Algiers: Algeria announced the termination of the agreement signed with France in 2013 regarding the mutual exemption from short-term visa requirements for holders of diplomatic or service passports.
According to Kuwait News Agency, on August 7, Algeria officially notified the French Embassy of its decision to end this agreement after Paris had suspended its implementation on its part, as stated by the Algerian Foreign Ministry. The statement clarified that French diplomatic or service passport holders are now required to obtain a visa to enter Algeria, with this procedure taking effect immediately following the official notification.
The agreement previously facilitated the movement of officials holding these passports between the two countries, but this is no longer valid. The two parties are now entering a new phase in consular relations concerning this matter, as indicated in the statement. Last August, Algeria had already announced the cancellation of visa exemptions for holders of French diplomatic and mission passports, emphasizing that all holders of these passports would be subject to the same conditions imposed by the French authorities on their Algerian counterparts.
Algeria viewed this decision as a reciprocal response to the French authorities' suspension of visa exemptions for Algerian official and diplomatic passports.