Schengen Treaty
In 1985, France, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands signed the Schengen Agreements, creating an area without internal border controls. The name comes from the Luxembourgish town of Schengen, where the first agreements were signed.
This cooperation gradually expanded to include other European states. With the Amsterdam Treaty (1997), the Schengen Agreement was incorporated into the legal framework of the European Union.
Today, the Schengen Area consists of 29 European countries, including both EU member states and non-EU countries:
EU countries in the Schengen Area:
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.
Non-EU countries in the Schengen Area:
Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland.
De facto, the Schengen Area also includes four European micro-states – Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, and the Vatican City – that maintain open or semi-open borders with the other Schengen member countries.
Non-Schengen nationals: Citizens from all other non-Schengen countries. To enter, stay, or transit through the Schengen Area, non-Schengen nationals must hold a passport or another valid travel document recognized for border crossings by all Schengen states.
Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale