Updated
GL-S-02
Glossary · Statuses, passports, travel
Schengen area - 29 European countries without borders between them
29 European countries with no borders between them. EU citizens — the full right to live and work. Caribbean passports — visa-free up to 90 days per half-year. Golden Visa (Greece, Portugal) — residence with the right to live in Schengen.
01 / In 30 seconds
The short answer
- What it is
- 29 European countries with no border controls between them
- What visa-free access gives
- Trips of up to 90 days in any six months, with no right to work
- What a residence permit (Golden Visa) gives
- The right to live in the country and travel freely in the Schengen area
- What EU citizenship gives
- To live and work in any country of the Union
- Can you prepare
- Yes: choose a status for your goal — travel, relocation or work
02 / In plain words
What Schengen Area means
The Schengen area is 29 European countries that have removed border controls between them. Once you are in one of them, you move freely across the others without further border checks. For a traveller it is in effect a single space from Portugal to Finland.
The level of access depends on your status. A citizen of an EU country has the full right not only to travel but to live and work in any Schengen country. A Caribbean passport gives visa-free access — up to 90 days in any six months, that is, for tourism and short trips, with no right to work. A Golden Visa (Greece, Portugal) is a residence permit: the right to live in the country and travel freely in the Schengen area.
It is important to understand the difference between these statuses in advance, because the whole strategy depends on it. If the goal is holidays and business trips, a visa-free passport is enough. If the goal is really to move, study or work in Europe, you need a residence permit or EU citizenship, and those are different programmes with different timelines and budgets.
A case from practice
With a Grenadian passport you can fly into Paris, take the train to Italy and fly home from Rome without crossing any borders inside Schengen. But in total you can stay in the area for up to 90 days in six months, with no right to work. To live in Europe permanently, the same person will need a Golden Visa or the citizenship of an EU country.
Why Schengen access matters
- Free travel around Europe
- Business visits without visas
- Holidays and tourism
- A base for relocating (through residence or citizenship)
- Education and healthcare in the EU
- A fallback option for the family
03 / What it covers
What each status gives in Schengen
Visa-free passport
- Trips of up to 90/180 days
- Tourism and business visits
- No right to work
Residence permit (Golden Visa)
- The right to live in the country
- Free travel in the Schengen area
- Minimal presence
EU citizenship
- Living in any country of the Union
- Working throughout the EU
- Full citizen’s rights
How to get it
- Caribbean passport — visa-free access
- Golden Visa — a residence permit
- Naturalisation — EU citizenship
04 / How it works
How to choose your route to Schengen
Define the goal (travel/relocation/work)
Travel, relocation, study or work.
Choose a status for the goal
A visa-free passport, residence or EU citizenship.
Obtain a passport, residence permit or citizenship
A programme for the chosen status.
Filing and obtaining the status
Documents, checks, decision.
Schengen access at your level
You use Schengen within the limits of your status.
05 / Key facts
What you need to know
01What it is
29 countries with no internal borders
Since 2025: 25 EU countries, all except Ireland and Cyprus, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
02Visa-free
Up to 90 days in 180
Trips and short visits with no right to work. Days are counted across all Schengen countries together.
03Residence permit
Living in one country
A golden visa or other residence permit gives the right to live in the issuing country and travel in Schengen.
04EU citizenship
Live and work anywhere
Only an EU passport gives the right to live and work in any EU country.
Common mistakes
Thinking a Caribbean passport lets you live in Europe
To move, choose residence or a route to EU citizenship.
Overstaying the 90/180 limit
Count days across all Schengen countries together over any 180 days.
Working while visa-free
Get a residence or work permit to work.
Overpaying for residence just to travel
If you only need to travel, a visa-free passport is enough.
06 / Expert advice
How to prepare in advance
Start with an honest goal: do you need travel, relocation, work or a fallback option — the status depends on it. For free entry a visa-free passport is enough; to live in the country you need a residence permit (Golden Visa); to work throughout the EU, citizenship. That way you do not overpay for a status you do not need, and you do not run into the limits of the one you do.
What we do for you. We start from your real goal — travel, relocation, work or a fallback option — and choose a status to match. If you only need free entry, you do not overpay for a residence permit; if you need to relocate, we go straight towards residence or EU citizenship, with no wasted intermediate steps.
Anna KovalevskayaLead lawyer for EU citizenship and residency, 12 years of practice
07 / Questions
Frequently asked questions
No. It gives visa-free entry to the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any six months — it is about travel, with no right to work or live there permanently. To relocate you need a residence permit (Golden Visa) or the citizenship of an EU country.
29 European countries: Bulgaria and Romania fully joined on 1 January 2025. There are no border controls between them inside the area, so with a valid visa or status you move freely across all of them.
At any moment, your total stay in the Schengen area over the preceding 180 days must not exceed 90 days. The days are counted across all the countries of the area together, not for each one separately.
Not quite. They are different, though overlapping, groupings. Some EU countries are in Schengen, and there are Schengen members that are not in the EU. For travel, it is the Schengen area that matters.
No. A Golden Visa is a residence permit for a particular country: the right to live there and travel in the Schengen area. Only EU citizenship allows you to work throughout the European Union.
Through the citizenship of an EU country. There is no direct EU passport by investment at present: Malta’s MEIN programme was discontinued on 24.07.2025. The main routes are a residence permit followed by naturalisation.
Related terms
INITIAL ASSESSMENT
Tell us what outcome your family needs
We will design a solution for your case, choose the country and the right status, and take the whole process through to the result.
