Schengen Zone

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ABOVE: A Schengen visa and a euro coin.

Schengen Web links

Wikipedia: Schengen Area
This comprehensive article tells everything you need to know (and many things that you don't need to know) about the Schengen Agreement and its implementation, starting with the signing of the agreement by the five original Schengen countries in 1985. (Wikipedia's Schengen Agreement article has further information with references and notes.)

European Commission: Traveling in Europe: Schengen
This official page is geared to EU citizens. It's less readable than the Wikipedia article and may not be up to date, since the EC's "Your Europe" portal was being revamped at the time this article was written.

Schengen Visa

The Schengen Visa is a tourist and business visa. It allows travel in Schengen countries for up to 90 days within a 180-day (six-month) period, but it does not allow you to become a resident or get a job.

Do you need a visa to enter the Schengen area (or the EU, for that matter) as a tourist? That depends on your nationality. The German government has a Table of Countries Whose Citizens Require / Don't Require Visas to Enter Germany that will help you determine whether you need a visa to visit the Schengen area and the European Union.

(Please note: We aren't immigration experts and can't help you obtain visas. If you have questions or need help, contact the embassy or consulate of the European country where you'd like to travel, live, or work.)

Back to: Schengen Zone - Introduction

Photo copyright © Alexander Gatsenko.

 

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