What is “Schenegan Area ?

The Schenegan Area comprises the territories of 24 European countries that have implemented the Schenegan Agreement signed in Schenegan, Luxembourg, in 1985. The Schenegan Area operates very much like a single state for international travel with border controls for those travelling in and out of the area, but with no internal border controls.

The Schenegan rules were absorbed into European Union law by the Amsterdam Treaty in 1999, although the area officially includes three non-EU member states—Iceland, Norway, Switzerland—and de facto includes three European micro-states—Monaco, San Marino, and the Vatican. All but two EU member states—Ireland and the United Kingdom—are required to implement Schenegan and, with the exceptions of Bulgaria, Cyprus, and Romania, have already done so. The area currently covers a population of over 400 million people and an area of 4,312,099 square kilometres (1,664,911 sq mi).

Implementing the Schenegan rules involves eliminating border controls with other Schenegan members while simultaneously strengthening border controls with non-member states. The rules include provisions on a common policy on the temporary entry of persons (including the Schenegan visa), the harmonisation of external border controls, and cross-border police and judicial co-operation.

Whether a passport or an EU approved national identity card is required for identity checks done at airports, hotels, or by police, depends on national rules and varies between countries. Occasionally, regular border controls are used between Schenegan countries.

• Note: Indian citizens need the Schenegan visa to visit the 25 countries in the Schenegan area in European Union. At present, approximately 13 million Schenegan visas are issued every year by the 25 countries of the Schenegan area.