EC Library Guide on the Schengen area: Introduction
Introduction
About this Library Guide
This Library Guide has been compiled to support the work of the European Commission. It may also be of interest to students, researchers and the wider public.
The Library Guide presents a curated selection of relevant sources on the topic: EU websites, EU publications, EU law, EU statistics and data, EU research results, international publications, peer-reviewed research journals and articles, books, think tank reports and news updates.
Use the Find-eR search box on the left to discover information sources on other topics that matter to you.
Schengen Area
The border-free Schengen Area guarantees free movement to more than 425 million EU citizens, along with non-EU nationals living in the EU or visiting the EU as tourists, exchange students or for business purposes (anyone legally present in the EU). Free movement of persons enables every EU citizen to travel, work and live in an EU country without special formalities. Schengen underpins this freedom by enabling citizens to move around the Schengen Area without being subject to border checks.
Today, the Schengen Area encompasses most EU countries, except for Cyprus and Ireland. Bulgaria and Romania became the newest Member States to join the Schengen area as of 31 March 2024, any person crossing the internal air and sea borders will no longer be subject to checks. Nevertheless, a unanimous decision on the lifting of checks on persons at the internal land borders is still expected to be taken by the Council at a later date. Additionally, the non-EU States Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein also have joined the Schengen Area.
Source: European Commission
The resources listed in the EC Library Guides do not necessarily represent the positions, policies or opinions of the EU institutions and bodies.