France tightens visa and entry rules for its overseas territories, drawing criticism from the Baku Initiative Group
The French government is tightening visa and entry regulations for foreign nationals wishing to travel to its overseas territories.
Sea-news.az reports that this development was highlighted in an official statement released by the Baku Initiative Group (BIG).
The statement notes that unlike the Schengen visa regime applied within metropolitan France, distinct visa and administrative procedures govern entry into its overseas territories. Under French law, territories located outside Europe—including Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana, Réunion, Mayotte, Kanaky (New Caledonia), Maohi Nui (French Polynesia), and Wallis and Futuna—are not part of the Schengen zone. Consequently, holding a standard Schengen visa does not automatically grant entry to these regions, requiring travelers to obtain specific, separate visas where applicable.
The Baku Initiative Group emphasizes that these strict visa and entry barriers severely restrict the ability of indigenous representatives, media personnel, academic researchers, human rights defenders, and international observers to visit these territories.
The statement argues that such administrative limitations obstruct efforts to bring the challenges faced by local populations, as well as the historical and ongoing impacts of colonial policies, to the attention of the international community.
Furthermore, the BIG contends that while Paris portrays the overseas territories as an integral part of the French state, the enforcement of a separate legal and administrative regime for travel creates an institutional disconnect between metropolitan France and its overseas departments and collectivities.
The group warns that these additional restrictions impede tourists, investors, entrepreneurs, and researchers from accessing these regions, which can negatively impact tourism revenues, capital investment flows, business partnerships, and broader regional economic integration.
According to BIG’s assessment, geographically isolated economies in the Caribbean, Pacific, and Indian Oceans struggle to deepen commercial ties with regional neighbors under these conditions, increasing the risk of deepening financial, trade, and institutional dependency on mainland France.
The Baku Initiative Group also stated that the French government has systematically denied visas to its representatives and individuals seeking to travel to the overseas territories under BIG’s auspices, arguing that such measures erect unnecessary barriers to international communication, information exchange, and public diplomacy.
