Which states form the Schengen zone, and which states will be included in the future?
Although the Schengen rules are now legally considered part of EU legislation, not all EU countries are – as yet – Schengen countries (for political or technical reasons), while some non-EU countries are (or will be) associated with the Schengen system. Having said this, the Schengen countries are as of 2006: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden. Probably in 2007, the new EU members Czech Republic, Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia will join the Schengen area. The exact date depends on the roll-out of the new databases SIS II and VIS, which can deal with the load of data transfers caused by the new members. Presumably in 2008, Switzerland will join the Schengen area as well (while not entering the EU). There are no plans for the UK and Ireland joining the Schengen area. D. Entry/exit stamp information; stamp collecting – Entry stamps do n
