Leslie Massey
The Schengen Area is a system of open borders that encompasses 29 European countries, allowing passport-free travel between the countries that have officially abolished border controls at their mutual borders. The area is named after the 1985 Schengen Agreement and the 1990 Schengen Convention, both signed in Schengen, Luxembourg. Australians can travel visa-free in the Schengen Area for up to 90 days in a 180-day period. Australia has visa waiver agreements with several countries in the Schengen Area. However, Australia is not a Schengen country.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of countries in the Schengen Area | 29 |
| Countries included in the Schengen Area | Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, Vatican City, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, and more |
| Countries not included in the Schengen Area | Cyprus, Ireland, the UK, and more |
| Visa requirements for Australians | Visa-free for up to 90 days in a 180-day period; need a visa for longer stays |
| Upcoming changes | The new European Entry/Exit System (EES) for all non-EU nationals, including Australians, is expected to start in October 2025 |
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What You'll Learn
Australians can travel visa-free for up to 90 days in 180 days
Australians do not need a visa to enter the Schengen Area for stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. This is because Australia has visa waiver agreements with several countries in the Schengen Area. The Schengen Area is made up of 29 European countries with common border rules, encompassing over 4 million square kilometres and home to almost 420 million people. It includes 25 of the 27 members of the European Union, with Cyprus and Ireland being the only EU member states that are not part of the Schengen Area.
The Schengen Area was named after the 1985 Schengen Agreement and the 1990 Schengen Convention, both signed in Schengen, Luxembourg. The village of Schengen is famous for its wine production and is the geographical point where the borders of France, Germany, and Luxembourg meet. The 1990 Schengen Convention proposed the abolition of internal border controls and a common visa policy. The Schengen Area functions as a single jurisdiction under this common visa policy for international travel purposes.
The 90 days of visa-free travel in the Schengen Area for Australians are calculated from the first day of entry into the Schengen Area within the 180 days. If an Australian leaves and returns within 180 days, their last stay will count towards the 90-day maximum. If the visa-free days are used up, Australians must leave until more visa-free days are accumulated or apply for a visa.
It is important to note that the rules for visa-free travel in the Schengen Area may change, and Australians should check the latest information from official sources before travelling. Additionally, there are other European countries outside of the Schengen Area that Australians can travel to visa-free, and this travel does not count towards the 90 days of visa-free travel in the Schengen Area.
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The Schengen Area includes 29 countries in Europe
The Schengen Area is a system of open borders that encompasses 29 European countries that have officially abolished border controls at their mutual frontiers. It is named after the 1985 Schengen Agreement and the 1990 Schengen Convention, both signed in Schengen, Luxembourg. The village of Schengen, Luxembourg, is famous for its wine production and is the geographical point where the borders of France, Germany, and Luxembourg meet.
The Schengen Area includes 25 of the 27 members of the European Union. The EU countries Cyprus and Ireland are not part of the Schengen Area. However, the Schengen Area does include four European microstates—Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, and Vatican City—that maintain open or semi-open borders with other Schengen member countries. The Area also includes the Spanish overseas territories of the Canaries and the Portuguese islands of Madeira and the Azores.
As of mid-2024, the Schengen Area covered over 4 million square kilometres and was home to almost 420 million people. Citizens of the 27 countries in the European Union do not need a visa to travel to or within the Schengen Zone, so long as their stay does not exceed 90 days per 180-day period. Nationals of certain non-EU countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, and the United States, also do not need a visa for stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
Australians can travel visa-free in the Schengen Area for up to 90 days in a 180-day period. However, it is important to note that the 180 days is not fixed in time but is calculated backward from the present day. The 90 days are calculated from the first day in the Schengen Area within the 180 days. If one leaves and returns within 180 days, the last stay will count toward the 90-day maximum. If an individual uses up their visa-free days, they must leave until they accumulate more or apply for a visa.
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The Schengen Agreement was signed in 1985
The Schengen Agreement was signed on June 14, 1985, aboard the MS Princesse Marie-Astrid on the river Moselle near the town of Schengen, Luxembourg, at the tripoint between France, Germany, and Luxembourg. The agreement was signed independently of the European Union, in part due to the lack of consensus among EU member states over whether the EU had the jurisdiction to abolish border controls. Those ready to implement the idea did not want to wait for others (at this time, there was no enhanced cooperation mechanism).
The agreement was initially approved by Belgium, France, West Germany (later Germany), Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. These countries agreed to begin reducing internal border controls, with the ultimate goal of allowing free movement of persons between countries within the Schengen area. To implement this, a system of shared policies regarding visa and asylum applications was adopted by member countries, and a massive database, known as the Schengen Information System (SIS), was created to share information about persons and goods transiting the Schengen zone.
