European Union

There are so many things to discover for the traveler who wants to visit the 27 countries that are members of the European Union. Travelling in the territories of the 27 Memebr States was made much easier with the European Union.

You can cross most borders within the EU without being checked. Within the Schengen area with a valid passport you can travel without a visa for a period of 90 days. That means that you can enter and leave 25 countries without passing border controls. A passport is still required for crossing borders between Schengen and non-Schengen countries - Bulgaria, Cyprus, Ireland, Romania and the UK. It is also important to know that Iceland, Norway and Switzerland are also members of Schengen, but are not EU members. Always keep your passport with you as you will need it in case of identification or security.

You should also know that 17 of the 27 member countries use the euro, the currency of the euro zone, which saves time and money because there is no need to change money every time you go to another country.

To get more information about traveling to and within the EU, visit:

http://europa.eu/travel/index_en.htm

Please see as well the leaflet

For more specific information about member states, go to:

http://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/brazil/what_eu/eu_memberstates/index_en.htm

Have a nice trip!