Schengen Area

  Schengen Area

  Legally bound to join

The Schengen Area is an area that includes 29 European countries. All of those countries have signed the Schengen Agreement in Schengen, Luxembourg in 1985.

The Schengen area removes passport control between its member countries. This means travelers who go from one Schengen country to another do not clear immigration checks anymore. Passengers go through immigration checks if they enter or exit the Schengen Area.

The current members of the Schengen Area are Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Because Switzerland is not part of the European Economic Area, customs control in Switzerland still exists.

At this moment, over 420 million people live in the area. The territory covers 4,312,099 square kilometres.

History

On 14 June 1985 the Schengen Agreement was signed. This happened on the boat Princess Marie-Astrid in the middle of the river Moselle. On that place, the borders of France, Germany and Luxembourg meet. Five countries signed the Agreement: Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Netherlands and West Germany. It was signed, but that didn't mean it was already implemented.

In 26 March 1995, all European Union members (except the United Kingdom and Ireland) signed the Agreement. Norway and Iceland also signed the Agreement.

On 1 May 2004, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia joined the EU. They signed the Schengen agreement on that same day. They implemented the Schengen Agreement on 21 December 2007.

Switzerland joined the Schengen Area on 12 December 2008. Liechtenstein joined it on 19 December 2011. Croatia joined it on 1 January 2023.

Members

Twenty-seven countries belong to the Schengen Area. All these countries are members of the European Union, except Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

Current

Flag	State	Area (km²)	Population	Signed or opted in	Date of first implementation
	Austria	83,871	8,414,638	28 April 1995	1 December 1997
	Belgium	30,528	11,007,020	14 June 1985	26 March 1995
	Croatia	56,594	4,060,135	9 December 2011	1 January 2023
	Czech Republic	78,866	10,535,811	1 May 2004	21 December 2007b
	Denmark        (excluding Greenlandd and the Faroe Islandsd)	43,094	5,564,219	19 December 1996	25 March 2001
	Estonia	45,226	1,340,194	1 May 2004	21 December 2007b
	Finland	338,145	5,391,700	19 December 1996	25 March 2001
	France        (excluding overseas departments and territories)	674,843	65,821,885	14 June 1985	26 March 1995
	Germany	357,050	81,799,600	14 June 1985	26 March 1995c
	Greece	131,990	10,787,690	6 November 1992	26 March 2000
	Hungary	93,030	9,979,000	1 May 2004	21 December 2007b
	Icelanda	103,000	318,452	19 December 1996	25 March 2001
	Italy	301,318	60,681,514	27 November 1990	26 October 1997
	Latvia	64,589	2,245,357	1 May 2004	21 December 2007b
	Liechtensteina	160	36,010	28 February 2008	19 December 2011
	Lithuania	65,303	3,207,060	1 May 2004	21 December 2007b
	Luxembourg	2,586	511,840	14 June 1985	26 March 1995
	Malta	316	417,608	1 May 2004	21 December 2007b
	Netherlands        (excluding Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten and the Caribbean Netherlands)	41,526	16,703,700	14 June 1985	26 March 1995
	Norwaya        (excluding SvalbardMayen e)	385,155	4,993,300	19 December 1996	25 March 2001
	Poland	312,683	38,186,860	1 May 2004	21 December 2007b
	Portugal	92,391	10,647,763	25 June 1992	26 March 1995
	Slovakia	49,037	5,440,078	1 May 2004	21 December 2007b
	Slovenia	20,273	2,048,951	1 May 2004	21 December 2007b
	Spain        (excluding Ceuta and Melillaf)	506,030	46,030,109	25 June 1992	26 March 1995
	Sweden	449,964	9,415,570	19 December 1996	25 March 2001
	Switzerlanda	41,285	7,866,500	26 October 2004	12 December 2008

a. ^ EFTA states outside the EU that are associated with the Schengen activities of the EU, and where the Schengen rules apply.
b. ^ For overland borders and seaports; since 30 March 2008 also for airports.
c. ^ East Germany became part of the Federal Republic of Germany, joining Schengen, on 3 October 1990. Before this it remained outside the agreement. Despite some media reports, Heligoland is not outside Schengen; it is only outside the European Union Value Added Tax Area.
d. ^ Greenland and the Faroe Islands are not included in the Schengen area, although there might be relaxed checks in the Faroe Islands for flights from Scandinavia, thanks to the Nordic Passport Union, although a passport is still recommended. A Schengen visa issued by a Schengen state will not allow the holder access to either territories, only a Danish visa stamped with either "Valid for the Faroe Islands" or "Valid for Greenland", or both.
e. ^ However, Jan Mayen is part of the Schengen Area.
f. ^ The full Schengen acquis applies to all Spanish territories, but there are border checks on departure from Ceuta and Melilla to Spain or other Schengen countries, because of specific arrangements for visa exemptions for Moroccan nationals resident in the provinces of Tetuan and Nador.

Schengen Visa

Some nationalities need visas to visit the Schengen Area. They only need one Schengen visa for all countries. But they must apply at the embassy of their main destination. The main destination is where a traveller wants to spend the longest time. The visa officer can issue a visa for only one trip or many trips. The officer also decides how long the visa is valid for. The traveller needs to exit before the Schengen visa expires.

Travellers who do not need a Schengen visa can stay for up to 90 days in a 180-day period.