Seychelles places ban on Nigerian passport holders – here’s why

Seychelles has placed a ban on Nigerian passport holders applying for short-term visa or holiday purposes.

A travel content creator, @munafromtravelletters, raised the alarm on Saturday evening with a screenshot of a rejection email.

The screenshot read: “We regret to inform you that your application has been denied, as per immigration regulation. For now, we are not accepting any Nigerian passport holder for holiday purposes. Kindly contact http://www.ics.gov.sc/ (Seychelles Immigration) or call 248 4 293 636 for more information.”

The ban came just six months after Nigeria signed a pact for direct flights between the two countries. Before the restriction, Nigeria had a long-standing visa-free agreement with Seychelles, which allows Nigerian citizens free entry without a visa for 30 days.

The country’s border security confirmed the development yesterday. Speaking through its customer support service, the Seychelles government corroborated the travel content creator’s screenshot without giving reasons for the ban.

“Yes, but no further information is available at this time,” the border security said. In December 2022, Nigeria and Seychelles signed a pact that would enable direct flights between both countries.

Hadi Sirika, then minister of aviation, and Anthony Derjacques, the Seychelles’ minister of transport, both agreed that the pact would promote the African Union agenda 2063, while enhancing business and promoting tourism.

The restriction has elicited mixed reactions from social media users, with many lamenting increase in foreign bans against Nigerian passport holders.