Following a recent agreement between Singapore and Timor-Leste, Singapore passport holders will soon enjoy visa-free travel to Timor-Leste.
Under this agreement, which will apply to diplomatic, official, service and ordinary passport holders, Singapore passport holders will be exempted from visa requirements for stays of up to 30 days in Timor-Leste, VisaGuide.World reports.
At the same time, Timor-Leste passport holders will continue to enjoy up to 30 days’ visa-free stay in Singapore.
The Agreement will contribute towards fulfilling the requirements under the Roadmap for Timor-Leste’s accession to ASEAN, and strengthen the people-to-people ties between Singapore and Timor-Leste.
The roadmap for unrestricted travel to Timor-Leste for Singaporeans was approved on May 10 last year.
In addition, ASEAN now consists of ten member states. Timor-Leste attended the 2023 ASEAN summit as an observer for the first time, during which then-Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak pledged that the country would fulfill the necessary steps to be part of the regional grouping.
In the meeting held today, June 27, between Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and his Timor-Leste counterpart, Mr Bendito dos Santos Freitas, he also welcomed the establishment of the Singapore Embassy in Dili in April 2024, which marked a milestone in bilateral relations.
Recently, Thailand and Timor-Leste have also approved a reciprocal visa-free agreement under which citizens of both countries holding ordinary passports will be allowed unlimited access for stays of up to 30 days. Commenting on this decision, Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs told the cabinet that the visa waiver is a condition for Timor-Leste to seek full ASEAN membership by 2025.
Under the same deal, since February 2024, citizens from Singapore and China can also enjoy mutual 30-day visa-free travel entry between the two nations. This arrangement includes those travelling for business, sightseeing, visiting friends and family, or other private affairs.
According to the VisaGuide Passport Index, the Timor-Leste passport is ranked 95th worldwide in June of this year. Currently, the citizens of this country can travel without visas to 67 countries. On the other hand, Timor-Leste passport holders must apply for a visa in advance to enter the remaining countries.
