Liechtenstein joins Schengen area

Liechtenstein is the latest country to join the Schengen area - the zone without controls at internal borders.

Welcoming Liechtenstein's membership, European Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmström said the expansion of the Schengen area allows for travelers enjoying free movement.

"The Schengen Area has grown rapidly, allowing for increasing numbers of European citizens and third country visitors to enjoy free movement across more and more countries. With Liechtenstein joining today, we are further developing one of the most cherished achievements of the EU", she said.

Over 400 million Europeans from 26 European countries now enjoy passport-free travel across the Schengen area.

From now on, checks on persons will be abolished at the borders with Liechtenstein, which will fully implement the Schengen rules, the Commission said.

Liechtenstein has been steadily integrating into the European trade area since its accession to the European Economic Area (EEA) in 1995 and is also part of the Single Market. It signed a Schengen association agreement with the European Union on 28 February 2008, the first step towards accession to the Schengen area.

The decision on lifting internal border controls was made by the EU Council in December, after consulting the European Parliament and following an evaluation in the relevant areas (police cooperation, the Schengen Information System (SIS) and data protection) of the country's readiness for the full implementation of the Schengen rules.

Today, the Schengen area is made up of 26 Schengen Member States: the EU countries Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia as well as four associated non-EU countries, Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and now Liechtenstein.

Bulgaria, Romania and Cyprus only partially apply the Schengen acquis at the moment and checks are therefore still carried out at the borders with these three Member States.