Everything you need to know about the 29 member countries, who’s not in the zone, and what’s changed in 2026.
The Schengen Area is the world’s largest free travel zone. Once you’ve crossed into one of its member countries, you can move between the others without showing your passport again, the same way you might travel between English counties. For anyone planning a European trip, knowing exactly which countries are in (and which aren’t) is the difference between a smooth journey and an awkward conversation at a border.
As of 2026 there are 29 Schengen countries. Bulgaria and Romania were the most recent to join, achieving full membership on 1 January 2025. Croatia joined a couple of years earlier, on 1 January 2023. Together these countries cover most of mainland Europe, but several places people assume are inside the zone (Ireland, Cyprus, the United Kingdom) are not.
Here’s the full list, plus everything you need to know about which countries fall outside the zone, what’s changed recently, and how all of this affects your 90 days of allowed stay.
The 29 Schengen countries (alphabetical)
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bulgaria (joined 2025)
- Croatia (joined 2023)
- Czech Republic (also called Czechia)
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Italy
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania (joined 2025)
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
Of these 29 countries, 25 are also members of the European Union. The other four (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) are not in the EU but participate fully in Schengen through separate agreements. We’ll come back to why that distinction matters in a moment.
If you’re planning a multi-country trip and trying to keep track of how many days you’ve spent in the zone, the Schengen Calculator 90/180 app does the maths for you and warns you before you risk an overstay.
What does “Schengen” actually mean?
The Schengen Agreement was signed in 1985 in a small village called Schengen, in Luxembourg, by five founding countries: Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. The idea was simple. Stop checking passports at every internal border and treat the participating countries as one shared travel zone. After ten years of negotiation, the agreement came into force in 1995, and the zone has been expanding ever since.
Today, Schengen membership means three things in practice:
- No routine passport checks when crossing a border between member countries
- A common short-stay visa that’s valid across the whole zone
- Shared rules for non-EU visitors, including the 90/180 day limit on short stays
It’s worth noting that “Schengen” and “EU” are not the same thing. There’s significant overlap, but they’re separate clubs with different rules and different members. Confusing the two is one of the most common reasons travellers get caught out at borders.
EU vs Schengen: What’s the difference and why it matters
The European Union has 27 member states. The Schengen Area has 29. A few countries are in one but not the other, and a few are in both, so the overlap looks like this:
In both the EU and Schengen (25 countries): Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden.
In Schengen but not the EU (4 countries): Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland.
In the EU but not Schengen (2 countries): Cyprus, Ireland.
For most short-stay visitors, only the Schengen list matters. Your 90 days of allowed stay apply across all 29 Schengen countries combined, not per country. So spending two weeks in France, then three weeks in Spain, then a month in Germany counts as 71 days against your allowance, even though you haven’t gone over 90 days in any single country.
Schengen members that aren’t in the EU
The four non-EU members all belong to the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and joined Schengen through separate agreements rather than EU treaties. For a visitor, the distinction is invisible at the border. You enter Norway exactly the same way you enter France, and your time there counts toward the same 90-day total.
- Iceland joined Schengen in 1996. The North Atlantic island is best known for its volcanic landscapes and the northern lights.
- Norway also joined in 1996. Despite voting twice against EU membership, Norway has been part of Schengen for almost three decades.
- Switzerland joined in 2008 after a national referendum. The Swiss are not in the EU but remain one of the most integrated non-members.
- Liechtenstein joined in 2011. It’s the smallest Schengen country by population, sandwiched between Switzerland and Austria.
EU countries that are not in Schengen
This is where most people get tripped up. Two EU countries operate their own border controls and are not part of the Schengen zone.
Ireland opted out of Schengen when it joined the EU because it shares a Common Travel Area with the UK (which was, at the time, an EU member). The arrangement allows free movement between Ireland and Britain, and Ireland has chosen to keep that priority over joining Schengen. Time spent in Ireland does not count toward your Schengen 90 days.
Cyprus is an EU member committed by treaty to join Schengen, but technical and political obstacles, including the long-running division of the island, have delayed its accession for years. Cyprus participates in some elements of Schengen cooperation but has not yet abolished its internal border controls. Membership has been targeted for 2026, although there’s no firm date as of writing.
Countries often mistaken for Schengen members
Several other places get confused for Schengen members. Here are the most common.
