(Seychelles News Agency) - The Seychelles’ and Israeli governments signed an agreement on Thursday, allowing citizens from both nations to travel freely without the need for a visa.

The signing ceremony occurred during the visit of Michael Lotem, the Israeli Ambassador to Seychelles this week, where he held talks with Seychelles’ Minister for Tourism and Affairs, Sylvestre Radegonde and other ministry officials.

Ambassador Loten and Ambassador Vivianne Fock Tave, principal secretary of the Foreign Affairs Department, signed the agreements on visa exemption for national or ordinary passports, and as well as diplomatic and official passports.

With this agreement, Israel becomes one of 156 countries that have established such a visa exemption arrangement with the western Indian Ocean island state.

Seychelles has been recognised for having one of strongest passports in the world, ranking 26th globally in the Henley and Partners global passport ranking of 2024. The Henley Passport Index places Seychelles as the first in Africa, followed by Mauritius in 30th place globally, and South Africa in the third position on the continent and 53rd globally.

Globally, the top-ranking passports, such as Japan and Singapore, allow visa-free travel to 194 destinations. In contrast, Afghanistan, ranking 104th, has passport holders with access to only 28 countries visa-free.

The Henley and Partners' ranking is based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and their research team, offering an extensive overview of passport privileges worldwide.

Henley and Partners, a global citizenship and residence advisory firm based in London, produces an authoritative ranking of passports based on the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa.