A Schengen Visa allows a visitor to Europe to travel easily between 26 countries in Europe on tourism on business for a period of 90 days.
The Schengen Agreement was first signed in 1985 by France, West Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands. The countries agreed to relax controls on movements between their borders which had been tightened during the world wars. In 1990, an additional treaty was signed and many more countries became signatories.
The person who holds a Schengen Visa can travel to any or all the member countries (known as the Schengen area) without obtaining individual visas for each country. It is issued only to citizens of countries who are required to obtain a visa before entering Europe. (There are some countries like the USA whose citizens are exempt from any sort of visa.)
In the Schengen area, there are no passport checks or internal border controls. However, the Schengen visa holder has to show additional identity proof, such as a passport on demand. The visa is named after the village of Schengen in Luxembourg where the agreement was signed.
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