One of the more confusing aspects of travel to Europe for anyone from outside that continent is working out what the difference is between the European Union (E.U.) and the Schengen zone. The E.U. consists of 27 member nation states within Europe, a number that has grown over the years as one nation after another has first applied for, then been granted membership. Nearly all E.U. states are also part of the Schengen zone. However, not every E.U. country is in Schengen and even more confusing, since not every Schengen country is in the E.U.
The 26 member Schengen zone was set up to allow free movement of people within the zone across national borders, but it has a common set of rules about who is allowed to visit, work, live and study within the zone and how long they can stay.