SOUTH AFRICA: Visa-free Travel For Russian Nationals

The Russian Embassy to South Africa has warned Russian nationals that visa-free travel between the two countries for a period up to 90 days is not yet in effect, and the procedure could take another month.

Department of Home Affairs spokesperson Mayihlome Tshwete says South Africa is still busy with internal processes for visa-free travel between Russian and South Africa.

Tshwete sad an immigration directive will be issued once the DHA is ready for implementation - with no official time-frame confirmed.

Tass.com reports the introduction of visa-free travel between the Russian Federation and the Republic of South Africa was part of an instruction signed by Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on January 18.

It is estimated that regulation for mutual abolition of visas for holders of regular international passports "through an exchange of notes" could take up to 30 days.

"We expect that this process may be completed by the end of February 2017," the embassy says In February, the countries will mark 25 years since they established diplomatic relations.

VIETNAM: 2017 Vietnam To Introduce e-visas

Vietnamese government will allocate up to VND200 billion (US$8.9 million) for the development of the online visa system, which is expected to come into effect on 1 January 2017.

Vietnam already offers visa-free travel to visitors from 22 countries, including all ASEAN states and several key international source markets, such as Russia, Japan, South Korea, France and the UK. All travellers can visit the southern resort island of Phu Quoc for up to 30 days without a visa.

Vietnam welcomed 5.55m international visitors in the first seven months of 2016, up 24% year-on-year. The country is planning to attract 10.5m annual visitors by 2020.

German Passport Most Powerful, Afghan Least In The World

The Afghan passport has been identified as the least powerful in the world for the restrictions the countrymen face in terms of visa-free travel, an index by a London-based consulting firm showed on Friday.

The index found Germans held the most powerful passports in the world for third year in row in 2016, Tolo news reported on Friday.

A number of the European nations and the US, Japan and Canada closely follow Germany as the top nations holding the most powerful passports in the world.

The countries listed below Afghanistan were South Sudan and Palestinian territories, according to the index South Sudan being the youngest sovereign state in the world and Palestinian territories less diplomatically recognised by countries in the West.

The index update by Henley & Partners attempts to quantify the power of passports based on the judgements in the world by the amount of visa-free travel they entitle their owner to.

The update comes as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) imposed restrictions on Afghan nationals' visit who were heading towards Dubai for business and tourism.

The issue with the UAE emerged with the issuance of the new electronic Afghan passports amid concerns that the citizens of the other countries misused the Afghan passports.

However, the issue was later resolved as an agreement was reached between the two countries to improve the information quality of the newly issued e-passports.

Meanwhile, the demand by Afghans for passports has increased last year with the deteriorating security situation across the country, forcing many Afghans to travel abroad, specifically to the Western countries by risking their lives and travelling through dangerous routes.