{"id":213045,"date":"2020-01-30T09:12:07","date_gmt":"2020-01-30T14:12:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/?p=213045"},"modified":"2020-01-30T09:12:07","modified_gmt":"2020-01-30T14:12:07","slug":"panamanian-and-cuban-authorities-seek-to-facilitate-trips-to-panama","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/cuba\/panamanian-and-cuban-authorities-seek-to-facilitate-trips-to-panama\/","title":{"rendered":"Panamanian and Cuban authorities seek to facilitate trips to Panama"},"content":{"rendered":"

Migration authorities from <\/span>Panama<\/span><\/a> and Cuba are analyzing mechanisms to facilitate the arrival of Cuban visitors to the Colon Free Zone (ZLC), the largest in the continent, without this implying eliminating the mandatory visa requirement for those born on the island.<\/span><\/p>\n

The matter was discussed during the fifth round of migration talks between the two countries, a meeting held this Monday in the Panamanian capital, in which the director of Consular Affairs and Cuban Residents Abroad, Ernesto Sober\u00f3n Guzm\u00e1n, participated; and the director of the National Migration Service of Panama, Samira Gozaine, among other officials.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe possibility of signing an agreement, together with the Colon Free Zone, regarding the issue of stamped visas and the tourist card is being analyzed to make it easier for Cuban tourists and businesspeople to enter Panama, definitely eliminating the tourist card and staying with the Stamped Visa,\u201d said the National Migration Service of Panama.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, the National Migration Service is reviewing the procedures for Cuban citizens to enter the country as tourists and refers to the procedure established by Decree Law 3 of February 22, 2008,\u201d added an official statement after the meeting.<\/span><\/p>\n

For his part, Sober\u00f3n Guzm\u00e1n said on his Twitter account that the meeting took place \u201cin a cordial, frank and mutually respectful environment,\u201d and that there had been an exchange on \u201cthe behavior of the migratory flow and migration policies of both countries,\u201d without offering further details.<\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/twitter.com\/SoberonGuzman\/status\/1221890664964771841?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1221890664964771841&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fautoridades-panamenas-y-cubanas-buscan-facilitar-viajes-a-panama%2F<\/p>\n

In October 2018, Panama established the so-called tourism card for Cuban self-employed citizens or artisans who did not have a stamped visa, which cost 20 dollars and allowed them to enter and stay in the Central American country for up to 30 days to carry out shopping tourism.<\/span><\/p>\n

But in March 2019, the Panamanian government ruled that even Cubans who had the tourist card should have the stamped visa, and in July of the same year the suspension of the issuance of the tourist card was announced.<\/span><\/p>\n

The businesspeople of the Colon Free Zone, located in the Panamanian Caribbean and the largest in the continent, resented the measure and asked the Panamanian government to look for alternatives for Cuban buyers, who represented 40% of the 57,121 tourists who arrived at the emporium between January and July of last year.<\/span><\/p>\n

Panama suspends tourism card for Cubans due to alleged irregularities<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n