News
16.01.2012
Liechtenstein entering into the Schengen cooperation
As of 19 December 2011 Liechtenstein entered into the full Schengen cooperation.
Liechtenstein’s accession to the Schengen cooperation will in effect abolish the control of persons at the internal land borders between Liechtenstein and the current Schengen countries.
Prior to the decision from the EU, Liechtenstein underwent an evaluation process to determine its participation and was found to live up to all the obligations under the Schengen acquis.
Apart from the abolition of the control of persons at the internal land borders, Liechtenstein’s Schengen status will also mean that visas issued by Liechtenstein, or other Schengen countries on behalf of Liechtenstein, will be valid for travel in all of the Schengen area, unless otherwise stated on the visa sticker. In the same vein, visas issued by Danish representations will be valid for entry and permit residence for up to 3 months in Liechtenstein.
Additionally, residence permits issued to third country nationals by Liechtenstein will be valid for visa free entry and residence for up to 3 months – together with a valid travel document – in all Schengen countries, and reversely will entitle persons with residence permits issued in Denmark to travel on the same terms to Liechtenstein without a visa.
The overall Schengen area will, as of 19 December 2011, include Finland, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia, Malta, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
The following EU member states are NOT part of the Schengen area: Cyprus, United Kingdom, Ireland, Bulgaria and Romania.
As a result of the Danish reservation on Justice and Home Affairs policies it has been necessary for Denmark and Liechtenstein to enter into a bilateral agreement on the application of the Schengen acquis in Liechtenstein. This bilateral agreement was signed on 18 March 2011 and will be effective simultaneously with the agreement between Liechtenstein and EU.
In addition to this, Liechtenstein will also take part in the Dublin and Eurodac Regulations (the “Dublin system”), which determines the Member State responsible for examining an asylum application lodged in one of the Member States by a third country national, and records an asylum applicant’s fingerprints in connection with the latter’s filing of an application for asylum. Denmark participates in the Dublin system by a separate international agreement and is therefore not part of the agreement between the EU and Liechtenstein that governs Liechtenstein’s participation in the Dublin system. Accordingly, Denmark and Liechtenstein have entered into a separate agreement regulated by a Protocol, thus enabling the Dublin and Eurodac Regulations to apply between them as of 19 December 2011.