EU agrees to review Maldives' request for visa free travel
The request will be addressed when the next review of visa lists takes place.
Maldives’ request for visa-free travel will be addressed when the next review of visa lists takes place, the European Union (EU) announced on Tuesday.
The decision was announced in a joint statement issued after fourth senior officials meeting that took place in Brussels on Tuesday.
At the meeting chaired by Maldives state foreign minister Ahmed Khaleel and Paola Pampaloni, Deputy Managing Director for Asia and Pacific at the European External Action Service, the EU and the Maldives discussed Maldives’ request to grant visa free travel for Maldivian nationals to EU countries.
"The discussion reflected the ongoing efforts to strengthen relations and promote greater connectivity between the EU and Maldives," the statement read.
However, it is unclear when the next review of visa lists will take place.
Maldivians can now apply for Schengen visa to Germany, Italy, Austria and Czech Republic through the VFS centre in Male, but visa applications for the rest of the 23 of Schengen countries still need to be submitted physically at the respective embassy in either India or Sri Lanka.
