Starting today, August 16, passport holders of the Central African Republic will be required to obtain a transit visa if they want to travel through Spain.
According to sources from the Spanish Interior Ministry, this decision follows reports that Central African nationals were using the transit in Spanish airports for irregular entries and taking advantage to apply for asylum, Schengen.News reports.
A similar measure was adopted last June when Spain imposed transit visas for travellers from Sudan and Chad and, later, for those coming from Kenya and Senegal.
A Transit Visa allows holders to pass through airports of a country, in this case Spain, but not enter the territory. Applying for this type of Schengen visa also requires filing the necessary documents at the Spanish consulate or embassy in the Central African Republic.
Spanish Organisations Did Not Welcome the Measure
The Spanish Commission for Refugee Aid (CEAR) took to social media to criticise the government’s decision, saying it is further preventing access to international protection for those coming from zones in conflict.
Every time the number of asylum applications from a specific nationality increases, due to conflicts or emergencies in their countries, Spain responds with more restrictions.
The organisation also went on to say that the population of the Central African Republic is suffering the consequences of “a persistent humanitarian crisis”. According to CEAR, these measures intend to control migration instead of prioritising human rights.
Data from Frontex, the EU Border and Coast Guard Agency, shows that between January and June, 16 cases of irregular detections were made in EU territory that originated from the Central African Republic. The majority of them were recorded entering through the Central Mediterranean route (nine), another five at the Western African route and two at the Eastern Borders.
List of African Countries Imposed a Spain Transit Visa Is Only Expanding
As of August 16, nationals of Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Somalia are required to obtain a transit visa to pass through any EU airport.
The same rule applies to passport holders of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
As Infobae explains, the list of African countries whose citizens need a transit visa for Spain is as follows:
- Burkina Faso
- Cameroon
- Chad
- Ivory Coast
- Djibouti
- Gambia
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Kenya
- Liberia
- Mali
- Republic of the Congo
- Senegal
- Sierra Leone
- Sudan
- Togo
Other countries found on this list are Cuba, Haiti, India, Syria, Tajikistan, Türkiye, Uzbekistan, Yemen and Palestine.
