What is the Schengen Information System?
April 16, 2025
“Active in the European Union.”
——-
Border security is very much in the news in the United States. So we thought it would be interesting to look at what the European Union has in place since there are essentially no borders within member States.
The Schengen Information System (SIS) is the most widely used and largest information sharing system for security and border management in Europe. As there are no internal borders between Schengen countries in Europe, SIS compensates for border controls and is the most successful cooperation tool for border, immigration, police, customs and judicial authorities in the EU and the Schengen associated countries.
Today, the Schengen area covers over 4 million square kilometres with a population of almost 420 million people, and includes 27 countries
The Schengen Information System (SIS) is a large-scale information system that enables cooperation among Schengen member states for the purpose of maintaining public security and order. It facilitates the exchange of data related to individuals and objects of interest, such as missing persons, criminals, stolen vehicles, and lost or stolen documents.
Schengen is the name of a small village in Luxembourg, on the border with Germany and France, where the Schengen Agreement and the Schengen Convention were signed in 1985 and in 1990 respectively.
The SIS allows Schengen countries to share real-time information about individuals who are prohibited from entering or staying within the Schengen Area, which is a group of European countries that have abolished passport and other types of border controls at their mutual borders. The system also aids in the detection and prevention of crime, terrorism, and illegal immigration.
The SIS operates as a central database accessible to law enforcement agencies, border control authorities, and other authorized entities in participating countries. It contains various alerts and records, including alerts for wanted persons, alerts for missing persons, alerts for persons subject to discreet checks or specific checks, alerts for persons to be refused entry, alerts for objects, and alerts for persons for the purpose of arrest for extradition.
The SIS plays a crucial role in enhancing security and cooperation among Schengen member states by enabling the swift exchange of information across borders. However, concerns have been raised about data protection and privacy issues, leading to ongoing efforts to balance security needs with individual rights and freedoms within the framework of the SIS.
