High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The Schengen Area is a group of twenty-five European countries which have abolished all border controls between each other. It originates from the eponymous agreement signed in the Luxembourgish town of Schengen in 1985, which has since been absorbed into the European Union. All EU members except Ireland and the United Kingdom are required to implement Schengen and with the exceptions of Bulgaria, Cyprus, and Romania have done so. Three non-member states Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland have also implemented the Schengen rules. As such, the Area currently covers a population of over 400 million people and an area of 4,312,099 square kilometres (1,664,911 sq mi). Implementing the Schengen rules involves eliminating border controls with other Schengen members while simultaneously strengthening border controls with non-member states. The rules include provisions on common policy on the temporary entry of persons (including the Schengen visa), the harmonisation of external border controls, and cross-border police and judicial co-operation.