THE Department of labor and Immigration has issued new guidelines on the release of visitor’s permit to tourists entering the CNMI.
Based on the amended immigration rules and regulations, all non-U.S. citizens who wish to enter the commonwealth as tourists need to obtain a visitor entry permit prior to entry.
But those who have U.S. entry visas and those nationals of countries permitted to enter the U.S. under the U.S. visa waiver program are exempted from getting the CNMI visitor’s visa.
Applications can be submitted through fax, e-mail or posted mail to the Office of DOLI Secretary.
According to DOLI, a decision to the application will be made in four working days.
Upon approval, a copy of the permit will be forwarded to the airline carrier, which will forward a copy of the permit to the point of embarkation to the CNMI.
Based on the new regulations, a visitor entry permit is valid for “a single entry of 30 days” and renewable for another 60 days.
An application for extension of stay must be submitted to the Division of Immigration prior to the 30-day expiration.
Application requirements include valid passport, address and related contact numbers, itinerary, declaration of financial responsibility, copy of round trip ticket and indication whether the applicant has visited the CNMI or been denied entry previously.
DOLI will also assess valid sponsorship and proof of means sufficient to support the stay in the CNMI.
DOLI says a tourist should have no less than $100 per day allowance or a valid credit card with an equivalent available credit.
DOLI used to issue authorization to board which took up to one month to process.
All non-U.S. citizens including those with U.S. visas from countries on the federal restricted list were required to obtain ATBs prior to entering the CNMI.
The changes in regulation were made recently as part of the government’s goal to boost tourism and investments in the commonwealth.
