Complaint
- Complaint number
-
NTB-000-857
- NTB Type
-
8.3. Immigration requirements (Visa, travel permit)
- Complaint
-
Tanzania charging of Business Visa of USD 250 to EAC business persons entering URT charged as Certificate of Temporary Assignment (CTA) at all borders
- Status note
-
The regulations went through the legal draftspersons. They decided to do away with having Regulations as this was not provided for under the CMP. However, some of the provisions that were in the Regulations were included in the revised EAC Schedule on Progressive Liberalization of Services. This includes the provision on the Removal of Barriers to Trade in Services. With this, all barriers under Trade in Services will be progressively removed as per the EAC Schedule. Hence the meeting agreed to resolve this NTB as it has been taken care of in the Schedule.
- Progress update note
-
1. Tanzania reported that the charge is not for VISA but it is a fee on a pass.The fee is charged on persons coming in Tanzania to perform temporary assignments (economic activities and professional services) such as consultancies. The Meeting urged the URT to waive the fee for East African citizens as per Regulation 5 of the EAC Common Market Protocol.
2. During the Regional Monitoring Forum held on 29 April - 3 may 2019,URT informed the meeting that this fee is charged on persons coming in to perform temporary assignments (economic activities and professional services) such as consultancies.The Meeting urged the URT to waive the fee for East African citizens as per Regulation 5 of the EAC Common Market Protocol
Recommendation:
The EAC Secretariat to convene by September, 2019, a meeting of Ministries home affairs, chiefs of Immigration, and Ministries responsible for Trade to handle matter as it affects both trade in goods and services.
3.The extra ordinary SCTIFI of September 2019 was informed that the issue was discussed in a bilateral meeting between Uganda and Tanzania. And an update will be drawn from the report of the bilateral meeting.
4.The Regional Monitoring Committee held on 15th October, 2019 agreed to await the report of the meeting of Ministers of Home Affairs, Chiefs of Immigration and Ministers responsible for Trade as Directed by the SCTIFI and the Ministerial Bilateral Meeting that was held between Uganda and Tanzania in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.
Tanzania reported that the fee that is being charged is a business pass amounting to USD 100 and not a visa of USD 250 as reported. This is in accordance with the Common Market Protocol.
5.The Regulations were considered by the meeting of the EAC Legal Drafters and recommended to the Sectoral Council on Legal and Judicial Affairs to among others: defer consideration of the draft EAC Common Market regulations on the free movement of service and service suppliers pending the drafting of the revised EAC schedule of commitments on the progressive liberalization of services by the Legislative Draftspersons5.The Sectoral Committee on Trade meeting of 31st October, 2019 agreed that the NTB should be reviewed to reflect the actual amount of USD 100 instead of USD 250.Also recommended to SCTIFI to direct the EAC Secretariat to convene a meeting of Ministers responsible for Immigration matters, Trade, EAC Affairs and Chiefs of Immigration.
6. On 11 march 2021, Secretariat reported that the Report was presented to the 40th Council of Ministers which considered the regulations and referred them to the Sectoral Council on Legal and Judicial for legal input.
7. On 30 April 2021, the Focal Point for South Sudan informed that South Sudan currently does not charge visa fees for Tanzanian nationals. Meanwhile, the issue for the other remaining Partner States (Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda) is being resolved and consultations with the immigration office started in March, 2011.
8.The EAC Common Market Regulation 12 Restrictions on the Free Movement of Services has been submitted to the Sectoral Council on Legal and Judicial Affairs scheduled for October 2021 for legal input.
- Policy or regulatory NTB
- No
- Location
-
Tanzania: Kilambo (Border post)
- Reporting Country or Region
-
- Country specific trade issue
-
No
- Date of incident
-
2018-10-01
- Status
-
Resolved
- Date of resolution
-
2023-02-20
- Product Description
-
- Total value
-
0
- Date reported
-
2019-01-10 11:21
- Modified
-
2023-02-23 11:25
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