Schengen Area facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Schengen Area
Map of the Schengen Area Schengen Area Countries with open borders to the Schengen area Member of the EU committed by treaty to join the Schengen Area in the future
Type	Open border area of the European Union
Members	29 states 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 Switzerland
Establishment	26 March 1995
Area
• Total	4,595,131 km² (1,774,190 sq mi)
Population
• 2021 estimate	453,324,255
• Density	98.7/km² (255.6/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)	2023 estimate
• Total	$25.926 trillion
• Per capita	$56,997
GDP (nominal)	2023 estimate
• Total	$19.213 trillion
• Per capita	$42,237

The Schengen Area is a group of 29 European countries. These countries have agreed to remove border controls at their shared borders. This means people can travel freely between them without showing their passports.

It's like a big area where you don't need to stop at borders. This makes travel easier for everyone. The Schengen Area also has a shared visa policy. This means the rules for who needs a visa to visit are the same for all member countries. The area is named after agreements signed in Schengen, Luxembourg.

Most countries in the European Union (EU) are part of the Schengen Area. Currently, 25 out of 27 EU member states are members. Bulgaria and Romania are the newest members. Their air and sea borders opened in March 2024. Their land borders will open on January 1, 2025.

Only Cyprus and Ireland are not fully in the Schengen Area. Cyprus plans to join later. Ireland has chosen not to join. It has its own visa rules. Denmark is also a special case. It follows the Schengen rules but doesn't vote on new changes.

Besides EU countries, four countries from the European Free Trade Association are also part of Schengen. These are Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. Also, four very small countries are part of the area. These are Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, and Vatican City. They are included because they are so small. It would be hard to have border checks with them.

The Schengen Area is home to over 450 million people. It covers a huge area of about 4.6 million square kilometers. Many people travel across these borders every day for work. In 2015, there were 1.3 billion crossings in total. This free movement helps trade too. It makes it cheaper to move goods between countries. Countries outside Schengen also benefit from this.

How Did Schengen Start?
Who Can Visit Schengen?
Which Countries are Members?
Images for kids
See also

How Did Schengen Start?

Borders Before Schengen

Before the First World War, it was easy to travel between most countries. People could go on long trips without many checks. But after the war, countries started asking for visas. They also added more border controls.

After the Second World War, European countries began working together more. Some countries, like those in the Nordic region, allowed people to move freely in 1954. The countries of Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg) opened their borders in 1960. This was part of a bigger plan to unite Europe. The European Communities (EC), which later became the EU, was formed for economic reasons. But it didn't deal with border controls at first.

The First Schengen Agreement

The first step to removing borders happened on June 14, 1985. Five countries signed the Schengen Agreement. These were Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, and West Germany. They signed this agreement on their own. Not all EC countries agreed at the time.

Later, in 1990, they added the Schengen Convention. This agreement planned to remove internal border checks. It also created a shared visa policy. The Schengen Area officially started on March 26, 1995.

Joining the EU Rules

As more EU countries joined the Schengen Agreement, everyone agreed to make it part of EU law. This happened with the Amsterdam Treaty in 1997. It came into effect in 1999. This means that any new rules for Schengen are now made by the EU. Countries not in the EU cannot vote on these changes.

The United Kingdom and Ireland have had open borders between them since 1923. This is called the Common Travel Area. The UK chose not to join Schengen. Ireland also did not join to keep its open border with the UK.

Who Can Visit Schengen?

The Schengen Area has a common visa policy. This means that people from certain countries can visit without a visa. They can stay for up to 90 days within a 180-day period. This applies whether they arrive by air, land, or sea. People from other countries need a visa to enter or even just pass through.

Which Countries are Members?

The Schengen Area has 29 countries. Most of them are members of the European Union (EU). Four countries are not EU members. These are Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. They have special agreements to be part of Schengen. Bulgaria and Romania are the newest members. Their land border controls will be lifted on January 1, 2025.

Countries with Open Borders

Four very small European countries are also part of the Schengen Area in practice. These are Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, and Vatican City. They have open or mostly open borders with nearby Schengen countries.

One EU country, Ireland, chose not to join Schengen. It still checks borders with other EU countries. But it has open borders with the United Kingdom and its nearby islands. Cyprus, another EU country, has promised to join Schengen in the future.

Becoming a Member

Before a country can fully join Schengen, it must be checked. Experts look at four main areas. These include how they manage air borders and visas. They also check police cooperation and how they protect personal information. This process involves questions and visits from EU experts.

