Citizenship of the Mercosur
Citizenship of the Mercosur is granted to eligible citizens of the Southern Common Market member states. It was approved in 2010 through the progressive implementation of the Citizenship Statute,[1] which culminated in its presentation as a non-binding document in 2021.[2][3]
Mercosur citizens have the right to free movement, residence and employment throughout the bloc and in the five associated countries.[4] Citizens still have free transport of goods, services and money, as well as equality of rights, harmonization of social security systems and labor laws.
Benefits for citizens
[edit]Travel Documents
[edit]Nationals of member states (Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay) and Associated States (Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru) do not need a passport or visa to travel around the region, with only a national identity card or other document considered valid.[5]
Residence Agreement
[edit]The Agreement grants the right to residence and work for citizens with no requirement other than nationality. Citizens of the Member States and Associated States that are part of the agreement enjoy a facilitated procedure for applying for a residence visa, as long as they have a valid passport, birth certificate, and a negative certificate of criminal record. It is possible to apply for the grant of "temporary residence" of up to two years in another country of the block. Before the expiry of the term of "temporary residence", the interested parties may request their transformation into permanent residence.[5]
Social Security
[edit]The Agreement allows migrant workers and their families to have access to the benefits of social security by allowing nationals of one Member State to have accounted for their working time in another Member State for the purpose of granting retirement, invalidity, or death benefits.[5]
Educational Integration
[edit]Mercosur has protocols for educational integration, which provide for the revalidation of diplomas, certificates, degrees, and the recognition of studies at the fundamental and secondary levels, technical and non-technical. The protocols also cover post-graduate studies. There is also the Regional Accreditation System for Mercosur Undergraduate Courses (ARCU-SUL) and the Integrated Mobility System (SIMERCOSUL).[5][6]
See also
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References
[edit]- ↑ Dieguez, Julian (26 March 2021). "Estatuto de la Ciudadanía del MERCOSUR". MERCOSUR (in European Spanish). Retrieved 3 August 2026.
- ↑ "Foreign minister Felipe Solá presented Mercosur citizenship statute". www.cancilleria.gob.ar. Retrieved 3 August 2026.
- ↑ Vieira, Luciane Klein; Santos de Lucena, Valéria (December 2025). "The contributions of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union to the consolidation of the MERCOSUR Citizenship Statute, in matters of people free movement". Revista de la Secretaría del Tribunal Permanente de Revisión. 13 (22): 110. doi:10.16890/rstpr.a13.n22.e571. ISSN 2304-7887.
- ↑ "Cartilha da Cidadania do Mercosul" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2017. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
- 1 2 3 4 "mercosul/cmc/dec n° 18/08" (PDF). mercosul.int (in Portuguese). Retrieved 24 April 2023.
- ↑ Peter, Jeff. "garantin.com". Retrieved 14 May 2022.
