Brussels, 14/03/2016 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 14 March, the European Union and Peru signed an agreement that now authorises Peruvians to enter the EU (except Ireland and the United Kingdom) for a short stay without a visa.
Applicable from Tuesday 15 March, the agreement will also enable Europeans to enter Peru without a visa for a maximum stay of 90 days in a period of 180 days.
“The agreement will simplify the lives of many people and create more opportunities for both Peru and the EU - for tourism, for investments and for our contacts. This agreement and the one signed with Colombia only a few months ago show how close we feel to Latin America”, said European Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos, who signed the agreement on behalf of the EU in the presence of Peru's Foreign Affairs Minister Ana Maria Sanchez Vargas de Rios (see EUROPE 11444).
The commissioner congratulated the Peruvian government on the swift and successful issuing of biometric passports for its citizens since last month. This was an important condition for the EU to approve the visa waiver. “It is important that the biometric passport system is fully completed by the summer”, Avramopoulos said in a press release. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)