OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF THE CITIZENS CORRIDOR 4th July,2025

It is with an immense pleasure that I would like to welcome you all here this afternoon for the launching of the Citizen-Fast Track Lane or Citizen Corridor, aimed to benefit citizens and diplomats.

This is a fitting tribute to an exemplary inter-agency collaboration which involved immigration, customs, the police the health department and of course the Seychelles Airports Authority. I would like to commend them all for their effort. It is also an appreciation of one of the many opportunities that can be derived from the Seychelles Electronic Border System (SEBS) which came into operation four years ago with the introduction of the paperless disembarkation card followed by the electronic travel authorisation and now another step, the first bio-corridor.

As a result, the overall passenger processing time from disembarkation to final clearance has been reduced to well below the 45 minutes recommended by the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

The Citizen’s Corridor is in itself a significant development, a contactless border clearance procedure which will catapult Seychelles to the forefront of travel facilitation in the African region.

We are happy to have been able to deliver this service for the benefit of our citizens. So, upon their arrival from overseas travel, they will not have to present themselves at the immigration desk but will proceed to the customs area to collect their luggage, as all the necessary verification and checks would have been carried out ahead of their landing in the territory.

The implementation of the Citizen’s Corridor is a striking example of how security controls integrate seamlessly in the facilitation process. The responsibility to upgrade travel experiences and provide for swift passenger clearances within a visa- free system, relies critically on the establishment of a sound border management structure. In this regard, our confidence is unshakable, thanks to SEBS and its propensity for leveraging the use of digital technology in the conduct of its mandate.

It is our government’s firm resolution to actively advance the cause of promoting all-round efficiencies across the facilitation and border security spectrum through electronic means. The electronic travel authorisation and now the Citizens Corridor are tangible examples of this proactive stance.

Such is our unwavering commitment as we aim to consolidate our position as leader in border security and facilitation with the invaluable collaboration of our partner agencies.

I extend by sincere thanks and appreciation to you all for bringing the Citizens Corridor project to reality.