On 26 May 2015 the EU and Timor-Leste signed a short-stay visa waiver.
The new visa regime provides for visa-free travel for citizens of Timor-Leste when travelling to the Schengen Area, for a period of stay of 90 days within a 180-day period.
In order to benefit from visa-free travel, citizens from the EU and Timor-Leste must be in possession of a valid ordinary, diplomatic, service/official or special passport. Visa-free travel applies to all categories of persons and for any kind of purposes of travel (for instance tourism, cultural visits, scientific activities, family visits, business etc.), except to persons travelling for the purpose of carrying out a paid activity.
Ireland and the United Kingdom are not subject to the application of the agreement, in accordance with the protocols annexed to the EU treaties. Nevertheless, Timor-Leste signed with the United Kingdom a bilateral agreement which provides visa-free travel.
However, the below conditions must be applied in order to enter the territory of the Schengen States:
- Possession of a valid travel document – passport issued within the previous 10 years and valid for at least three months after the intended date of departure from the Schengen area – or documents authorizing them to cross the border;
- Return ticket for a maximum of 90 days after arrival;
- Not to be considered to be a threat to public policy, internal security, public health or the international relations of any of the Member States, in particular where no alert has been issued in Member States’ national data bases for the purposes of refusing entry on the same grounds.
- Documents proving the purpose and conditions of the stay (for example tickets for further journeys and return tickets; reservation of accommodation; invitation letter in case of visits, conferences or events; school enrollment certificate in case of study, etc., otherwise an invitation by a family member with the signature recognized by local authorities.
- Having sufficient means of subsistence, both for the duration of the intended stay and for the return. In order to assess the means of subsistence, the reference amounts set by each Schengen State are different. Please visit the following link (Download)
The Member States have the right to refuse entry and stay in their territories if one or more of the entry conditions are not met.
If you satisfy all these conditions, you can enter and stay in the territory of the Schengen States for 90 days. However, you are not allowed to work.
It is also recommended a medical insurance policy or a travel insurance. We recommend the following company: https://www.axa-schengen.com/
For more information please contact the Embassy or visit the following links:
http://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-7125-2015-INIT/pt/pdf
https://eeas.europa.eu/sites/eeas/files/visa_waiver_faqs_en.pdf