Colombians woke up Thursday February 27th to the news that the European Union had voted resoundingly to lift the visa restrictions for Colombian planning to the visit the 26 nation states which adhere to the Schengen region.
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As one of the last nations in this hemisphere whose citizens were subjected to immigration controls and who needed to fill out detailed travel permits, the elimination of the rigorous and contentious visa came after months of diplomatic overtures between the Colombian government of President Juan Manuel Santos and a historically-close ally, Spain.
Although some minor procedures must be met between the European Parliament and Colombia, the votes in Strasbourg came in with 523 in favor and 41 against. United Arab Emirates nationals and Peruvians were also granted visa-free travel to Europe.
The decision means that citizens from these three nations can stay up to 90 days in the Schengen area whether for business or tourism. The announcement was welcomed by the Colombian Ambassador to the E.U. – Rodrigo Rivera, and although Colombians had been given a verbal endorsement early February in a statement from the European Council in Strasbourg, the vote Thursday has ended more than a decade of restrictions for Colombians wanting to travel overseas. It also now opens a door for a stronger ties in tourism and business between continental Europe and South America. The United Kingdom continues to maintain a visa travel policy for Colombians. Although the visa has officially been lifted, it may take up to a year until one can enter Europe’s travel free zone presenting just one’s ticket and passport.
The Schengen Area consists of 26 states, including 22 of the 28 EU member countries. They are Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Finland, Sweden, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Sweden.
