Schengen Area. Schengen countries (list)

A Schengen visa is a document that opens up a lot of opportunities for tourists from all over the world, especially Europeans. Thanks to it, you can travel to Europe without passport control, not only for work, but also travel to famous countries.

History of creation

The name of this visa comes from the area of ​​the same name located in Luxembourg. It was Schengen that was the closest village to the place where the Schengen agreement was concluded. Its essence is the elimination of passport control.

Ideas for creating such a document have been lurking for a long time, back in the Middle Ages. But the most active actions to develop the treaty began to take place later. Globalization is the culprit. Its appearance in the world marked the expansion and opening of borders. The second half of the 20th century began with economic integration, and the last push was the formation of the European Union.

This type of visa has helped many foreigners move around Europe, turning a blind eye to all sorts of prohibitions. Of course, not all the countries of the Schengen zone, the list of which was formed later, were immediately open to “communication”, nevertheless, what happened helped to take a step towards development.

It is worth noting that such a system was directly related to the functioning of the UES. The goal is to form a common market. To do this, it was necessary to adhere to the "Four Freedoms", that is, unhindered movement:

• of people;
• goods;
• services;
• capital.

In support of the second and third points in the late 50s. In the 20th century, the Customs Union was formed. Despite the fact that citizens of the countries that were members of the EEC could move around neighboring states without a pass, passport problems could not be avoided.

Therefore, in 1985, the Benelux, Germany and France signed a document that made it possible to abolish border control over time.

Convention

Thus, in 1984, the Convention on the Use of the Schengen Agreement was concluded. The parties, as mentioned above, were the Benelux powers, the GDR and France. The document proclaimed the phased abolition of checks at neighboring borders, and the Schengen zone immediately appeared.

At the beginning of the article, it was said that the document was named after a nearby village. This is because the signing of the act took place on a ship that crossed the Moselle River. The ship was called "Princess Marie-Astrid".

Of course, the Convention immediately raised many questions and controversies. Many future Schengen countries did not want to support it. At first, the Schengen document was a little away from the European integration organizations.

final path

Now the only thing left to do was to form the European Union. The document on the formation of the EU was adopted in the Netherlands, and its main provision was the creation of personal citizenship. Now EU citizens could move freely throughout the union. It was then that they decided to consider the issue of border control.

In order for all our plans to come true, we had to sign another document in 1990. Its main provisions were: the Schengen area, the cancellation of control, the joint work of the court and the police, the unification of the visa system. When the pact was launched, Portugal and Italy also joined it.

Fundamental changes in the document took place in 1999. The Amsterdam Treaty spoke about changes in the EU pact, and, accordingly, the provisions of the Schengen Convention were also affected. Since then, the Schengen laws have been formed. And now we will find out which countries are included in the Schengen zone.

Participating countries

Estonia, Switzerland, Sweden, Czech Republic, France, Finland, Slovenia, Slovakia, Portugal, Poland, Norway, Netherlands, Malta, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Latvia, Iceland, Italy, Spain, Greece, Germany, Denmark, Hungary, Belgium and Austria is part of the Schengen area, which consists of 25 countries.

Then some nuances begin. For example, the microstates that did not conclude an agreement - the Vatican, Monaco, San Marino and Andorra - are small towns surrounded by the Schengen states, and therefore automatically constitute the Schengen.

Not all countries of the Schengen zone, you saw the list above, admit tourists to them just as easily. With Andorra, things are a little more complicated. To enter the country, you need to apply for multiple admission.

Exceptions to the rules

The French and Dutch are the founders, but their overseas territories do not contribute to this order of control. Also controlled by Spain, Ceuta and Melilla were excluded from the agreement, but, in principle, getting there with Schengen is not difficult. With Gibraltar, things are even more complicated; you can visit it only with a special permit.

The UK and Ireland have abandoned the Schengen zone due to the fact that they already have their own special permits. And Bulgaria, Romania and Cyprus provide incomplete opportunities for the Schengen document. Meanwhile, any power that has signed the agreement may temporarily refuse the free passage of its borders due to certain circumstances.

Difference: zone and agreement

There is a significant difference between these concepts. Using the example of England and Ireland, it is worth saying: although the Schengen zone does not apply to them, nevertheless, the pact was concluded, and documentary control is fully functioning here.

As a result, a person who has received a pass to the Schengen state can travel to any area that has concluded this act. The Schengen state is visited by any resident of a Schengen country.

Visa types

• "A" allows you to be in the transit area only.
• "B" - admission for 5 days, allows you to travel through the area of ​​the Schengen state more than once.
• "C" - a three-month document for tourists. Allows you to visit the Schengen state several times.
• "D" - admission for a period of three months. Allows a citizen to move through other countries that are part of the Schengen area. The transit should not exceed five days.
• "C + D" is issued for long-term stay and does not exclude free movement within the agreement zone.

There is also a simplified transit act that allows you to move between Russia and Kaliningrad.

Where else to go?

The Schengen area, which has a list of 25 countries, also offers tourists a number of powers where you can travel with the help of the Schengen permit. To Albania - with a class "C" or "D" visa. To Bulgaria - with a type "C" permit for up to six months. You can travel to Gibraltar with a Category C multiple entry pass for just three weeks. With the same category, you can go to Cyprus, Romania or Croatia.

In Costa Rica, you will be accepted with a Schengen document of any type for three months, and for Panama you need a multivisa or a double entry, but before that you need to visit the country that issued the document. You can get to Reunion and French Guiana only if there is a special mark on the visa.