Travel in EU restricted for Kuwaitis despite Schengen visa

KUWAIT CITY: The French Ambassador to Kuwait, HE Anne-Claire Legendre, said beginning of next July the embassy will start receiving visa applications for Kuwaitis and residents wishing to travel to France, after her country announced the opening of borders to receive tourists and travelers.

In a press conference which was held at her residence last Thursday evening, the French envoy said, the embassy has received since the end of last May requests for student visas and the renewal of visas that expired last year because the visa holders were unable to travel due to the closure of the airspace and the travel ban due to the ‘Corona’ pandemic.

The envoy noted the Visa Center at the embassy works from eight in the morning until four in the evening, every day, except on weekends, and receives between 50 and 80 visa requests per day.

She stressed that obtaining a ‘Schengen’ visa does not mean the traveler’s freedom of movement between the countries of the European Union, but they must check the list of conditions set by each country regarding travel restrictions and quarantine.

Speaking about Kuwait’s placement on the list of countries concerning entry to France in the context of the pandemic, the French envoy explained that her country places Kuwait on the orange list, meaning all those who wish to enter France must have received the two vaccination doses approved by the European Union and a PCR test issued not more than 72 hours prior to the travel date.

She pointed out travelers between 12 and 16 years old are excluded from vaccination, provided that their parents have received both doses of approved vaccines.

Regarding the possibility of direct travel from Kuwait to France, Ambassador Legendre said there are no direct airlines so far, but it is possible to travel to France through many destinations, hoping that the children of the French community residing in Kuwait will return soon after discussing this issue with the competent Kuwaiti authorities.