Africa-Press – Angola. The Migration and Foreigners Service (SME) has more than 18 thousand passports in Luanda, having been collected by their owners a year ago, announced the Minister of the Interior.
Eugénio Laborinho made the statement during the inauguration of the Camama SME Public Service Point, located inside Shopping Popular, built by the Angola and China Chamber of Commerce.
The minister made it known that, so far, many citizens have not collected their passports, for unknown reasons, having asked those applicants to collect them as urgently as possible, otherwise they will be archived.
Eugénio Laborinho said that the entry into operation of Posto da Camama is part of the restructuring program for the services provided by this body of the Ministry of the Interior.
The post will handle, among other migratory acts, the Passport, work visa of citizens residing in the urban district of Kilamba, Camama, Via Expresso Fidel de Castro, among other nearby locations.
The Minister of the Interior considered the entry into operation of the Post to be an added value, as there are a large number of Chinese citizens currently residing in that area.
According to the official, the Post will also function as an Integrated Business Support Center, in order to prevent businesspeople from that administrative district from traveling to other locations to deal with migratory acts.
“This action is in line with the economic and migration policies that the Executive has been adopting to promote tourism and foreign investment in our country”, he said.
The minister recalled that Chinese citizens no longer need visas to enter Angola, as a result of the entry into force of the Presidential Decree on exemption and simplification of tourist visas, published in September last year.
He added, however, that to provide services in Angola, Chinese citizens need work visas, which must be requested by companies. “It is within this framework that the Angola-China Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Ministry of the Interior, decided to acquire and equip these facilities to facilitate the mobility of foreign and national workers without prejudice to the interests of citizens”, he said.
Angola-China trade
The president of the Angola-China Chamber of Commerce, Luís Cupenala, lamented the difficulties in obtaining entry visas for Chinese businesspeople, obstacles that Angolan businesspeople face in obtaining visas to enter China, despite the efforts of the SME.
Luís Cupenala highlighted that the Chamber of Commerce has been implementing several actions in order to obtain a differentiated, dignified and excellent service, in accordance with the demands of the international market.
The president of the Association of Chinese companies in Angola, Pen Nian, said that the visa renewal service will provide an effective solution for Chinese residents in Angola, as well as attracting other Chinese businesspeople to invest in Angola.
The recently opened Immigration and Foreign Service post is equipped to provide answers on how to enter and leave the country, through services provided.
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