In the event that I do gain the necessary permissions to open a travel agency or tour operator service in the EC, what personnel can I send to work there and for how long?

February 09 2012 | Travel Agents, Tour Operators and Tour Guides

The answer to this question is dependent on the level of staffing you want to send to Europe.  The senior staff of a Barbadian entity responsible for setting up the business may remain for ninety (90) days during any 12-month period.

Key personnel (described under the EPA as managers and specialists) are allowed to remain in EC countries for up to three years.  And if you are planning on sending graduate trainees to the EC, they may remain for one year.

If you plan on opening a travel business in Bulgaria, then the number of foreign managers must not exceed the number of managers who are Bulgarian citizens, in cases where the public (state and/or municipal) share in the equity capital of a Bulgarian company exceeds 50 %.  For Barbadian companies interested in opening tour operator service operations in the following countries, there is a nationality condition imposed:

Bulgaria, Cyprus, Spain, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal & Slovakia

Of course, all of these provisions are subject to the Barbadian staff meeting the normal visa and immigration requirements for the EC country in question.