Malta, Libya agree on three-month multiple visas

Malta and Libya have agreed to issue three-month multiple entry visas to frequent visitors to the two countries.

As a sign of goodwill, the Maltese consulate in Tripoli has also been authorised to issue six-month multiple entry visas where it feels this is necessary. Libya has promised it will start issuing similar six-month visas once it has the necessary legislation in place.

Foreign Minister Michael Frendo told a news conference yesterday this development was in addition to the visas agreement reached last April, just before Malta became a member of the EU. That agreement was to simplify the issue of visas, which became necessary as a result of Malta's EU membership.

"The success we are announcing today is the result of the hard work of many people especially Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi whose visit to Libya in early October was crucial in this regard."

He said the meeting held between Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and Dr Gonzi had benefited the relations between the two countries.

These discussions were followed by the exchange of a number of note verbales and meetings between Dr Frendo and his Libyan counterpart Abdulrahman Mohamed Shalgem.

Through the arrangement struck by the two countries, lengthy administrative procedures and unnecessary bureaucratic measures were eliminated including the need to have letter of invitation for the issue of visas to Maltese nationals.

In practice this means that Maltese businessmen and other Maltese citizens who travel to Libya frequently do not need to apply for a visa prior to each trip.

Dr Frendo said his ministry had been receiving several complaints from Maltese businessmen about undue delays in the processing of visa applications every time they needed to go to Libya. The letter of invitation that the Libyan authorities had introduced as a compulsory requirement for a visa application was particularly bureaucratic for businessmen, Dr Frendo said.

He said the letter of invitation attached to a one-time entry visa requested by the Libyan authorities had been of great concern to the Maltese government which had never requested a similar procedure from Libyan nationals applying for visas to travel to Malta.

Malta's consulate in Tripoli worked very efficiently together with the immigration authorities and the Malta police force to issue visas for Libyan nationals within two or three working days, the minister said.

Dr Frendo said that between May 1 and December 28, 9,250 applications were received by the consulate of Malta in Tripoli, 8,472 of which were from Libyan nationals.

A total of 8,162 visas were issued to Libyan nationals and 310 were refused. Three hundred and fifty-six were issued to nationals from other countries and 422 were refused.

About 28 per cent of all documents issued were three-month multiple entry visas even though an agreement on the issuing of this type of visa has only been reached now. All visas issued to Libyan nationals by the consulate of Malta in Tripoli were processed within two to three working days.