Schengen Area

"That's the Schengen Area. If you're within this place, you're free to travel everywhere in Europe... well, yet there are a few exceptions. Now this place would be great and terrific when it comes to passports from around the world, like when I have it or not."

--Su Ji-Hoon, The Ambitions of the European Union

The Schengen Area (/ˈʃɛŋən/, /ˈʃɛŋɡən/) is an area comprising 26 European states that have officially abolished passport and all other types of border control at their mutual borders. The area mostly functions as a single jurisdiction for international travel purposes, with a common visa policy. The area is named after the Schengen Agreement. States in the Schengen Area have strengthened border controls with non-Schengen countries.