French Embassy working to improve visa process in Guyana – Ambassador

The French Ambassador to Guyana, Olivier Plançon, says his office in Georgetown is working to enhance the visa application and issuance process in the country.

He made these remarks on Friday at the Private Sector Commission’s (PSC) Annual General Meeting, where he acknowledged the difficulties associated with the visa process.

“Believe me, we are working to ease applications in Guyana,” Ambassador Plançon assured. He explained that the topic of visas is a sensitive issue in Europe, particularly for the Latin America and the Caribbean region due to the prevalence of trafficking and transnational crimes here.

However, the French diplomat recognised that Guyana is not a crime exporter but an exporter of opportunities given the country’s rapid economic growth.

“Please also be mindful of the fact that the Schengen visa is a gateway to no less than 27 countries, and our visa policy has to be coordinated with all of them, actually. That being said, we are constantly striving to streamline the visa issuance process, and we are well aware that improvements are needed and expected,” Ambassador Plançon noted.

The opening of the French Embassy in Georgetown last September paved the way for the submission and processing of Schengen visa applications in Guyana, something that was long being pushed for. Previously, Guyanese wanting to obtain a Schengen visa would need to travel to neighbouring Suriname to complete the application process.

During a recent interview with the News Room, the French Ambassador disclosed that while the long-term goal is visa-free travel between the two countries and the wider European Union, the number of Schengen visas issued has doubled since the opening of the embassy here last year, moving from about 150 to now some 350.

Nevertheless, during his remarks at Friday’s PSC event, Ambassador Plançon noted that Guyana and France are connected through that country’s overseas territories in South America and the Caribbean. To this end, he lamented the lack of connectivity between the two countries – a gap which he says will soon be bridged with a new airline route across Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana.

“I would like to commend the efforts of a local airline which is working to establish a route between Georgetown, Paramaribo and Cayenne. Actually, this is a must and a step in the right direction… We would be very happy if we could bridge this gap between the French-speaking and the English-speaking Caribbean,” the French diplomat asserted.

In the same breath, however, Ambassador Plançon admitted that there are still challenges ahead that cannot be overlooked. He stressed that trade between Guyana and France remains limited, particularly due to connectivity issues. He said, “The absence of a deep-water port in Guyana is a barrier to exchanges between Guyana and Europe, as well as the weakness of air connectivity.”

Regardless of this, the French diplomat is convinced that the ties between Guyana and France, and the wider Europe as well, will continue to grow stronger in the coming years.