A visa waiver agreement for Dominican citizens travelling to the Schengen countries of Europe has been signed and entered into force

Dominica and the European Union officially signed a visa waiver agreement in Brussels on Thursday, May 28, 2015.Senator Francine baron, minister of foreign affairs and Caricom affairs, signed the agreement on behalf of Dominica.

According to the agreement, the maximum period of visa-free exemption is 90 days within 180 days.

Schengen members include Austria, Belgium, the Czech republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Norway, Switzerland and Sweden.

Earlier this month the prime minister, Roosevelt Skerrit, expressed gratitude to the EU for the decision.He said the approval and subsequent signature of the proposal would mean visa-free access to Schengen countries for Dominican passport holders for both foreign and ordinary affairs.

"I believe this is good news for all Dominicans and it certainly helps our journey," he said.And I want to thank the European Union for that, and of course it shows the level of our relationship with the European Union."

Under the deal, Dominica will have visa-free access to 91 countries, including Britain, France, Germany and Hong Kong.

On May 28, 2015, Dominica signed a visa exemption agreement with European Schengen countries and it came into effect, adding 26 European Schengen countries including France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Greece, Denmark and Belgium.