According to a Legislation Gazette published today, June 14, 2024, the Cabinet of the Cayman Islands Government passed the Customs and Border Control (Visas, Entry and Landing) (Amendment) Regulations, 2024 which amends the Customs and Border Control (Visas, Entry and Landing) Regulations, 2019. These amended regulations come into force on August 5, 2024.
What changed
First, Cubans have been added to the list of nationalities under paragraph 4 of regulation 7 which deals with persons who are in transit and who, subject to exceptions, must have a visa upon arrival in the Cayman Islands.
The amended list of countries is now as follows:
Afghanistan
Macedonia
Eritrea
Albania
Moldova (Republic of)
Syria
Algeria
Nepal
Gambia
Angola
Nigeria
Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus
Bangladesh
Pakistan
Uganda
Belarus
Palestinian Territories
Vietnam
Burma (Myanmar)
Rwanda
Zimbabwe
Burundi
Saudi Arabia
Turkey
Cameroon
Senegal
Ghana
China (People’s Republic of)
Serbia and Montenegro
India
Colombia
Sierra Leone
Iran
Congo
Somalia
Cuba
Sri Lanka
Iraq
Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaire)
Sudan
Ivory Coast
Ethiopia
Liberia
Lebanon
The rule does not apply if the transit passenger is arriving for any of the following purposes –
(a) to join a cruise ship as a crew member within twenty-four hours of arrival;
(b) to disembark from a cruise ship in the Islands in order to transfer to another cruise ship or to leave from the Islands by air within twenty-four hours of arrival;
(c) to repair equipment or carry out engineering services as referred to in regulation 11(2)(p) of the Immigration Regulations (2018 Revision) for a period of not more than twenty-four hours; or
(d) as an operational crew member of a commercial airline.
Visa refusals
In addition to the amended transit passenger rules, the amended regulations make tweaks or introduce new grounds for refusals of visas.
Some of the amended and additional refusal grounds include where the person:
is the subject of —
(i) in respect of the Cayman Islands, a deportation order; or
(ii) in respect of any other territory or country, an order made or in force requiring the applicant to leave and remain out of that territory or country
has failed to satisfactorily respond to any questions regarding the accuracy of the documents supporting the applicant’s identity and nationality;
For a full list of these grounds, members of the public are encouraged to review the amended regulations via the below link:
https://www.gov.ky/publication-detail/customs-and-border-control-(visas,-entry-and-landing)-(amendment)-regulations,-2024,-(lg23,-s1)
