Dominica and Ecuador have signed a new visa waiver agreement allowing for holders of all passport types to enter Ecuador without a visa.
The signing ceremony took place on Thursday between Foreign Minister, Francine Baron and Ambassador of Ecuador to Dominica, His Excellency Dr. Galo Yepez Holguin.
Baron, who spoke at the signing ceremony, said there was already a visa waiver arrangement for holders of diplomatic and official passports.
“This agreement will allow for all of our citizens, both the holders of ordinary, diplomatic and official passports to be able to travel to our respective countries without the need for there to be a visa,” she said.
She stated that Dominica is pleased in solidifying relations with Ecuador.
“We are happy that we will be signing this agreement today which will assist and facilitate the flow of people, between our two countries,” Baron stated and added that she believes that people-to-people contact is important.
Baron mentioned further that both countries are also looking into cooperation in agriculture.
“Of course we want to move forward with our cooperation in that area and we have discussed more recently with your Foreign Minister looking at the two demonstrations for ‘cut flower production’…,” Baron noted. “Ecuador has a very large and booming cut flower industry and I think there is much that Dominica can learn from your experience.”
She added, “We discussed the other engagements and other corporation projects with Ecuador in the area of Black Sigatoka management and also in the area of prone farming, and also in the areas of expanding our coffee and cocoa production.”
The Foreign Affairs Minister said that the government of Dominica was very happy to be able to accommodate the Ecuadorian students for the ‘Teach English Programme’ at the Dominica State College (DSC).
Thirty-five (35) students from Ecuador graduated from the programme in June 2016.
“We look forward to having a second batch of Ecuadorian students come to Dominica,” Baron stated.
“We have found that the programme has been useful, not only for them but for us as well to become acquainted with people from Ecuador to be acquainted with your culture, and I think that helps to solidify and strength the relationship between Dominica and Ecuador,” she said.
Meantime, Ambassador of Ecuador to Dominica, His Excellency Dr. Galo Yepez Holguin, said the relations between the two countries are growing and that is very important.
“Now is a very good opportunity to sign this agreement that is going to permit people from both countries to visit without any visa and that I think is going to help the people to the different countries to travel,” he stated.
Dominica established relations with Ecuador in 2009.
thats very great,showing off to the international community.However we as Dominica nationals already have visa free acess to Ecuador.
So what exactly are the other benefits for us Dominicans.
I would like to know.
where is the agreement so i could read it and get more knowledge.
My recommendation is to now give full support to the USA president to increase our GDP and to attract more foreign retirees to our country and educated foreigners from the first world.
why are we attracting other third world citizens like ourselves.
anyway good job Miss Baron.
sales strategy if potential buyers of Dominican passport know that they can travel to additional country’s
that’s a plus for the program more dollars to the persons selling fantastic news for a few..
Brilliant news! Ecuador was the second in my list of countries to visit right after South Sudan…!
I smell a rat…!!
I smell Alex Saab
When will they sign for us to go to Canada without a visa. Thats what the Government need to work on.
When will Francine sign an agreement with America, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden only poor dead broke communists countries we signing with, tell me your friends it tells me who u are!
You can travel to Germany, Switzerland and Sweden visa free. Check your facts.
Only reason I’d travel to Ecuador is for the women, that is all.
Don’t waste your time brah they’re not all that. Mexico, Argentina, Venezuela and Colombia a much better :D
This arrangement is not for the ordinary tourist but may facilitate holders of our passports, who are involved in off-shore banking.
Apparently the virtual Alba currency, the Sucre, has been used as payment for finance fictitious exports from Ecuador to Venezuela, for the receipts to be transferred into off-shore accounts in U.S.$. This would be a sophisticated way of laundering money. We have a number of foreign off-shore banks here in Dominica, some with Venezuelan connections. and I hope we are not in any way contaminated by this.
Read: http://www.insightcrime.org/news-briefs/ecuador-investigates-135-mil…….
Greatt NEWS
Look at that, if you want to go to Taiwan (Republic of China) with your Dominican passport you can apply for an e-Visa online and your passport will not be stamped and the people from Taiwan can come to Dominica visa free to stay up to three months. But if you want to go to China (People’s Republic of China you need a visa unless you have a diplomatic, official or service passport but citizens from that country can come to Dominica visa free for up to 21 days. Garcon, which is the more free country, Taiwan or China? Is all BS our government is trying to tell us.
Taiwan obviously. The only reason we have ties with the PRC is because we get more money from them. It’s a business deal basically
Skerrit must have seen an opening in Ecuador where he and his hucksters association Inc, can sell some passports to crooks and criminals. As good as it may sound, Skerrit and his administration should not be allowed to sign no agreement with any foreign country. …………..
