The Schengen area: 29 countries, one border
The Schengen area is the world’s largest free-travel zone: 29 European countries that abolished passport checks at their shared borders. One entry covers the whole area, and one clock — 90 days in any 180 — governs how long visitors can stay.
Below: every member country with its accession date, the documents you need at the external border, a visa checker for your passport and a 90/180 day calculator.
Schengen, EU, Eurozone — not the same thing
The three overlap but answer different questions: who checks your passport, who makes the laws, and what’s in your wallet.
Schengen — 29 countries
The border zone. No systematic checks between members; 4 of them (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland) aren’t in the EU at all.
European Union — 27
The political and economic union. 25 EU members are in Schengen; Cyprus and Ireland are not.
Eurozone
The currency union. Several Schengen countries keep their own money — Switzerland (CHF), Norway (NOK), Iceland (ISK), Czechia, Denmark, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Sweden.
Member countries
All 29 Schengen members, when they joined, whether they’re in the EU and what currency you’ll pay with. Tap a country for its entry rules.
Edge cases worth knowing
Micro-states
Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City are not formal members but keep open borders with their Schengen neighbours — you enter them via France, Spain or Italy.
Cyprus & Ireland
The two EU countries outside the area: Cyprus is set to join, while Ireland stays out and runs a Common Travel Area with the UK. A Schengen visa doesn’t cover them.
Temporary checks
Members may reintroduce internal border controls for limited periods. Carry your passport or ID even inside the area — airlines check documents anyway.
Plan your entry
Do you need a Schengen visa?
Pick your passport and get one verdict for all 29 countries — visa-free, or a single short-stay visa that covers the whole area.
Open90/180 calculator
Add your trips and see how many visa-free days you have left in the rolling 180-day window — and when days free up again.
OpenEES & ETIAS
Biometric entry registration is already live, and the ETIAS travel authorisation arrives next. What changes for visitors.
OpenInvitation letters
Staying with friends or family? What a private invitation proves, what an official sponsorship form adds, and how your host gets one.
OpenVisa statistics
How many Schengen visas were applied for and refused in 2025, consulate by consulate — official European Commission figures.
OpenTravel insurance for Europe
What an EHIC or GHIC actually covers, where the €30,000 visa minimum applies, and which type of policy fits your trip.
OpenFrequently asked questions
29: 25 EU members plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Bulgaria and Romania became full members on 1 January 2025.
No. Schengen is about borders, the EU about laws and markets. Four Schengen countries aren’t in the EU, and two EU countries — Cyprus and Ireland — aren’t in Schengen.
Visitors who don’t need a visa (and holders of short-stay visas) may spend at most 90 days within any rolling 180-day window in the whole area combined — one shared allowance, not per country.
Citizens of EU/EEA countries and Switzerland can cross any Schengen border with a national ID card. Everyone else needs a passport — typically valid for 3 months beyond departure and issued within the last 10 years.
Not systematically — land borders are open and flights between members are treated like domestic ones. But temporary controls happen and airlines verify documents, so keep your passport or ID at hand.
Yes. A uniform short-stay (type C) visa lets you enter and move around the entire area. Apply at the consulate of your main destination or first entry country.
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