The Schengen Area: What Does It Mean? The Schengen Area is a zone comprising several European countries that have eliminated border controls between them. This means you can travel from one country to another within this area without going through passport control at internal borders, as if it were a single territory. It was created to facilitate the free movement of people, tourism, trade, and work among European countries.

Key features:

• No internal borders: you can move freely between member countries.
• Common external borders: all countries apply similar rules for entry from outside the Schengen Area.
• Common visa policy: a Schengen visa allows you to visit several countries with a single permit.

However, there are certain nuances regarding Schengen, such as the fact that not all European countries are part of the Schengen Agreement, and some countries that are part of Schengen are not members of the European Union. Others, such as Ireland and Cyprus, are members of the EU but are not part of Schengen.

European countries that are not part of the Schengen space: the United Kingdom, Albania, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Moldova, Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, and Turkey.

European countries that are part of the Schengen space but are not EU members: Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein.

The truth is that all of this can be quite confusing, but what matters most to us regarding ETIAS is to be clear about which countries require this entry authorization before traveling and boarding the plane. You can view the list of Schengen countries at this link. In total, there are 30 countries whose nationals will have to go through this process very soon. The form will ask which Schengen countries you plan to visit, for how long, and whether you have any family members already living in Europe permanently.

It is expected that the exact start date for the regulation will be announced this summer, which will likely be in October of this year.

La verdad es que todo esto puede ser bastante confuso pero lo que más nos importa en cuanto a ETIAS, es tener claro qué países requieren tener este permiso de entrada, antes de viajar y subir al avión.  Puedes ver la lista de paises Schengen en este enlace. En total son 30 países cuyos nacionales tendrán que pasar por este trámite dentro de muy poco tiempo. El formulario consistirá solicitará qué países del espacio Schengen se van a visitar, cuanto tiempo y si tienen algún familiar ya viviendo en Europa de forma permanente.

Es de esperar que este verano se anuncie la fecha exacta del inicio de la norma, que presumiblemente será para el mes de Octubre de este mismo año.