THE AFRICAN COURIER. Reporting Africa and its Diaspora! The African Courier is an international magazine published in Germany to report on Africa and the Diaspora African experience. The first issue of the bimonthly magazine appeared on the newsstands on 15 February 1998. The African Courier is a communication forum for European-African political, economic and cultural exchanges, and a voice for Africa in Europe.
The European Union has tightened its short-stay visa policy for Guinean nationals, accusing the West African country of failing to cooperate in taking back citizens who are staying irregularly in EU member states. The move marks the first time Guinea has been subjected to such measures under the EU’s visa leverage mechanism and signals Brussels’ growing willingness to use visa policy to secure cooperation on migrant returns.
The Council of the European Union announced on 10 July that member states will no longer issue multiple-entry Schengen visas to Guinean nationals. Visa applicants will also face stricter documentation requirements, while holders of Guinean diplomatic and service passports will no longer benefit from visa fee waivers. In addition, the standard processing time for visa applications will increase from 15 to 45 calendar days.
According to the Council, the decision follows an assessment by the European Commission, based on information provided by member states, which concluded that Guinea’s cooperation in readmitting its nationals who have no legal right to remain in the EU is “insufficient.” The restrictions are temporary and will remain in force until the Commission determines that Guinea has improved its cooperation.
The measures do not amount to a visa ban. Guinean citizens can still apply for short-stay Schengen visas, but the process is expected to become longer, more demanding and less flexible.
The decision reflects a broader EU strategy of linking visa policy to migration cooperation. Since amendments to the EU Visa Code came into force in 2020, Brussels has been able to reward or penalise third countries depending on how effectively they cooperate in accepting the return of their nationals who are ordered to leave the EU. The Commission first proposed sanctions against Guinea in July 2025 after concluding that progress on readmissions had been inadequate.
The move is likely to affect a wide range of Guineans, including business travellers, students, academics and families seeking to visit relatives in Europe. While the restrictions target government cooperation on migration, critics argue that ordinary citizens may bear the greatest burden.
The decision also underscores the increasing emphasis the EU is placing on migrant returns as part of its migration policy. European governments have faced growing political pressure to increase deportations of migrants whose asylum claims have been rejected or who no longer have the right to remain. As a result, cooperation agreements with countries of origin have become a central pillar of the bloc’s external migration strategy.
Adira Kallo
