As of Thursday, December 3rd, Colombians are now permitted to travel to Spain without having to previously obtain a visa. Citizens of Peru must wait until they have an electronic passport.
Finally Colombian citizens can travel to Spain and throughout the rest of the Schengen Area without having to apply for a short-term visa.
As of December 3rd 2015, if a Colombian citizen wants to travel to Spain, he does not have to apply for a short-term visa at the Spanish Consulate in Bogota prior to departure. Now all he has to do is present his new electronic passport along with supporting documentation showing that all the requirements for a short-term stay in Spain have been met (less than 90 days).
Citizens of Peru will have to wait until they are provided with an electronic passport. Until then (Spring 2016), they must request a short-stay visa.
The short-stay visa waiver agreement does not suggest a complete freedom of entry into Spain. Upon entry, Colombians must state the motive for their trip plus present the following information: lodging information, proof of return ticket to their country of origin and sufficient economic means for the duration of their stay in the country. See entry requirements here.
This visa waiver also positively affects Colombian relatives of Spanish citizens who as of now will not have to apply for an EU citizen family member visa before coming to Spain.
Parainmigrantes.info has continued to follow this process over the last year and finally it has become reality! Congratulations!
Translated by: Katherine Pascal
