The Schengen Association Agreement facilitates both travel between Switzerland and the European Union (EU), by lifting checks on persons at the internal borders, and improves international justice and police cooperation in the fight against crime. The Dublin Association Agreement ensures that an asylum application is only examined by one state within the Dublin Area. The Dublin criteria establish which state is responsible for dealing with an application. They prevent asylum seekers from being sent from one country to another and, when their first application for asylum has been denied, from submitting a new one in another country of the Dublin area.

Map of the Schengen area

Developments

Chronology

• 12.12.2008: Operational entry into force (at airports on 29 March 2009)
• 01.03.2008: Formal entry into force of the Agreements
• 05.06.2005: Approval by the electorate (54.6% in favour)
• 26.10.2004: Signing of the Agreements (in the framework of Bilateral Agreements II

_{Status May 2019}

Additional information