Region
Schengen Area
29 European countries with shared border-free travel arrangements, harmonised short-stay visa policy, and the EES border-control system fully operational since 10 April 2026.
Countries covered
- Austria
- Belgium
- France
- Germany
- Italy
- Netherlands
- Spain
- and 22 others
Visa types
- Schengen Visa — Short-stay visa for the 27-country Schengen Area — up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
Recent Schengen Area news
Italy sets 497,550 work-entry quotas for 2026-2028 under new Flows Decree
A decree published October 15, 2025 authorises 497,550 non-EU work entries for 2026-2028 — 267,000 seasonal and 230,550 non-seasonal — rising each year.
June 26, 2026
EU Commission reports 12 million Schengen visa applications for 2025
Annual Schengen short-stay applications climbed 1.8% to nearly 12 million in 2025, with over 10 million visas issued at a 14.8% global refusal rate.
May 29, 2026
Greece exempts UK passport holders from EES biometric registration
The Embassy of Greece in London confirmed UK passport holders are excluded from biometric registration at Greek border crossing points from April 10, 2026.
May 4, 2026
EU Commission clarifies key differences between EES and ETIAS for travellers
Published 28 April 2026, the explainer separates the live border-control EES from ETIAS, the pre-travel authorisation scheduled for the last quarter of 2026.
May 3, 2026