The United Kingdom has never been part of Schengen, even when it was in the EU. The UK kept its own immigration system throughout, and following Brexit it sits firmly outside both the EU and Schengen. UK citizens can still travel to Schengen countries for up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa, but they’re now subject to the same rules as other non-EU visitors.
Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory and not in the Schengen zone. Ongoing negotiations have proposed bringing Gibraltar under Schengen rules through an arrangement with Spain, but until that treaty is finalised, Gibraltar continues to operate its own separate border.
Turkey, Serbia, Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia are all outside both the EU and Schengen. Each has its own immigration rules. Time spent in these countries does not count toward your Schengen 90-day allowance, which is why some long-term travellers use the Western Balkans as a kind of reset zone between Schengen stays.
For a full breakdown of which European countries sit outside the zone and how to use them when planning a longer trip, see our guide to non-Schengen countries in Europe.
Recent additions: Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia
The Schengen Area has grown significantly in the last few years. Croatia joined on 1 January 2023, becoming the first new member since 2011. Bulgaria and Romania were initially admitted for air and sea travel only on 31 March 2024, with full integration including land borders following on 1 January 2025.
These changes have meaningful consequences for travellers. Trips to all three countries now count toward your 90/180 allowance, and entry no longer requires a separate national visa for those who already hold a valid Schengen visa.
How the 90/180 rule works across the zone
This is the part where many people slip up. The 90/180 rule allows non-EU visitors to spend up to 90 days inside the Schengen Area within any rolling 180-day period. Two things catch people out.
First, it’s the whole zone, not each country. A week in Paris, a week in Rome and a week in Berlin counts as 21 days against your allowance, not 7.
Second, it’s a rolling window. Every day you’ve spent in Schengen during the previous 180 days counts. There’s no annual reset on 1 January, no fresh start when you fly home for a fortnight.
For a full breakdown with worked examples, see our guide on how the Schengen 90/180 day rule works.
Tracking this manually is harder than it sounds, especially across multiple trips. The Schengen Travel app keeps a live count of your remaining days and flags potential overstays before they happen.
What’s changed in 2026: EES and ETIAS
Two new systems are reshaping how borders work across the Schengen Area in 2026.
The Entry/Exit System (EES) became fully operational on 10 April 2026 across all 29 member countries. It replaces manual passport stamping with a digital record of entries and exits, captured using fingerprints and a facial photo on your first crossing. For travellers, the practical effect is that overstays are now tracked automatically and you no longer get a passport stamp on your way in or out.
ETIAS, the European Travel Information and Authorisation System, is launching in late 2026. It’s a pre-travel authorisation requirement for visa-exempt visitors, including UK, US, Canadian, Australian and other non-EU passport holders. ETIAS costs €20, lasts three years, and is similar in concept to the US ESTA. It does not replace your passport. You still travel as before, but you’ll need to apply online before your first trip after the system goes live.
Neither EES nor ETIAS changes the 90/180 rule. They make it easier to enforce, not stricter on paper.
Frequently asked questions
How many countries are in the Schengen Area?
There are 29 Schengen countries as of 2026: 25 EU members plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
What is a Schengen country?
A Schengen country is one of the 29 European nations that have agreed to abolish internal border controls and operate a shared visa policy. Once admitted to one Schengen country, you can travel to any other without further passport checks.
What is a Schengen flight?
A Schengen flight is one that departs from and arrives at airports inside the Schengen Area. These flights are treated like domestic flights for border purposes, so passengers don’t pass through immigration on arrival. Flights to or from non-Schengen countries do require a border check.
What does non-Schengen mean?
“Non-Schengen” simply means a country or territory outside the Schengen Area. At airports, non-Schengen gates are used for flights arriving from or departing to countries outside the zone, where passport control is required.
Is the UK a Schengen country?
No. The UK has never been part of Schengen, and is not part of the EU since Brexit. UK citizens can visit Schengen countries for up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa, but the time still counts toward the 90/180 allowance.
Is Ireland in Schengen?
No. Ireland is an EU member but opted out of Schengen to maintain its Common Travel Area with the UK. Time in Ireland does not count toward your 90 days in Schengen.
Is Cyprus in Schengen?
Not yet. Cyprus is an EU member committed to joining Schengen, with accession targeted around 2026, although no firm date has been set.