France has unveiled a new visa waiver policy allowing nationals from 13 countries to travel to several of its overseas territories without obtaining a visa in advance, but Kenya is not among the countries covered by the new arrangement.
The policy, announced by the French government, applies exclusively to France’s overseas territories and does not extend to metropolitan France or the wider Schengen Area, meaning existing visa requirements for travel to mainland France remain unchanged.
South Africa is the only African country included in the new visa-free programme, alongside China, India, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Indonesia, Thailand, Russia and Belarus.
Under the revised rules, eligible travellers from the 13 countries can enter designated French overseas territories without first applying for a visa, subject to the conditions set by French immigration authorities.
The French government said the measure is intended to facilitate travel to its overseas territories while maintaining existing entry requirements for metropolitan France and the Schengen Area.
“The visa exemption applies only to the overseas territories concerned and does not modify the rules governing entry into metropolitan France or the Schengen area,” France’s official visa information portal states.
For Kenyan passport holders, the announcement means there is no change to current travel requirements. They will continue to require the appropriate visas to visit both mainland France and the overseas territories unless they qualify for another exemption under French immigration regulations.
The announcement has drawn attention in Kenya because it comes months after renewed diplomatic engagement between Nairobi and Paris, including high-level meetings between President William Ruto and French President Emmanuel Macron aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation in areas such as trade, infrastructure, climate action and investment.
However, the French government has not indicated that Kenya’s exclusion from the latest visa waiver programme was politically motivated, nor has it provided criteria explaining why the 13 beneficiary countries were selected.
Immigration experts note that visa exemption policies are typically based on a range of considerations, including bilateral agreements, border management, migration trends and security assessments, rather than diplomatic relations alone.
The latest changes are limited to French overseas territories such as Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana, Réunion, Mayotte, French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Saint Martin, Saint Barthélemy, and Wallis and Futuna. They do not affect entry requirements for Paris or other destinations in metropolitan France, which continue to operate under the Schengen visa framework.
France’s official visa portal advises travellers to verify the entry requirements applicable to their destination before making travel arrangements, noting that visa exemptions differ depending on the territory being visited.