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From 5 April 2010, in accordance with the Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 March 2010 amending the Convention Implementing the Schengen Agreement and Regulation (EC) No 562/2006 as regards movement of persons with a long-stay visa (OJ L 85, 31.03.2010. p. 1), the holders of national visas marked D will be able to move through the territory of the Schengen countries for three months in any half-year period if they meet the other conditions for entry into the Schengen States, i.e.:

• they have a valid travel document

• they will justify the purpose and conditions of the intended stay and have sufficient means of subsistence, both during the intended stay and for the return to their country of residence or transit to a third country to which a person is guaranteed to enter, or are able to legally acquire such means;
• their data are not included in the Schengen Information System for the purposes of refusing entry;
• they are not considered persons, which may undermine public order, security or international relations of one of the Contracting Parties.

SCHENGEN AREA

The Schengen countries are:

Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Spain, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Germany, Portugal, Sweden, Italy, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, and Norway and Iceland (last two countries are Schengen countries not belonging to the EU).  Recently, Switzerland joined the Schengen area, another country outside the EU (from 12 December 2008 checks at land borders were abolished, from 29 March 2009 checks at air border crossings are to be abolished as well).

Let us note that Great Britain and Ireland are the EU Member States that do not belong to the Schengen countries.  Also Cyprus, Bulgaria and Romania do not belong to the Schengen area.