Schengen Explained: How Europe’s Passport-Free Zone Works Now, and What’s Changing

The Schengen Area is Europe’s passport-free travel zone, and since January 1, 2025 it covers 29 countries, including the EU members Romania and Bulgaria which had their land border checks lifted on that date. The arrangement removes routine internal border controls between participating states, it operates a shared external border policy, and it underpins free movement for hundreds of millions of people across the continent.

What Schengen is, in plain terms

Schengen is not a single country or one uniform policy, it is a set of agreements and shared systems that together mean most travel inside the zone requires no passport checks at internal borders. The project began with the Schengen Agreement signed on June 14, 1985, and it came into wider effect in the mid 1990s. Today the area comprises EU members except Ireland and Cyprus, plus the non-EU states Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. The result is a contiguous travel space from Portugal to Finland and from Iceland to Greece.

Key facts at a glance

• 29 countries are in the Schengen Area as of January 1, 2025.
• Schengen guarantees passport-free travel for more than 450 million EU citizens and many non-EU residents and visitors.
• Short stays for non-EU nationals are governed by the 90 days in any 180-day rule.

How entry and visas work

The 90/180 rule, and who needs a visa

Most visitors who are not EU, EEA or Swiss nationals need to either hold a Schengen visa, or be exempt under a visa waiver. Short visits for tourism, family, or business are limited to 90 days within any rolling 180-day period, across the whole Schengen Area. Long stays, work or study, require national visas or residence permits issued by the individual country.

One visa, many borders

A Schengen visa issued by any member state normally allows travel across the whole area. That harmonised approach simplifies travel for millions of short-stay visitors each year, while national authorities remain responsible for issuing long-stay permits and handling asylum claims.

Recent changes and the digital turn

Bulgaria and Romania joined on 1 January 2025

The formal lifting of land border checks with Romania and Bulgaria on January 1, 2025 completed a long running accession process. Air and sea controls had already been removed earlier, but the land borders remained the last step until political and technical hurdles were cleared. The expansion increases integrated movement across southeastern Europe, with direct effects on trade and tourism routes.

Entry/Exit System, EES, began operation on 12 October 2025

Europe has moved to digital registration of non-EU arrivals, by introducing the Entry/Exit System on October 12, 2025. At initial registration borders capture a traveler's passport data, a facial image, and where required fingerprints, replacing the old paper passport stamping system. The EES is being rolled out progressively, with full deployment required within six months, and a target of April 10, 2026 for operation at all external border crossing points.

“Digital registration replaces stamps, and gives authorities reliable entry and exit records,”

This change is intended to help detect overstays, prevent identity fraud, and make later automated checks faster. At the same time, it raises practical and operational questions which are discussed below.

ETIAS, the travel authorisation for visa-exempt visitors

The European Travel Information and Authorisation System, ETIAS, is planned to require visa-exempt non-EU travelers to apply for a short online travel authorisation before arrival. As of mid 2025 officials set a revised timeline, with ETIAS operations expected in the last quarter of 2026, and a fee set at EUR 20 for most applicants. The goal is to pre-screen travelers for security and migration risks, while keeping the application process largely automatic for the majority of users.

The advantages, seen by supporters

• Free movement within the zone promotes tourism, cross-border work, and business, it reduces delays at internal borders for motorists and freight, and it supports integrated supply chains.
• Shared external border management and databases give national police and border authorities tools to track suspects and to deter irregular migration.
• Digital systems like the EES and ETIAS promise faster, more consistent checks once teething problems are resolved.

The downsides and the debates

• Privacy and data protection are recurring concerns, with critics warning about biometric databases, retention policies, and the risk of misuse.
• The EES rollout has exposed practical challenges. Airports associations and some carriers reported long queues and technical outages during the October 2025 start, and they have called for urgent fixes and flexibility in scaling the system up, especially during peak travel days.
• Political debates remain in some member states about balancing open internal borders with pressures to control irregular migration at external frontiers.

Multiple perspectives on the EES rollout

• Airport operators and many airlines say the progressive introduction of biometric registration has produced longer processing times and operational strain at busy hubs.
• European agencies and governments argue the new system is essential for accurate border management and for curbing illegal stays, and they point to a gradual rollout to allow adaptation.

Practical advice for travelers in late 2025

• If you are a visa-exempt traveler from outside Europe, expect to be registered electronically the first time you cross an external Schengen border under EES rules, and be prepared for slightly longer processing time on first entry.
• Plan for the 90/180 day rule when touring multiple Schengen countries, and keep records of entry and exit dates.
• From late 2026, plan to check whether you need an ETIAS travel authorisation before departure, and be prepared to pay the announced fee if it applies to you.

Timeline: key Schengen milestones

The broader picture, and what to watch next

Schengen remains one of Europe’s most tangible expressions of integration, it shapes daily life across the continent, and it is a key piece of the single market. The twin digital reforms, EES and ETIAS, aim to bring the system into the biometric era, but their success depends on smooth technical delivery, careful data governance, and political consensus across member states.

Travelers, transport operators, and national authorities will watch in early 2026 how the EES handles high volumes during peak seasons, and whether ETIAS can be introduced without further delays. Meanwhile the political debate about how to reconcile openness with security will continue to shape Schengen’s next chapter.

Quick reference: if you are planning travel now

• Check whether your nationality requires a Schengen visa, or whether you travel visa free.
• Allow extra time at busy airports for biometric registration, especially on first entry into Schengen after October 12, 2025.
• Keep track of your days inside Schengen to respect the 90 days in any 180-day rule.
• Before traveling in late 2026, verify whether ETIAS authorisation is required for your nationality, and check the expected EUR 20 fee.

By David Anderson, veteran reporter covering European affairs and travel policy. (Updated December 19, 2025)