Guyanese nationals gain visa-free access to British Virgin Islands

The British Virgin Islands cabinet has signed off on a provision to exempt Guyanese passport holders from requiring a visa to enter the territory.

The exemption, which went into effect on November 1, allows Guyanese passport holders to visit the BVI for up to six months for business and leisure purposes.

With this new visa exemption, Guyanese passport holders will have visa-free, ETA or visa on arrival privileges to 91 countries including the United Kingdom, Qatar, Russia, Brazil and South Africa.

The process of removing Guyana from the list of countries that require visas to enter the British Overseas territory began last year following a BVI trade mission to Georgetown.  

Premier and Minister of Finance, Dr Natalio D. Wheatley, during a Press Conference on 30 September 2024 said: “This step strengthens the bond between our countries and the region, facilitating greater ease in travel, trade, tourism and investment. It underscores our shared vision of regional cooperation and opens new opportunities for people-to-people exchange. Many of our Caribbean brothers and sisters already benefit from visa-free access to the BVI and we are pleased to extend this offer to Guyana, a giant in our Caribbean community.”

The updated list of visa exempt countries will see nationals from over 90 countries including Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Suriname, Haiti, China, Russia and Iran requiring a visa to visit the BVI.