South Sudan Denies Restricting Visa-Free Entry to Two African Countries
- South Sudan denied reports that it had limited visa-free entry to only Tanzania and Egypt, describing the claims as false and unsupported by any official policy
- Authorities said the visa eligibility list and fee schedule published on the country's immigration website did not reflect any approved government decision and had since been removed
- The Interior Ministry maintained that no changes had been made to South Sudan's visa regime and urged the public to disregard the inaccurate information
South Sudan has dismissed reports claiming it introduced a new visa policy that granted visa-free entry only to citizens of Tanzania and Egypt, saying no such decision has been approved by the government.
The clarification followed widespread reports sparked by information published on the country's official Department of E-Visa and Immigration Services website, where Tanzania and Egypt were listed as the only countries exempt from visa requirements before the eligibility page was later removed.
Source: Getty Images
Has South Sudan changed its visa policy?
In a statement issued on Monday as reported by TRT, South Sudan's Ministry of Interior rejected the reports, insisting that the government had not adopted any policy restricting visa-free entry to only two countries.
"The Ministry of Interior unequivocally dismisses these claims as false, misleading, and without any official legal or administrative basis."
The ministry explained that it had not issued "any directive, policy decision, or statutory instrument" introducing changes to the country's immigration system.
It also said it had not "promulgated any increasing or restricting visa-free entry exclusively to the nationals of Egypt and Tanzania" and had not approved the visa fee schedule that circulated online.
Source: Getty Images
What did the removed eligibility list show?
Before it was taken down, the visa eligibility page stated that travellers from nearly every African country, apart from six nations, would pay $100 for a single-entry visa, $200 for a three-month multiple-entry visa and $350 for a six-month multiple-entry visa.
The list also proposed reduced visa charges for citizens of Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, Rwanda, Sudan and Kenya. Under the schedule, nationals of those countries would have paid $50 for a single-entry visa, $125 for a three-month multiple-entry visa and $250 for a six-month multiple-entry visa.
Meanwhile, Tanzania and Egypt were marked as "exempted," suggesting their citizens could enter South Sudan without obtaining a visa.
Government distances itself from online information
South Sudan's government said the information published on the immigration website did not represent official policy and urged the public to disregard the reports.
The ministry maintained that no changes had been made to the country's visa regime and reaffirmed that any future amendments to immigration rules would only be announced through official government channels.
The now-removed eligibility schedule had covered 207 countries and territories before it was taken offline.
UAE names countries eligible for visa-free entry
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the United Arab Emirates has published its updated entry guidelines, confirming that citizens from at least 70 countries can enter the nation without a pre-arranged visa.
The policy facilitates smoother access for international visitors as the country handles millions of arrivals across its major airport networks.
Source: Legit.ng
