Speaking at the end of a meeting with the President of the National Assembly, Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos, the Portuguese diplomat indicated that work is being done to improve the procedures for granting visas: "We are working to improve our procedures and to make concrete progress. I think that progress already exists".
Cited by Rádio Nacional de Angola (RNA), Francisco Alegre Duarte said that in July a visa facilitation protocol was signed as well as the CPLP mobility agreement and that since then "significant progress" has been recorded.
"We signed a visa facilitation protocol in July, we also signed the mobility agreement within the scope of the CPLP and since then there has been significant progress. We also had the end of restrictions on travel to Portugal in March, but I can say that since In July, medical treatment visas increased by 380 percent, study visas increased by 390 percent and, overall, Schengen visas and national visas increased by 400 percent," he added.
The ambassador also reported that since the beginning of the pandemic, in March 2020, more than 13,000 visas have been granted: "Since the pandemic began, in March 2020, more than 13,000 visas have been granted".
"I have full confidence in the teams at the consulate in Benguela and at the consulate in Luanda for those visas that are not short-stay visas, because we have to apply the Schengen legislation for those visas, but for the others, longer-stay visas, which I can guarantee that on the Portuguese side we will apply the provisions contained in the mobility agreement to the greatest extent possible", he added.