The Schengen Agreement was supplemented in 1990 by the Schengen Convention, which proposed the abolition of internal border controls and a common visa policy. The Schengen Area operates very much like a single state for international travel purposes with external border controls for travellers entering and exiting. The Schengen Convention translated the principles of the 1985 Agreement into practical measures. It detailed how Schengen countries would remove internal border checks while reinforcing security at their external borders. This convention set the rules and procedures for visa policies, police cooperation, and data sharing among member states.
The Schengen Area is named after the 1985 Schengen Agreement and the 1990 Schengen Convention, both signed in Schengen, Luxembourg. The area includes 29 European countries that have officially abolished border controls at their common borders. As an element within the wider area of freedom, security, and justice (AFSJ) policy of the European Union (EU), it functions as a single jurisdiction under a common visa policy for international travel purposes.
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The village of Schengen is in Luxembourg
The Schengen Area is a system of open borders that encompass 29 European countries that have abolished border controls at their mutual frontiers. The area is named after the Schengen Agreement, signed in 1985, and the 1990 Schengen Convention, both agreed upon in Schengen, Luxembourg. The village of Schengen is a small Luxembourgish village in the border triangle of Germany, France, and Luxembourg. It is the place where the Schengen Agreement was signed in 1985.
The village of Schengen was awarded the European Heritage Label in 2017 as a symbol of European integration and the eponym of free movement in Europe. The Centre Européen Schengen is co-financed by the Luxembourgish Ministry of Economy (DG tourism), the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, and the Municipality of Schengen. The Schengen Agreement guarantees the free movement of goods and people between the participating countries and was put into practice in 1995.
The small museum in Schengen offers information for individual visitors about the history of the EU (development since 1950) and the Schengen Agreement with all its elements (SIS, Frontex, Schengen Visa, etc.) and its impact. The museum was installed in 2010, and more than 40,000 people visit every year. The site also consists of a Tourist Information Office, located on a pontoon on the River Moselle, and a EUROPE DIRECT information centre, both in the same building.
The Schengen Area includes 25 of the 27 members of the European Union, with Ireland and Cyprus being the only EU member states that are not part of the Schengen Area. Australians can travel visa-free in the Schengen Area for up to 90 days in a 180-day period.
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The Schengen Area has common border rules
The Schengen Area is a system of open borders that encompass 29 European countries that have officially abolished internal border controls at their common borders. The Schengen Area is named after the 1985 Schengen Agreement and the 1990 Schengen Convention, both signed in Schengen, Luxembourg. The Schengen Agreement was supplemented in 1990 by the Schengen Convention, which proposed the abolition of internal border controls and a common visa policy.
The Schengen Area includes 25 of the 27 members of the European Union, with Ireland and Cyprus being the only EU member states that are not part of the Schengen Area. Ireland negotiated an opt-out from Schengen and continues to operate border controls with other EU member states, while Cyprus is legally bound to join the Schengen Area but has been delayed due to the occupation of Northern Cyprus by Turkey.
The Schengen Area also includes four European micro-states – Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, and Vatican City – that maintain open or semi-open borders with other Schengen member countries. The Schengen rules allow for the temporary re-introduction of internal border controls in response to crises, such as security concerns, migration flows, or the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020.
The Schengen Area guarantees free movement to more than 450 million EU citizens, as well as non-EU nationals living in the EU or visiting for tourism, exchange studies, or business purposes. EU and EFTA nationals travelling within the Schengen Area are not required to show passports or other identity documents at internal borders. However, they are still required to carry national identity documents and produce them if requested by an authorised person.
The Schengen Area has common rules that regulate external border crossings, including visa requirements, procedures for issuing and checking visas, and security checks. The Schengen Information System (SIS), the Visa Information System (VIS), the Entry-Exit System (EES), and the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) facilitate information sharing on security threats, border controls, visa applications, and law enforcement cooperation.
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Frequently asked questions
The Schengen Area is a system of open borders that encompasses 29 European countries that have officially abolished border controls at their common borders. It is named after the 1985 Schengen Agreement and the 1990 Schengen Convention, both signed in Schengen, Luxembourg.
No, Australia is not a Schengen country. However, Australians can travel visa-free in the Schengen Area for up to 90 days in a 180-day period.
Australians do not need a visa to enter the Schengen Area for stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. From October 2025, Australians travelling to the Schengen Area will need to have their fingerprints and photo taken, creating a digital record that registers their biometric details.
The Schengen Area includes 25 of the 27 members of the European Union, as well as four European microstates: Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, and Vatican City. The EU countries Cyprus and Ireland are not part of the Schengen Area. Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland are also in the Schengen Area but are not EU member states.
