Facts You Must Definitely Know About Schengen Visa Countries

The Schengen region includes twenty-six European countries that have executed the Schengen Pact signed in the village of Schengen, Luxembourg, in the year 1985. The Schengen region functions in a very similar manner as a single state for international travel with external border check points for those travelling in and out of the region, but with no internal border check points when travelling within the Schengen countries.

The Schengen directives were accepted by European Union regulation by the Amsterdam Agreement in 1999, even though the region formally comprises of four non-EU countries—Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland—and in effect comprises of three European micro-states— the Vatican, San Marino and Monaco. All Schengen visa countries of the European Union area are required to implement the Schengen Agreement except for the United Kingdom and Ireland. Excluding Romania, Bulgaria and Cyprus all other EU countries have already acted in accordance with the Schengen Agreement.

The Schengen regulations include laws with reference to a common system for the allowance of short-term entry of individuals that is through Schengen Visa, the coordination of external border checks, and judicial and cross-border police collaboration.

Although travellers within the Schengen territory are no longer required to show documents at an internal border post, except for some exceptional cases, national rules still have made it compulsory for them to carry passports and evidence of Schengen visa insurance certificate. The Schengen system make it obligatory for all the passenger carriers across the Schengen external border to check before boarding, if the passenger has the valid passport and the Schengen Visa required for the entry.