Can I spend a vacation in Europe if I am Latin American?

The European Union (EU) is currently coordinating the efforts and measures of the countries of the bloc to strengthen their capacity to overcome the current health crisis. To do this, IThe EU has published and regularly updated its recommendations to Member States during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The latest guidelines focus on easing restrictions on travel from third countries. “With the advance of vaccination campaigns in the EU and around the world, some non-essential travel will return soon,” they argued.

In turn, the Green digital certificate, which will facilitate travel between the nations of the European bloc.

How do they coordinate it? Through and, for its acronym in English, is the new Travel Information and Authorization System (SEIAV). The European Union has created this system for citizens of countries currently visa-exempt to visit the Schengen area, that is to say the area which includes 26 European countries that have abolished common border controls.

Which nations are part of the EU? Germany, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Czech Republic , Sweden and Switzerland.

ETIAS should be ready by the end of 2022. It will be an electronic system that will determine whether or not to allow entry into any country that is part of the Schengen area.

The authorization of your request will be examined by the competent authorities. In case of refusal, you will be informed of the reason and depending on it, you can try again.

The ETIAS form for traveling to Europe was created to reduce the wait for procedures for citizens who do not need a visa for trips of up to 90 days within the European Union, it will cost around 7 euros per request. and those under 18 will not pay any fees. Payment by credit or debit card will be available.

With this measure, the organization seeks to strengthen security by knowing who is going to Europe and will thus determine whether their entry into the Schengen area does not involve risks.

One of the main objectives is that the ETIAS permit contributes to the security of European borders. This European travel permit will facilitate the identification of threats and possible risks associated with people wishing to travel to one of the countries in the Schengen zone..

This travel permit will be required by South American countries such as Argentina, Mexico and Colombia among others to enter the member countries of the Schengen area.. As specified by the agency, from the end of 2022, all visa-exempt foreign visitors will be required to process the ETIAS authorization. The introduction of this permit will not change the free transit, but it will be a mandatory condition for entry into Europe.

Last year the EU imposed strict measures to contain COVID-19 outbreaksBut the region’s 27 ambassadors say many of the restrictions on non-essential travel can be relaxed. Concretely, they agreed to authorize the entry of tourists who have received all the doses of certain vaccines.

This bloc has taken a new step towards the reactivation of free movement after reaching a provisional consensus on a health card or “COVID passport” for the European Union.

Having recently reached a political agreement, the European Parliament and the Council will now attempt to formalize the proposed legislation. This should mark a turning point in the pandemic by reactivating tourism and avoiding the regulatory chaos travelers faced last year, with different rules between each country and sometimes even between different regions of the same Member State.

On the other hand, EU COVID digital certificate, formerly known as green digital certificate, will remove travel restrictions in all 27 member states, and will also be available for countries that are not members of the Schengen area.

It will give information on the status of the passenger; if you have been vaccinated, tested negative, or recovered from COVID-19. Formulated in the form of a QR code, the person traveling can choose to bring a digital or paper certificate.

For travelers from outside the European Union, each country develops a system of lists of safe countries, which do not require specific rules and others for which certain restrictions are included.

It is believed the regulation could enter into force on July 1 and will have a six-week introductory period for member states that need more time.

However, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, recently said that the system will be ready at EU level “in the next few days”, meaning that member states can start implementing it under little.

EU COVID digital certificate would be free and recognizes all COVID-19 vaccines authorized by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), including those developed by Pfizer / BioNTech, Moderna, Oxford / AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson and those approved by WHO, Serum Institute of India and Sinopharm. Member States will also be able to decide for themselves whether to accept other vaccines..

Anyway they specify: “Unvaccinated people are not discriminated against”According to a fact sheet published by the Commission. “People who are not vaccinated should be able to continue to exercise their right to free movement, if necessary, with limitations such as testing or quarantine / self-isolation.”

What proofs will be accepted? The so-called NAAT nucleic acid amplification tests (including RT-PCR tests) and rapid antigen tests will be recognized. At this time, this will not include “self-tests”.

Can I use my certificate to travel to the rest of the European Economic Area (EEA), the UK or Switzerland? The EU has already declared that it is open to the application of the EU’s COVID digital certificate in countries in the European Economic Area (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway), as well as in Switzerland.

Norway and Switzerland have pledged to create their own vaccination certificates to make them EU-compliant, while Iceland has already allowed entry to EU tourists who have been vaccinated for several months.

For its part, the UK has yet to strike a deal with the bloc and is currently implementing its own vaccination certificates through its National Health Service (NIH).

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