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A sign reading Schengen below a 50 km/h sign
Image: ATP/picture alliance Image: ATP/picture alliance

Schengen area

The area comprises 29 European countries that have abolished internal border controls. Implemented in 1995, it resembles a single state for international travel purposes with external border controls and common visas.

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All Content on this topic

Badeseen in Deutschland

EU calls for reopening of borders from June 15

The bloc hopes to resume travel without border checks by the end of June and gradually resume tourism.
TravelJune 11, 2020
A Lufthansa plane

Germany extends travel warnings for 160 countries

Warnings urge travelers to avoid "non-essential travel" to dozens of non-EU countries have been extended until August.
HealthJune 10, 2020
Antalya beach, Turkey

Germany to lift travel ban for 29 European countries

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas stressed that this was not "an invitation to travel."
SocietyJune 3, 2020
Border police officer checking passport at Frankfurt airport

What do the new EU-visa rules mean for Africans?

Many African travelers may now find it even more difficult to visit Europe.
TravelMay 25, 2020
A man puts a large number of dollar bills in his blazer pocket

First the virus, then corruption, warns OSCE

Emergency aid to help the economic fallout of the pandemic is likely to fuel corruption, warns the security bloc.
CrimeMay 17, 2020
Barriers along the Polish-Ukrainian border

Coronavirus: EU urges closing bloc's borders until mid-June

The European Commission has called on EU member states to uphold travel bans on non-essential travel to the bloc.
PoliticsMay 8, 2020
An Austrian border officer checks a passport

Coronavirus: EU rules out border closure amid Italy outbreak

With over 200 coronavirus cases and seven confirmed deaths, Italy is the worst-hit country outside Asia.
HealthFebruary 24, 2020
Montenegro's President Milo Djukanovic, Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic, Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama and North Macedonia's Prime Minister Zoran Zaev pose for a family photo during a regional meeting of Western Balkan countries, in Tirana, Albania, December 21, 2019

Western Balkan nations to boost ties for EU bid

The Western Balkan nations aim to establish a free trade zone to bolster their chances of joining the EU.
PoliticsDecember 21, 2019
Symbolbild: Grenzkontrolle

Border checks in EU challenge Schengen Agreement

Six nations are extending border checks again. EU observers say that's illegal and threatens the Schengen Agreement.
PoliticsNovember 12, 2019
EU, Bulgaria and Romanian flags

EU slams Romania for not tackling corruption

In an annual report, the European Commission slammed Bucharest for failing to implement anti-corruption measures.
PoliticsOctober 22, 2019
Germany's interior minister, Horst Seehofer

Swiss to face German border checks?

Germany's interior minister wants more controls on travelers from Switzerland after the killing of a boy in Frankfurt.
PoliticsAugust 2, 2019
Report on Schengen | Road sign of the village

Travel without borders — get to know the village of Schengen

Tourists often think Schengen is just the name of a visa. But there's so much more — introducing Schengen, the village.
TravelMay 21, 2019
Emmanuel Macron

Macron plans for a 'European Renaissance'

In a newspaper column, the French president has laid out several ideas that he says will protect democracy in Europe.
PoliticsMarch 4, 2019
Spanish police officer and a police van

Spanish, French police smash smuggling ring

A criminal network that helped at least 1,200 Palestinians to claim asylum in Europe has been dismantled.
CrimeNovember 11, 2018
Police officer and cars

Germany extends border controls with Austria, Denmark

Germany's Interior Ministry will extend migration controls at borders with Austria and Denmark for another six months.
PoliticsOctober 12, 2018
People rally in support of Lyudmyla Kozlovska

Rights activist reignites German-Polish row

An invitation to Ukrainian activist Lyudmyla Kozlovska has put a chill on already frosty German-Polish relations.
PoliticsSeptember 17, 2018
"No entry" sign on the floor of an airport

Former bin Laden bodyguard barred from Germany

German authorities have issued a re-entry ban against Sami A., despite a court ruling that his deportation was illegal.
SocietyAugust 13, 2018
Turkish passport

ECJ upholds German visa requirements for Turks

Europe's Court of Justice has upheld a German visa rule for Turks visiting Germany. The case involves a mother of three.
SocietyAugust 7, 2018
Brenner Pass

Austria undertook border checks at Brenner Pass

Officially to ensure the security of EU interior ministers in Innsbruck, they seemed more like a test trap for migrants.
PoliticsJuly 15, 2018
German controls at the Austrian border

The costs of Schengen's demise

Twenty-two of the European Union's 28 states have no border controls. That may soon change.
BusinessJuly 12, 2018
Blockabfertigung von Lastwagen auf der A93

More checks at EU border crossings

What could the increased border controls in the Schengen Area mean for EU companies?
BusinessJuly 12, 201802:37 min
A torn EU flag with the word Schengen in the middle

Schengen Area: What you need to know

How has the Schengen Agreement contributed to a united Europe — and will it survive?
PoliticsJuly 3, 2018
external

Is the Schengen Agreement under threat?

