Schengen Countries List 2026: All 29, Plus Who Is Not In

Quick answer: The Schengen area has 29 countries: 25 EU members (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden) plus four non-EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. The only EU countries outside it are Ireland, which has an opt-out, and Cyprus, where internal border controls have not yet been lifted.

The Schengen Area is one of the most significant achievements in European integration — a zone where internal border controls have been abolished and people move freely across member country borders. As of 2026, 29 countries are full members, following the full accession of Bulgaria and Romania (land borders joined in January 2025 after air and sea accession in March 2024).

To count your days across these countries under the 90/180-day rule, use our Schengen 90/180-day calculator.

Is it in Schengen? Country lookup table

The 29 Schengen countries, with whether each is in the EU and uses the euro. A date appears only where an official source gives one; the European Commission's Schengen area page gives the count and names the four non-EU members; apart from Bulgaria and Romania (1 January 2025), it does not say when each country joined.

The cases people get wrong:

Sources for the tables: Schengen membership from the European Commission and the Council of the EU; Croatia's dates from Croatia's Ministry of the Interior; the 21 euro countries from the EU's countries using the euro page; the four microstates' euro agreements from the Commission's euro outside the euro area page, which names no other non-EU European country or territory in this table as using the euro. Each confused case is explained below.

All 29 Schengen Countries in 2026

European Union members in Schengen:

• Austria
• Belgium
• Bulgaria (full member as of January 2025)
• Croatia (joined 1 January 2023; air-border checks ended 26 March 2023)
• Czechia (Czech Republic)
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Hungary
• Italy
• Latvia
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Malta
• Netherlands
• Poland
• Portugal
• Romania (full member as of January 2025)
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Sweden

Non-EU countries in the Schengen Area (EFTA members):

• Iceland
• Liechtenstein
• Norway
• Switzerland

These four are not EU members. The Council of the EU describes them as "all members of the European Free Trade Association", and the Commission says the four non-EU countries "are associated" in Schengen cooperation. Checks at the internal borders between them and the other Schengen countries have been abolished, as for every Schengen member.

EU Countries NOT in the Schengen Area

Two EU member states are not full Schengen members:

Ireland — The European Commission says Ireland "is exceptionally allowed by the Schengen Protocol not to apply the Schengen rules ('opt out') so it continues to enforce its own visa and border policies". It has asked to take part in some parts of Schengen cooperation, including the Schengen Information System and judicial and police cooperation. The European Parliament notes that Ireland operates its own common travel area with the UK.

Cyprus — In the Commission's words: "Cyprus participates in the Schengen cooperation. Nevertheless, internal borders controls have not yet been abolished by the Council. The integration process into the Schengen area is currently underway." So Cyprus is not one of the 29, but it is not simply outside either.

Two practical consequences. The EU's EES site says that "In Cyprus and Ireland, despite being countries of the European Union, passports will still be stamped manually." And the EU's ETIAS site says that for travel to or from Cyprus, "the duration of your stay there will be calculated separately and does not count towards the up to 90 days" allowed in the other countries. Ireland applies its own entry rules rather than the Schengen ones. Each country sets its own visa requirements, so check them separately.

Bulgaria and Romania: Full Members Since 1 January 2025

Bulgaria and Romania joined in two steps. According to the European Commission, "The internal air and sea border controls between Bulgaria and Romania and the countries of the Schengen area were already lifted since 31 March 2024", and "On 1 January, Romania and Bulgaria became full members of the Schengen Area after the checks on persons at the internal land borders were lifted." Both count among the 29. They differ on the currency: Bulgaria is on the EU's list of euro area countries, and Romania is listed as not yet having adopted the euro.

Monaco, San Marino, Vatican City and Andorra

None of the four microstates is one of the 29 Schengen countries, and none is in the EU. All four use the euro: the Commission says they "have concluded monetary agreements with the EU" that let them mint limited quantities of euro coins with their own national side, but not issue banknotes (European Commission). Their nationals, and holders of a Vatican City State or Holy See passport, are not registered in the EES. The border arrangements differ, so here is what each official source says:

• Monaco. A 1998 decision of the Schengen Executive Committee, published in the EU's Official Journal as part of the Schengen acquis and listed on EUR-Lex as in force, records that "freedom of movement between France and Monaco was instituted prior to the entry into force of the Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement", and that under the 1963 Franco-Monegasque agreement "the French authorities apply the rules and checks laid down in the Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement when carrying out checks on the entry, stay and establishment of foreign nationals in the Principality of Monaco". Monaco's heliport and the port of La Condamine were added as authorised external border crossing points (EUR-Lex). Monaco's government tells visitors from outside the European Economic Area that they need a valid passport and a Schengen visa (some nationalities are exempt from the visa for stays under 90 days), and that "Once a Schengen visa has been obtained, a visit to the Principality can be made with no additional formalities" (Monaco government).
• San Marino. The European Commission describes "a 'de facto' absence of systematic border checks between Italy and San Marino as normally required at the external borders of the Schengen States". San Marino does not issue visas: visa-required travellers have to pass through Italy and apply for a Schengen visa with the Italian authorities. In 2024 the Commission recommended negotiating an EU agreement with San Marino whose goal "would be to lift the border checks on persons" (EUR-Lex, COM(2024) 109).
• Vatican City. Not one of the 29 Schengen countries. We found no official EU or Vatican page that describes how the border between Italy and Vatican City is controlled, so this page does not characterise it.
• Andorra. Andorra's government states: "The Principality of Andorra is not a member of the Schengen Area." Access is through France or Spain, and visitors who need a Schengen visa should get a double- or multiple-entry visa "depending on how many times you will enter the Schengen area from Andorra" (Government of Andorra). The European Commission describes "a 'de facto' absence of systematic border checks between France and Andorra as well as Spain and Andorra", and in 2024 recommended negotiating an agreement that would lift border checks on persons without making Andorra a participant in the Schengen rules (EUR-Lex, COM(2024) 108).

The Faroe Islands, Greenland and Svalbard

Denmark and Norway are Schengen members, but three of their North Atlantic and Arctic territories are not:

• Faroe Islands and Greenland. Denmark's Ministry of Foreign Affairs states: "The Faroe Islands and Greenland are not part of the Schengen cooperation and not a member of the EU, therefore a visa to Denmark and a Schengen visa does not give access to entry into the Faroe Islands and Greenland. You must apply for a visa if you come from a country with a visa requirement." (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark)
• Svalbard. The Governor of Svalbard explains that "Although Svalbard is part of Norway, the Immigration Act does not apply to the archipelago." Foreigners do not need a visa or permits from the Norwegian authorities to go to Svalbard itself, but visa-required travellers need a Schengen visa to travel via mainland Norway, and the Governor advises a double-entry visa "so you can return to the Schengen Area (mainland Norway) after your stay in Svalbard". Every traveller to Svalbard must carry a valid travel document.

If you plan to visit any of these from a Schengen country, check the entry rules for the territory itself as well as for the Schengen country you travel through.

Countries That Are NOT in Schengen (Common Misconceptions)

Several Balkan countries are EU candidates or European neighbors that people often assume are Schengen members:

• Albania — Not in Schengen (EU candidate)
• Bosnia-Herzegovina — Not in Schengen
• Kosovo — Not in Schengen (though Kosovo citizens gained visa-free access to Schengen in 2024)
• Montenegro — Not in Schengen (EU candidate)
• North Macedonia — Not in Schengen (EU candidate)
• Serbia — Not in Schengen (EU candidate)
• United Kingdom — Left the EU and is not in Schengen; has its own entry requirements for non-British visitors (ETA system launched 2024–2025)
• Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia — Not in Schengen

What Schengen Membership Means for Travelers

No passport checks at internal borders — Once you legally enter the Schengen area at one external border crossing, you can travel between all Schengen countries without showing your passport or going through immigration again. You may still carry your passport (it's your ID). The exception: the Commission notes that countries "may temporarily reintroduce internal border controls as a measure of last resort in cases of a serious threat to public policy or internal security", and when they do, you can be checked at an internal border.

Shared external border policy — All Schengen countries apply the same rules at their external borders (international airports, sea ports, and land borders with non-Schengen countries). A Schengen visa gets you into all member states, not just the one that issued it.

The 90/180 rule applies across the entire zone — Days spent in any of the 29 Schengen countries all count toward the same 90-day limit. You cannot reset it by moving between France and Germany, for example.

Schengen vs EU: Why They're Different

The EU and the Schengen Area are two separate legal frameworks with significant overlap but not identical membership.

This distinction matters when planning travel or relocation. A residence permit in Switzerland, for example, gives you Schengen area travel rights even though Switzerland is not in the EU. Conversely, living in Ireland gives you EU benefits but not automatic Schengen travel rights.

Future Schengen Expansion

Several Western Balkan countries are in EU accession processes that would eventually lead to Schengen membership, but accession timelines are uncertain and typically take many years after EU membership itself.

Within the EU, the Commission says Cyprus's "integration process into the Schengen area is currently underway". No official source we checked gives a date for lifting its internal border controls.