By JKNewsMedia
VISA FREE access to French overseas territories is available to nationals of only South Africa nationals under specific conditions, France has confirmed through its official visa portal.
JKNewsMedia.com reports that the French government said foreign nationals may be exempt from standard visa requirements for its overseas territories under categories that include nationality, possession of a valid residence permit and diplomatic status.
Also, citizens of European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA) member states, together with Swiss nationals, qualify automatically for the exemption.
The portal also stated that holders of a valid residence permit issued by a French prefecture or a Schengen Area state, as well as holders of a valid long stay visa issued by any Schengen country, are eligible.
For exemptions based on nationality, France said eligible travellers must already hold a valid multi entry visa issued by a French consulate with a validity period of between six months and five years.
The countries listed under that category are Bahrain, Belarus, China, India, Indonesia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates.
South Africa (SA) is the only African country included on the list.
The French government said SA nationals who hold the qualifying French consulate issued multi entry visa do not need to apply separately to visit French overseas territories including Martinique, Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Réunion and Mayotte.
It added that nationals of all other African countries must continue to meet the standard visa requirements and complete a separate application before travelling to the territories.
Meanwhile, South Africa remains the only African country eligible to apply through Japan’s online eVisa system, allowing travellers to submit tourist visa applications electronically without visiting a Japanese embassy or consulate, according to its post on X.
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