The Seychelles government has prohibited Nigerian passport holders from visiting the country for vacation purposes.
On Sunday, the country’s border security verified the development.
On Saturday, @munafromtravelletters, a travel content provider on Twitter, published a screenshot of what seemed to be a Seychelles visa application refusal email.
“We regret to inform you that your application has been denied, as per immigration regulation, for now, we are not accepting any NIGERIAN passport holder for holiday purposes,” the screenshot reads.
“Kindly contact http://www.ics.gov.sc/ (Seychelles Immigration) or call 248 4 293 636 for more information.”
Speaking with TheCable through its customer support service, the Seychelles government corroborated the travel content creator’s screenshot without giving reasons for the ban.
“Yes, but no further information is available at this time,” the border security said.
Nigeria and Seychelles inked an agreement in December 2022 to allow direct flights between the two countries.
Hadi Sirika, then-minister of aviation, and Anthony Derjacques, then-minister of transport for the Seychelles, both agreed that the partnership will promote the African Union Agenda 2063 while also boosting business and tourism.
Prior to the restriction, Nigeria had a long-standing visa-free agreement with Seychelles that allowed Nigerian residents to enter the country without a visa for a period of 30 days.
The location of the restriction generated conflicting comments from social media users, with many bemoaning the rise in overseas bans against Nigerian passport holders.
