Minister: Visitor Stay Extended To 90 Days
The initial visitor stay will be extended from 21 days to 90 days with effect from 1st May 2012, Minister of National Security Wayne Perinchief said this morning [Apr.13] in the House of Assembly.
The current policy for visitors to our shores is to permit an initial stay of 21 days. For longer stays, application must be made to the Department of Immigration.
Minister Perinchief said, “This provision for initial longer stays will compliment efforts to promote Bermuda to European guests who traditionally spend more time in their destinations of choice.
“Additionally, this extended stay will support the fractional housing product and efforts by hospitality providers to promote Bermuda as a genuine second-home to those who can afford to make it such.”
The Minister’s full statement follows below:
Mr. Speaker, Honourable members will be aware that the current policy for visitors to our shores is to permit an initial stay of 21 days. For longer stays, application must be made to the Department of Immigration.
Mr. Speaker, true joined-up Government requires that each Ministry do its part to facilitate key economic goals of the country as a whole.
Therefore, Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to advise Honourable Members that with effect from 1st May 2012 the initial visitor stay will be extended to 90 days.
Mr. Speaker, this provision for initial longer stays will compliment efforts to promote Bermuda to European guests who traditionally spend more time in their destinations of choice.
Additionally, this extended stay will support the fractional housing product and efforts by hospitality providers to promote Bermuda as a genuine second-home to those who can afford to make it such.
Mr. Speaker, Honourable Members will recall that we have already provided the 90 day stay to visiting yachtsmen and their crews and this extension to land-based visitors is a logical one.
Mr. Speaker, in addition to the change in the length of the initial visitor stay, I am pleased to advise Honourable Members of a further change in support of the efforts of my colleague, the Honourable Member, the Minister of Business Development and Tourism’s efforts to strengthen links with the BRIC countries.
Mr. Speaker, also with effect from 1st May 2012, a waiver of the requirement for a Bermuda Entry Visa will be implemented for visitors from Brasil, Russia, India and China. Mr. Speaker, this will operate on the same basis as extended to other countries. The traveler in possession of a visa for entry or transit to the US, UK or Canada will be afforded this privilege.
Mr. Speaker, with the implementation of this policy, visitors from the BRIC countries will more readily consider Bermuda as a travel destination and a business-friendly jurisdiction.
The elimination of the process requiring a Bermuda Entry Visa from the British Embassy in the visitor’s home country will make Bermuda more attractive and sets us apart from competitors who may still require such an entry visa prior to arrival.
Mr. Speaker, this Government continues to be responsive to the needs of visitors both for leisure and for business. We continue to preserve our competitive edge recognizing that in this global economy, every effort must be made to maintain and promote those conditions to spur growth and demonstrate flexibility in our approach to regulation.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Bermuda finally catching up with the rest of the world. Great move Minister and thanks for listening. It may be long overdue but at least you’ve made the move.
I think it is a move in the right direction and as we see our counterparts in the U.S allows Bermudians to visit up to six months, so well done Minister.
Counterparts in the U.S?!?!? Duane U.S. allows British Dependent Territories Citizens to visit up to six months not Bermudians. There is no guarantee that if we were independent they would allow Bermudians to visit at all let alone for that long. Even with this new U.S/Bermuda Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty there still isn’t a guarantee. Central American countries have had this treaty for years but their citizens still have to apply for an American Visa to visit & many times get declined. I know of Central Americans in Bermuda who have to go all the way up to Canada for a connection flight to get to their country. This is just another one of the benefits we are allowed through british colonization.
This visitor stay amendment is mainly directed towards our European visitors who general go on longer vacations & spend much more in western countries they visit than Americans because of the pound/euro exchange on dollars.
er…common sense, the longer visitors stay here, the more money they spend HERE. Having said that, glad somebody saw the lightbulb and turned it on.
I haven’t seen the PLP this busy in many years! Must be an election brewing… we should have one every year! That way maybe a few things would get done…..
Flip Flop.
It was a stupid Pee el Pee decision to reduce the visitor stay policy to 21 days in the first place. It seems the Pee el Pee is re-instituting all the old UBP policies.
Bernews, is this true? If so, shouldn’t it have been mentioned in the text above? I think you guys do a great job, but if this a really a reversal of policy rather than a new policy, then that fact should be highlighted in the article as it paints a very different picture.
This policy has aways been in effect. Even under UBP!
Visitors stay has always been 21days count you always think the plp is doing something wrong.
this is good….except I hope there are people monitoring the 90 day stay and we are not having more people come stay for extended periods and getting up to mischief….we have had this problem before so someone wasn’t doing their job..
exactly, not all visitors have the best intentions…
Exactly….but we aren’t doing the best job monitoring the “30″ day” stay visitors so what’s to say monitoring the “90 day” visitors will be any better?
Thats why we should require a visa from certain nationalities that are more known for overstaying their welcome so it will be easier to keep track of them. Many other countries do this so it shouldn’t be considered as something that we do in bias. Also immigration needs to work closer with customs to make sure someone on a work permit application hasn’t already been staying here as a tourist. We shouldn’t have to let tourist suffer for illegal immigrants.
The PLP sure are good at riding that pedal bike backwards. Must be all of those UBP converts having their influence on decisions. Surely the old school PLP members could not come up with stuff that makes sense all by themselves.
All in all it is nice to see that we now have a similar policy to many of our competitors.
I know someone that comes here every year for 6 weeks. They have always had to go to immigration and be grilled as to why they want to stay here. He always says “because I like it here and I go out and spend money in restaurants every night, you should be glad I want to stay.” Why is it only from 1st May why not from today? What massive systems have to be put in place that will take three weeks to implement? About time.
good decision
FlipPLoP finally made a descent decision – wow!!! I’m almost impressed – but why PLP so busy all of a sudden?
Does this really matter. We all should want progression for our country. We have to stay current with the times. Call it flip flop if you want. Thank you PLP. This will even give immgration more time to do investigations instead of processing extended stay requests.
This is nothing new , should not have been changed to 21 days in the first place . All of this Government changed policy from the past is now been put back. If it ain’t broke don’t fixed it .
Ah but that is the PLP’s motto! Let’s break it and then try to fix it again.
Put another way, Lets try to appear to actually doing something that is good for the Island even if all they are doing is bringing back UBP policy.