We need to stop looking for VISA free travel to Canada, or America, Or Europe or any of the bigger countries. We selling our passport for chicken feed. Canada not going to readily open a back door for those people. If our passports werent on sale canada would say “ah little caribbean people why not” but Dominica can become a launching pad for a lot of bad people. So before they find a Dominica passport at the sites of a criminal activity and give us a bad name. Is best we get visa free travel to Ecuador, While you’ll at it i’ve always wanted to see penguins, so free up visa travels to Antarctica.
I hear that de weed is free there!
Why are some Dominicans behaving so naive , when I read these comments I can see why the country will remain so backwards. Educate yourselves people .
This is something good for the country.
Appreciate good things. Instead of seeing it as an opportunity to visit another country and experience another culture ,you are criticizing . This shows your ignorance .
Ecuador is a very developed country with the US dollars as its currency, and even Americans and Canadians are. Flocking to retire in this country . So maybe you all should pack your bags and go see what you can experience there. It’s good to come off your cocoon and learn.
Lets be real, Ecuador maybe a beautiful country but this is of little significance to Dominica.
But why do we have to go to Ecuador when we are well satisfied with the manner in which Skerro is developing D/ca, soon he will be present fore life on the portion of land his parent die and live for him and his slaves
I’m not seeing the need for any waiver of Visas for Ecuador ,there’s no need for Dominicans to travel to that country, to do what?
Give me a break! Who want to travel to Ecuador… this Government really needs to step up
You don’t sound very educated … have you heard of the Galápagos Islands ? For someone who is educated your mind is pretty closed and ignorant.
while its a good that the goverment can secure these agreements.. why ecuador.. what can we benefit from there
Great now I can travel to that country freely thanks to both country
Dahman your comment ……….reads not many Dominican interested to travel to Ecuador,,,,,,,,well what about the costomers ,the thousands of people already carrying our passport they MIGHT just want to travel since they can afford to do so. the none native,current news my boy, read between the lines. our main commodity is the Dominican passport just two week ago PM skerritt made news for saying tourism nor apiculture will bring the 279 million he predict in the near future.
But I went to Equador last year and did not need a visa, and I am no official or diplomat.
That’s true, for I did as well, just about 2 years ago, as well as several other friends from Dominica. None of us carried official or diplomatic passports, yet none of us required a visa. Which was wonderful, of course!
So true, Equador already listed on Wikipedia as a country you can visit with a Dominican passport visa free for up to 90 days. What is going on?
Interesting if you are in a race as to who can sign up most countries where you can go without a visa but how many Dominicans want to go to Ecuador, lets be honest. I would be far more impressed if Francine and Roosevelt could renegotiate visa free access with a country that really matters, like Canada for instance. That would be a real achievement, not Ecuador or Vanuatu or the Solomon Islands.
Countries that really matter ? You realise that Ecuador is much larger and richer than Dominica is ? Do we matter?
So what? Canada is even bigger than the U.S.A. and more Dominicans living there than in Ecuador but we don’t even have an embassy or high commission there or a consul and we need a visa to go and visit our families there. If Francine had any caliber she would makes things easier for us with that country. That is far more important than Ecuador.
yawwwwwwwwwwwnnnnnn i thought it was UAE or somewhere important wi… psshhttt
ha!!! what f*** Ecuador! Give me a break!
please try to get a visa waiver agreement for Canada. and for the UK??
We wish, but that wouldnt happen. You think Trump will ever do that? When terrorist can pick up one of our passports for small change?
Yes you are. What has trump got to do with visas for Canada or the U.K.?
we already have visa waiver for the UK
As a Dominican passport holder you do not require a visa for the U.K. or any of the Schengen countries (such as France, Germany, Holland, Italy etc…)
Make Dominica part of South America, nuh! Ecuador? That’s Maduro’s friends and people. Look out for dem equadass on our shores shortly. Breno senior
Woyyyy…look more jokes.
In Ecuador they sucking Sucre instead of Salt.
How many Dominicans trying to go to Ecuador thou?
Very few native born Dominicans I would think but don’t forgety those that bought our passports and may be involved in nefarious activities like money laundering.
I wonder how many Dominicans wants to travel to Ecuador, maybe Skeritt alone. If Skeritt wants to boast about waivers to travel, get waivers to the USA, France and countries in Europe.
We already can go to majority of europe without visas
dominicans can never bother to look things up
Not much Dominicans interested to travel to Ecuador,Not so important for us.
That was not intended for native born Dominicans. That is making it easier for passport buyers to be able to access more countries hassle-free with our passports.
FANTASTIC News!!!
What is so fantastic about that. Are you a money launderer?