The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ecuador, Gustavo Manrique, has said that one of the priorities of his administration and government is to achieve visa-free travel to the Schengen Area.
Reassuring his commitment to achieving Schengen visa exemption, Minister Manrique said that they want to take advantage of the next week’s summit between the EU and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States that is to take place in Brussels.
He said that the summit is of great importance and stressed that the authorities are doing everything they can to accelerate the process and facilitate travel to the bloc.
“We have several priorities, but the first is to speed up the analysis processes for the Schengen visa exemption for Ecuador,” Minister Manrique stated.
In addition, the Minister said that they expect Belgium to provide a written statement stating that they have no objection to Ecuador joining the list of countries exempt from the Schengen visa requirements.
According to the Minister, so far, a total of 20 European Union countries have expressed their support for Ecuador in writing. In addition, it has been disclosed that another seven have expressed their support in other forms.
While it is still too early to predict the steps that the EU plans to take on the matter, Minister Manrique said that he is confident that citizens of Ecuador will soon be able to travel to the bloc without the need to obtain visas.
“It is a matter of time and their [EU’s] decisions, but what is in our power, which is to press and follow up, we are doing it with great responsibility,” the Minister concluded.
Ecuador continues to remain one of the countries in Latin America whose citizens need a Schengen visa to enter the Schengen Area, as it still has to meet certain requirements.
Ecuadorians applying for a Schengen visa need to submit several documents. They need to fill out the application form and submit their passport, two identity photographs, and a civil status certificate.
In addition, all Schengen visa applicants from Ecuador also need to provide proof of accommodation in the EU, a roundtrip flight itinerary, proof of having purchased travel health insurance, proof of paid visa fee, and proof of sufficient financial means, among others.
Additional documents, such as an employment contract or a bank statement, are required, too, depending on the employment status of the applicant.
