The Schengen Area is a zone where 27 European countries have abolished their internal borders, allowing for the free and unrestricted movement of people, in harmony with common rules for controlling external borders and fighting criminality by strengthening the common judicial system and police cooperation. The Schengen Area is an element within the wider area of freedom, security, and justice policy of the European Union (EU), and it mostly functions as a single jurisdiction under a common visa policy for international travel purposes.

The Schengen Area covers most of the EU countries, except for Ireland, and the countries that are soon to be part of the Schengen Area: Romania, Bulgaria, and Cyprus. Although not members of the EU, countries like Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, and Lichtenstein are also part of the Schengen zone. Croatia joined the Schengen Area on January 1, 2023.

The Schengen provisions abolish checks at the EUs internal borders, while providing a single set of rules for controls at the external borders applicable to those who enter the Schengen area for a short period of time (up to 90 days). The Schengen area relies on common rules covering crossing the EU external borders, including the types of visa needed, harmonization of the conditions of entry and of the rules on short-stay visas (up to 90 days), and more.

The Schengen Area has a population of more than 423 million people and an area of 4,368,693 square kilometers (1,686,762 sq mi). About 1.7 million people commute to work across an internal European border each day, and in some regions, these people constitute up to a third of the workforce. In 2015, there were 1.3 billion crossings of Schengen borders in total.

In summary, the Schengen Area is a zone where 27 European countries have abolished their internal borders, allowing for the free and unrestricted movement of people, in harmony with common rules for controlling external borders and fighting criminality by strengthening the common judicial system and police cooperation.