[dropcap]T[/dropcap]wo more European countries opened their doors to Colombia over the weekend. Iceland and Norway joined 26 European Union countries, Switzerland and Liechtenstein in dropping visa requirements for short-term travel, bringing the total number of European nations to which Colombians can freely travel up to 30.
“Norway joins the list of European countries that exempt us from visas. That’s 30 so far!” said President Juan Manuel Santos on Saturday via his Twitter.
President Santos was all smiles on Wednesday in Brussels as representatives of the E.U. officially signed the exemption opening up the 26 countries in the Schengen zone to Colombians.
Switzerland and Liechtenstein, which are not E.U. member nations but are part of the Schengen area, had agreed to open their borders separately.
The exemption took effect Dec. 3.
Norway and Iceland are also Schengen member nations, but are not part of the E.U., so they were not automatically included in the agreement signed last week.
Ireland and the United Kingdom are now the only two European Union members that still require visas for Colombian travelers. Neither is part of the Schengen agreement. But Colombian officials have said they hope to negotiate separate accords with both countries in the following months.
Even though Colombians won’t have to obtain visas before traveling to 30 European nations, there are still some requirements that must be met before entering.
Travelers must have a valid passport and round-trip tickets, present justification for the visit, provide proof of sufficient funds for the trip and must not be considered a security threat, according to Colombia’s Ministry of Foreign Relations.
Short-term entry allows for stays up to 90-days and free travel among the 30 nations included in the agreement so far.
Colombians can also now travel to the Netherlands-controlled Caribbean islands of Bonaire, Saba and St. Eustatius without a visa, the Ministry of Foreign Relations announced over the weekend.
