14:13 | Lima, Feb. 05 (ANDINA).
Peruvian travelers heading to the Schengen area of Europe will have to get a new, high-tech passport before they can take advantage of the loosened visa requirements soon to be approved by the European Parliament.
Though visa requirements for Peruvian and Colombian traveling to the Schengen Area of Europe have not been officially lifted yet, the European Union has expressed its intention to do so.
However, though Peruvian travelers won’t have to tangle with complicated visa procedures in order to go to the Schengen Area, they will have to get a new passport.
According to Peruthisweek.com, the new passports will be electronic, meaning they contain a chip that houses data about the document’s holder. In addition to this diminutive bit of technology, the new passports will have some more old-fashioned security measures as well, including watermarks and security threads.
Citing a report by Lima daily Peru21, the website reports that Thomas, Greg & Sons of Peru has been contracted to produce the improved passports.
No information is available at this time as to the cost of the new passports, nor is it known when they will be available to the public. The new design will not differ greatly in appearance from the current passports.
The Schengen Area includes Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Monaco, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
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Published: 2/5/2014