Schengen Countries

Schengen Agreement

Signed on 14 June 1985, Schengen Treaty had initially 7 countries. The countries under Schengen area represent territory which allows free movement of people. Currently there are 25 countries under this agreement.

Countries under Schengen Agreement are:

Austria	Belgium	Czech Republic
Denmark	Estonia	Finland
France	Germany	Greece
Hungary	Iceland	Italy
Lativia	Lithuania	Luxembourg
Malta	Netherlands	Norway
Poland	Portugal	Slovakia
Slovenia	Spain	Sweden
Switzerland	--	--

The Schengen Agreement came up with following set of common rules for every Schengen territory:

» Individual checks to be removed on persons at the internal borders
» Rules to be same for people crossing the external borders of the EU Member States;
» Harmonization of the conditions of entry and reconciliation of the rules for short stay visas
» Enhanced and better police protection and cooperation (including rights of cross-border surveillance and hot pursuit);
» Stronger judicial cooperation through fast extradition system and reassignment of implement of crime judgments
» Validation, development and implementation of the Schengen Information System (SIS).

Various Visa Types under Schengen Agreement

1. Short Stay Visa / Schengen Visa:

Schengen Visa allows an individual to travel all Schengen countries for tourism, family or business visits up to a maximum of 90 days in a given 6 month's period.

» Schengen Visa is a must for all non EU/EEA citizens who want to travel various European countries in the same trip
» Schengen visa helps avoid the hassle of getting Visa for each individual country
» This Visa allows a foreign visitor to stay up to 90 days in a given 6 month period
» EU and EEA citizens do not require a Schengen Visa, but they need to show a valid nationality proof during travel.

Visa Extension:

Applicants with visa of 90 days can get extension on their stay under unforeseen and new circumstances like;

» Health issues or illness
» Participating event/meeting getting postponed

2. Airport Transit Visa:

Grants transit through the international zone and Schengen airport without entering the Schengen territory

3. Transit Visa:

Allows transit not more than 5 days through Schengen countries by car, coach or travelling through different airports on the way to other Schengen countries.

4. Circulation Visa:

Issued for business visits with an invitation from any Schengen country, this visa is valid for at least 1 year.

5. Long Stay Visa:

Visitor can stay more than 3 months under this Visa for study, work, retire etc.

6. Multiple Entry Visa:

Multiple-Entry Schengen Visa allows you to leave and return any number of times within a 180 days period, but the stay in the Schengen territory must not exceed 90 days.