The junta-run government in Niger will now restrict where citizens from several European nations can obtain a visa for the Sahel country. This new policy is in response to the “difficulties” that Nigerien citizens reportedly face when obtaining visas from certain European embassies.
The embassies of Niger in Geneva, Ankara, and Moscow are the only ones authorized to issue visas to citizens of several European countries. This applies specifically to nationals of Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, the Kingdom of Belgium, and the United Kingdom.
In an internal note, the junta’s Foreign Minister, Bakary Yaou Sangare, complained that citizens continue to travel to neighboring countries to obtain visas. He said that Niger had formally submitted a request for European embassies to issue visas on site, but it had remained unanswered.
Niger’s relations with its former colonial ruler, France, have turned especially frosty since the 2023 coup, with Niamey expelling the French ambassador. The military-run government has since promoted a nationalist political agenda, turning its back on the West in favor of closer ties with Russia.
Besides Russia, the military regime has also sought closer ties with other non-Western powers like Turkey, Iran, and China since the coup. Applicants holding either diplomatic or service passports could have their visa issued at Niger’s embassy in Brussels, according to the new policy.