Saint Lucia and India announced on Wednesday the signing of a historic visa-waiver agreement paving the way for holders of Diplomatic and Official passports to benefit from visa-free travel.
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The aggreement was signed by Prime Minister Hon. Philip J. Pierre and the non-resident High Commissioner of India to Saint Lucia, H.E. Dr Shankar Balachandran on April 16.
The move will significantly reduce costs and waiting times for diplomatic and official passport holders traveling to India on official business.
According to the authorities, the new visa-waiver agreement will also benefit public servants who obtain ITEC scholarships to study in India.
The signing was witnessed by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Guillaume Simon, and officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This represents a strengthening of diplomatic relations between the Government of Saint Lucia and the Republic of India.
Applications for e-visas by holders of ordinary passports for Saint Lucians travelling to India are typically processed and granted within 72 hours.
However, before the agreement was signed, the application process to obtain a gratis diplomatic/official visa for Saint Lucian holders of Diplomatic and Official passports travelling to India took up to thirty (30) days as they were required to utilize courier services to transport their passports to India's Embassy in Paramaribo for processing.