VISA's should be requested in the country of residence and a formal written request must be submitted by the Inviter for approval at the Immigration Department .Therefore, it is of utmost importance that all persons traveling to Sint Maarten who are of Guyanese and Jamaican nationality, be aware and informed that all border controls are in place to ensure that this new policy is enforced.
While the press release issued by the Ministry of Justice said that the visa implementation started on April 11th 2011, the press release to inform travelers was sent out on April 12th 2011, there is no indication as to if a grace period was given to travelers heading to St. Maarten from Jamaica and Guyana. It must be noted that nationals of both countries travel to St. Maarten on a daily basis via LIAT and biweekly with Caribbean Airlines. Besides that, the press release did not state if the visa requirement is only for Jamaicans and Guyanese living in their native countries or if the rule applies for all Jamaicans and Guyanese who are also living abroad. There is also no indication as to where these nationals have to apply for the visa to enter St. Maarten.
SMN News has been reliably informed that the immigration and police officers dealing with border controls were not instructed on how to implement the visa requirements. Sources close to the immigration and police said they received a memo the same time the press release was sent to the media but no direct instructions were given to them.
Efforts made to reach Minister Duncan for clarity on Tuesday evening proved futile as he did not answer his phone.
Click here to view the Caribbean Visa requirements