Europe's recent influx of refugees has put a huge stress on the Schengen Agreement.
BusinessJune 28, 201801:59 min
Police standing at border on motorway

Germany and Austria step up joint border checks

German and Austrian authorities have boosted security measures at their joint border.
PoliticsJune 1, 2018
An officer checking a driver's passport

No guarantee to free movement for war criminals

EU states must meet certain conditions before they can ban war criminals from entering the country, a court has ruled.
PoliticsMay 2, 2018
Police border control

Germany warns Georgia over visa-free travel

Germany has voiced concern over a rise in asylum applications now that Georgian citizens can travel visa-free to the EU.
PoliticsApril 11, 2018
US Army tanks move through the Netherlands on their way to Germany for the NATO quick reaction force

EU outlines plans for 'military Schengen zone'

The EU wants to streamline military movements across borders and make infrastructure more suitable for military use.
PoliticsMarch 28, 2018
Migrants in Ingelheim, Germany, seen from behind with suitcases

EU asylum applications: Germany handles majority of cases

Germany has processed more asylum applications in 2017 than all fellow EU members combined, according to report.
Human RightsMarch 19, 2018
Rejected Albanien asylum-seekers behind fence on return to Tirana from France

Crackdown on Albanian people smuggling network

Albanian police say they arrested smugglers paid by 1,000 Albanians to enter North America and Britain.
CrimeMarch 18, 2018
Horst Seehofer (CSU)

Interior minister wants stronger German border controls

The newly appointed interior minister has again caused controversy by calling for tighter border controls.
PoliticsMarch 18, 2018
Litauen Cyber-Reaktionskraft

Lithuania calls for 'cyber Schengen'

Coming soon to a cyberattack near you: an EU rapid-response team led by Lithuania.
PoliticsFebruary 28, 2018
Bulgaria, Romania and EU flags

EU reluctant to expand Schengen Area

Bulgaria and Romania style themselves as stable and safe countries, but they have yet to join to the Schengen Area.
PoliticsFebruary 20, 2018
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban

Hungary announces new law targeting migrant aid groups

The Budapest government will levy a tax on groups that receive foreign funding, part of a so-called "Stop Soros Plan."
PoliticsJanuary 18, 2018
An elderly woman looks at the passing countryside from the window of a train in Lithuania

Schengen on a budget

Far from pay-for-passport schemes for the wealthy, non-EU nationals find a cheap route into the EU via Lithuania.
SocietyJanuary 15, 2018
Passengers waiting at Stuttgart airport

Greek travelers face German security crackdown

Greek tourists and business people are complaining of draconian security checks at German airports.
PoliticsNovember 28, 2017
Symbolbild EU Schengen-Raum Ende Schengener Abkommen

EU split over Schengen suspension extension

EU interior ministers have said the bloc is not ready to lift border controls inside the Schengen zone of free travel.
PoliticsOctober 13, 2017
US-General Frederick B. Hodges

NATO in Europe needs 'military Schengen' to rival Russia

A top US Army commander in Europe warns border controls hamper the agility of NATO. He wants a military Schengen.
PoliticsSeptember 12, 2017
Federal Police

A pro-Schengen verdict gives police much leeway

Despite theoretical limits to border checks, there doesn't appear to be a change in policy forthcoming.
Law and JusticeJune 21, 2017
Deutschland Frankreich Grenzkontrolle Bundespolizei

Patrolling Germany's borderless frontiers

Germany's federal police cannot use "random" ID checks to control borders, the European Court of Justice ruled.
Law and JusticeJune 21, 2017
Deutschland Ausweiskontrolle Flughafen Frankfurt

Schengen controls to end by November

Brussels says controls put in place because of the migrant crisis should be phased out by the end of the year.
SocietyMay 2, 2017
Visumseinführung an Polens Ostgrenze

'Exterior control means more interior freedom'

Security controls for EU citizens at the Schengen area's external borders serve interior freedom, says MEP Elmar Brok.
PoliticsApril 9, 2017
external

Changes ahead for Ukrainians traveling to the EU

By summer it should be possible for Ukrainians to travel to Europe without a visa - but only under certain conditions.
PoliticsApril 7, 201701:10 min
Grenzübergang Ungarn Serbien

EU fighting terror threats at its borders

New legislation introduced will require all EU states to register anyone travelling in and out of the Schengen area.
PoliticsApril 6, 2017
Wartende Flüchtlinge

EU reinstates 'Dublin'

From Wednesday, EU nations can send new asylum seekers back to their point of arrival, Greece, under an EU rule change.
PoliticsMarch 15, 2017
Kopie eines italienischen Passes

Italy probes visa scam at consulate in Iraq

People were reportedly paying 10,000 euros for travel visas that should have cost 90 euros.
Law and JusticeFebruary 28, 2017
Slowenien Grenzdorf Rigonce

Slovenia to allow police to close border with Croatia

Slovenia passed a bill that allows police to seal the border with Croatia to prevent migrants from entering the country.
PoliticsJanuary 27, 2017
EU - Kommission Brüssel - Flaggen

EU recommends border control extension in Schengen

The EU suggested five European nations be allowed to continue carrying out border checks implemented in 2015.
PoliticsJanuary 25, 2017
Rob Wainwright on Conflict Zone

Europol chief: Internet more dangerous than Schengen

After several terrorist attacks in the EU, Europol is under pressure for a perceived lack of security cooperation.
PoliticsJanuary 18, 2017
Belgien Thalys-Anschlag Polizei

The end of Schengen?

The Belgian government intends to check passengers on international trains and buses.
TerrorismJanuary 4, 2017
Deutsch-österreichische Grenze Grenzkontrolle LKW Bundespolizei

EU allows Germany to renew border controls

The EU has ruled that states with temporary border controls are allowed to keep checks in place for three more months.
PoliticsNovember 11, 2016