Summary Table

Members of the Schengen Area
State	Area (km²)	Population (2018)	Date signed	Date of first implementation
Austria	&&&&&&&&&&083871.&&&&&083,871	8,891,388	28 April 1995	1 December 1997
Belgium	&&&&&&&&&&030528.&&&&&030,528	11,482,178	14 June 1985	26 March 1995
Bulgaria	&&&&&&&&&0110994.&&&&&0110,994	7,051,608	25 April 2005	31 March 2024
Croatia	&&&&&&&&&&056594.&&&&&056,594	4,156,405	9 December 2011	1 January 2023
Czech Republic	&&&&&&&&&&078866.&&&&&078,866	10,665,677	16 April 2003	21 December 2007
Denmark (excluding Greenland and the Faroe Islands)	&&&&&&&&&&043094.&&&&&043,094	5,752,126	19 December 1996	25 March 2001
Estonia	&&&&&&&&&&045338.&&&&&045,338	1,322,920	16 April 2003	21 December 2007
Finland (including Åland)	&&&&&&&&&0338145.&&&&&0338,145	5,522,576	19 December 1996	25 March 2001
France (excluding Overseas France)	&&&&&&&&&0551695.&&&&&0551,695	64,990,511	14 June 1985	26 March 1995
Germany (including Büsingen am Hochrhein)	&&&&&&&&&0357022.&&&&&0357,022	83,124,418	14 June 1985	26 March 1995
Greece (including Mount Athos)	&&&&&&&&&0131990.&&&&&0131,990	10,522,246	6 November 1992	1 January 2000
Hungary	&&&&&&&&&&093030.&&&&&093,030	9,707,499	16 April 2003	21 December 2007
Iceland	&&&&&&&&&0103000.&&&&&0103,000	336,713	19 December 1996 18 May 1999	25 March 2001
Italy	&&&&&&&&&0301318.&&&&&0301,318	60,627,291	27 November 1990	26 October 1997
Latvia	&&&&&&&&&&064589.&&&&&064,589	1,928,459	16 April 2003	21 December 2007
Liechtenstein	&&&&&&&&&&&&0160.&&&&&0160	37,910	28 February 2008	19 December 2011
Lithuania	&&&&&&&&&&065300.&&&&&065,300	2,801,264	16 April 2003	21 December 2007
Luxembourg	&&&&&&&&&&&02586.&&&&&02,586	604,245	14 June 1985	26 March 1995
Malta	&&&&&&&&&&&&0316.&&&&&0316	439,248	16 April 2003	21 December 2007
Netherlands (excluding Dutch Caribbean)	&&&&&&&&&&041526.&&&&&041,526	17,059,560	14 June 1985	26 March 1995
Norway (excluding overseas territories and dependencies)	&&&&&&&&&0385155.&&&&&0385,155	5,337,962	19 December 1996 18 May 1999	25 March 2001
Poland	&&&&&&&&&0312683.&&&&&0312,683	37,921,592	16 April 2003	21 December 2007
Portugal (including Azores and Madeira)	&&&&&&&&&&092391.&&&&&092,391	10,256,193	25 June 1991	26 March 1995
Romania	&&&&&&&&&0238391.&&&&&0238,391	19,506,114	25 April 2005	31 March 2024
Slovakia	&&&&&&&&&&049037.&&&&&049,037	5,453,014	16 April 2003	21 December 2007
Slovenia	&&&&&&&&&&020273.&&&&&020,273	2,077,837	16 April 2003	21 December 2007
Spain (including Canary Islands) (special provisions for Ceuta and Melilla)	&&&&&&&&&0505990.&&&&&0505,990	46,692,858	25 June 1991	26 March 1995
Sweden	&&&&&&&&&0449964.&&&&&0449,964	9,971,638	19 December 1996	25 March 2001
Switzerland	&&&&&&&&&&041285.&&&&&041,285	8,525,611	26 October 2004	12 December 2008
Schengen Area	&&&&&&&&04595131.&&&&&04,595,131	&&&&&&0453234255.&&&&&0453,234,255	14 June 1985	26 March 1995

States which are not members of the Schengen Area but which have open or semi-open borders with the area
State	Area (km²)	Population (2018)
Andorra	&&&&&&&&&&&&0467.630000467.63	77,006
Monaco	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&200002.02	38,682
San Marino	&&&&&&&&&&&&&061.20000061.2	33,785
Vatican City	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.4900000.49	801

Images for kids

At the border crossing point in Brod na Kupi on the Croatia–Slovenia border. This is an outer border of the Schengen Area.
The Gibraltar/Spain border in 2004 with the Rock of Gibraltar in the background.
The border checkpoint in La Farga de Molas on the Andorra–Spain border.
A typical Schengen internal border crossing. There is no border control post. Only a sign shows the country you are entering. This one is between Germany and Austria.
Schengen arrival gate at the Rīga Airport (RIX).
Temporary border controls by the Danish Police in Kruså. This is at the internal border with Germany.
Passport control at an outer Schengen border in Finland.
The Warsaw Spire, where Frontex's main office is located.
Border checkpoint for vehicles by the Finnish Border Guard in Nuijamaa. This is at the outer border with Russia.
Border control booths in the departures hall at Oulu Airport in Finland. These are used for flights outside the Schengen Area.
EasyPASS self-service gates at Munich Airport, Germany. Travelers can use these to pass border control.
Fencing on the Vistula Spit showing the outer border between Poland and Russia.
Border markers and fencing at the outer border between Lithuania and Belarus.
Mounted Hungarian police officers patrolling the outer border between Hungary and Serbia.
Facilitated Rail Transit Document.
Exit stamp for air travel from Prague airport.
Exit stamp for rail travel, from Bad Schandau train station.
Exit stamp for road travel, from Korczowa border crossing.
Exit stamp for sea travel, from Helsinki port.