Schengen Fact Sheet

24 European countries are party to the Schengen agreement. This agreement eliminates all internal border controls between them. To enter one Schengen country is to gain up to 90 days of continuous travel between the member states. American citizens traveling for business or tourism are not required to have a visa for this initial entry into the Schengen area, but must have a passport valid three months beyond the proposed stay. (For a two week business trip, the passport must be valid for four months, for a two month holiday the passport must be valid for five months, for example.)

Please note, that while business and tourism visits of less than 90 days to the Schengen countries are visa-free, if you are traveling to Europe for any other reason—employment, study, internship, etc., your host country may require a visa for that purpose, to be obtained before you leave the U.S. Please check with the Embassy or Consulate of the country(ies) you are going for their specific requirements.

Although European Union regulations require that non-EU visitors obtain a stamp in their passports upon initial entry to a Schengen country, many borders are not staffed with officers carrying out this function. If an American citizen wishes to ensure that his or her entry is properly documented, it may be necessary to request a stamp at an official point of entry. Under local law, travelers without a stamp in their passports may be questioned and asked to document the length of their stay in Schengen countries at the time of departure or at any other point during their visit, and could face possible fines or other repercussions if unable to do so.

The member parties of the Schengen agreement are:

Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

 

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