Citizens of Suriname, Dominica, Guyana and Jamaica will now require visas to enter both French and Dutch St Martin.
The four were among a list of 13 Caribbean countries originally expected to gain a visa waiver by the Dutch authorities under the just ratified Franco/Dutch Treaty.
The French authorities however only accepted 9 of the 13.
The agreement seeks to control the movement of foreigners through the borders and ports of St. Maarten and St. Martin, the smallest divided territory in the world.
Suriname surprise
Before the ratified treaty, local authorities on the Dutch side had sought visa restrictions only for Guyanese and Jamaican travellers to St. Maarten.
But the French authorities insisted on including nationals of Dominica and surprisingly Suriname, a former Dutch colony with close links to Dutch St. Maarten.
The Franco/Dutch Treaty was signed 12 years ago by the Dutch Second Chamber (lower house of parliament) but was ratified only last week.
