Understand why the European Union questions Portugal about visas for travelers from countries like Brazil

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European Commission says that permission given by Portugal to people from the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries does not allow travel to other countries on the continent. View of Lisbon, Portugal Pexels The European Commission initiated proceedings against Portugal due to the visa that the country offers to travelers from the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP), of which Brazil is part. Portugal put into force in March the law that gives an “automatic” residence permit to immigrants from CPLP countries, formed, in addition to Portugal and Brazil, by Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe and East Timor. With the new model, people from these countries can request to stay in Portugal for a year, being able to work, enroll in courses or rent properties in the country, for example. But the European Commission claims that it is not permitted to use the CPLP visa to visit other countries in the bloc – for tourists, the limit for this type of movement is 90 days. The European bloc claims that the visa for CPLP travelers violates the Schengen agreement, which defines an area of ​​free movement in Europe, and the European bloc’s regulation that “establishes a uniform model of residence permit for nationals of third countries” . “Both residence permits and long-term visas issued for job search purposes to nationals of CPLP States do not allow their holders to travel within the Schengen area”, stated the European Commission last Thursday (28). The Schengen area was created in 1985 and currently has 27 countries, including 4 that are not from the European Union. It is the largest free movement zone in the world and runs from Portugal to Finland. The body notified Portugal and established a deadline of two months for the country to present its position. If there is no response within this period, the European bloc may issue a reasoned opinion, in which it will detail its question. Etias: find out about the authorization that will be required when traveling to Europe What Portugal says The Portuguese government said on Monday (2) that Portugal’s mobility agreement with the other CPLP countries will continue. According to the Lusa news agency, the Secretary of State for European Affairs in Portugal, Tiago Antunes, stated that the Portuguese government “would never have adopted these rules if it thought they were in contravention of the Schengen regime”. “We were surprised last week by the opening of the infringement procedure by the European Commission. We have some difficulty understanding this,” said Antunes. “There is no incompatibility between the CPLP Mobility Agreement regime and the Schengen area regime.” According to the Lusa agency, Portugal’s Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF) reports that, since March, residence permits in the country have been issued to more than 140,000 immigrants from Portuguese-speaking countries, the majority of whom are Brazilians. Discover the new rules for obtaining citizenship in Portugal

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