John Rosso, Deputy Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea and Minister for Labour and Immigration, on Friday 21st April announced the reactivation of the multiple-entry component for the short-term business visa for holders of eligible passports.
Mr Rosso said the duration of the multiple business visa is 12 months with a 60-day maximum duration for each visit.
"Activation of this visa product for holders of eligible passports means that people who intend to visit PNG for eligible short term business activities will be allowed to travel to PNG on multiple occasions within a period of 12 months," he said.
"Meaning, they can apply within the 12 months, have a Visa and come and do business here within a space or short term of three to four weeks or up to 60 days at the most," Rosso said.
Mr Rosso said this move supports trade and investment in Papua New Guinea while helping to restore international travel arrangements to pre-pandemic settings.
This also signifies a commitment and agreement reached between PNG and the Australian government during the ministerial forum in Canberra recently and compliments the existing 30-day duration single entry visa.
"With PNG experiencing strong economic performance and growth through investment, reactivating the Short-Term Multiple Entry Business Visa demonstrates ICA's (Immigration and Citizenship Authority) commitment to support the government's objectives through the facilitation of genuine business travel, giving increased confidence to those seeking to invest in our country," said Minister Rosso.
The reactivation of the multiple business entry visa is indeed a welcoming news for the business community. Australians, New Zealanders, and other Pacific Island countries wanting to do business in PNG can now do so under this visa arrangement.
Speaking in his capacity as Minister for Labour and Immigration, Rosso stated that this supports and demonstrates the ICA's commitment and the government’s objective through facilitation of genuine business travel giving increased confidence of those seeking to invest in the country.
"It is critical that we have a multiple entry visa due to the fact that there are a lot of businesses not only from Australia but from countries like New Zealand and a few other countries that do business in PNG and for the ease and convenience of business it would be good for them to come to PNG and do business here instead of the current single entry Visa which also has a backlog of work and creates a lot of work on our part from the Immigration office," Minister Rossi said.
“This announcement signifies ease of business and will also be helping us in our development and making it easier for other countries to visit PNG especially businessmen and people who have work to do here."
He further reiterated that the announcement also fulfilled one of the aspects of the commitment that PNG and Australia had during the ministerial forum in Canberra.
PNG's Foreign Affairs Minister Justin Tkatchenko also shared similar sentiments while adding that this is welcoming news for both Australia and PNG.
"The initiative by the deputy Prime Minister, minister for immigration and the immigration department will allow businesses especially from Australia to have short term Visas for up to twelve months in PNG. That’s a welcome relief in a period when we have all these major projects coming into operation in PNG," Minister Tkatchenko said.
"This visa agreement will make it so much easier for more Australians to do more business and be able to do more investment in our country," Tkatchenko added.
Passport holders from eligible counties who intend to visit PNG multiple times within a 12-month period for business purposes can now apply for visa under this category. The maximum duration of stay for each visit is 60 days and the permit holder is not allowed to engage in work or formal employment.
The requirements state that to be eligible for business or short-term employment visa, individuals must show they are a genuine businessperson or are engaging in approved employment, with the intention of leaving Papua New Guinea at the end of their stay.
