World

Free transit among Mercosur countries without passport

by Luiz Castro | July 1, 2008 at 04:13 am | 163 views | 1 comment | 2 recommendations

Associate member countries of the Common Market of the South (Mercosur) are to be granted free transit of citizens within the bloc, a right currently limited to full members, the Brazilian Foreign Ministry announced Wednesday.

Mercosur, comprising Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay as full members, has six associate member countries, namely Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela.

The agreement on associate member countries' free transit right will be reviewed by the Mercosur council and the result is expected to be officially announced on July 1, at the 35th Summit of Mercosur and its Associates in the city of San Miguel de Tucuman, Argentina.

If ratified, ID card is what all citizens need to present when traveling within the bloc. The same system is currently used for citizens of Mercosur full member countries.

According to Brazilian officials, the new agreement also requires the approval of the national congress of each member country.