Comprehensive reference on the Schengen Area: legal framework under EU Regulation 810/2009, visa policy, border control mechanisms, travel & entry systems & all 29 member states. Authoritative guide for professionals and travelers.
Plan your trip through Europe with our U.S. citizen guide, covering Schengen travel, visa requirements, electronic travel authorizations, and passport needs.
Complete list of all 29 Schengen countries in 2026. Which countries need Schengen visa, new member countries, EU vs Schengen difference explained.
Formally, the Schengen countries agreed on the free movement of persons. This means that national border controls within the Schengen zone have been abolished, so that persons without a visa or other travel documents can legally travel from one country to another within the Schengen zone.
The Schengen Area (English: / ˈʃɛŋən / SHENG-ən, Luxembourgish: [ˈʃæŋən] ⓘ) is a system of open borders that encompass 29 European countries that have officially abolished border controls at their common borders.
The Schengen Area is a zone of 29 European countries — named after a small village in Luxembourg — that have eliminated passport controls at their shared borders. Once you enter one Schengen country, you can travel freely between all of them with no additional border checks.
The Schengen area guarantees free movement to more than 450 million EU citizens, along with non-EU nationals living in the EU or visiting the EU as tourists, exchange students or for business purposes (anyone legally present in the EU).
Schengen Agreement, international convention approved by Belgium, France, West Germany, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands in Schengen, Luxembourg, on .
The Schengen Agreement is the foundation behind the Schengen area countries. Signed in 1985 in the village of Schengen, Luxembourg, and implemented in 1995, this agreement eliminated internal border checks between member nations and created one of the world’s most advanced travel zones.