Schengen Area: Which countries are part of it?

Europe, Schengen Area, European Union, Euro Region… Quite similar terms but they involve monumental differences.

Knowing them will be important, especially if you’re planning a trip to any of the member territories or living in one of them.

In this post, we tell you what the Schengen Area is: Which countries are part of it?, each of the differences, as well as the specific list of territories that make up all these groupings.

What is the Schengen Area?

In 1995, an initial agreement was signed in the town of Schengen, Luxembourg, among 5 territories to remove regular borders and facilitate all kinds of movements between them.

As of today, there are already 26 territories in this treaty, giving rise to what is known as the Schengen Region or Area.

What does this territorial organization consist of?

In practical terms, we are talking about an agreement that enables the free movement of people, goods, and services among all the member countries of the area.

However, it is important not to confuse the Schengen Area with the European Union, as although many countries are part of both groups at the same time, it is not the case with all of them (in addition to involving significant legal differences).

So, why is the Schengen Area so important?

Among other reasons, for tourist trips: the requirements and criteria for access and granting of short-term visas are common throughout this area.

Thus, if you come from a non-European territory (for example, Latin America), you could travel to any territory within the Schengen Area with total freedom.

For example, you could enter through Spain and travel to Greece, Italy, and France independently.

Generally, this would happen without any border control when crossing each territory, although it is true that recently some territories have started to enforce extra controls following the terrorist attacks in recent years and the massive refugee movements.

So, to summarize, any movement between territories within the Schengen Area implies the same as moving within the same state.

Differences between the European Union and the Schengen Area

It’s quite easy to confuse the Schengen Area with the European Union, especially regarding borders and implications.

As you may already know, the EU is an agreement between 27 territories, a global organization that establishes general lines of action in areas such as business, health, education, and economy.

However, all member countries are fully independent and continue to implement their own laws as decided by their leaders, but always within the framework predetermined by the Union.

Which countries are part of the Schengen Area?

It’s quite straightforward.

Except for the countries of Eastern Europe and the microstates of Europe (Switzerland, Norway, and Iceland), all other territories on the European continent (understood as a continent) are part of the European Union.

Thus, in the Schengen Area, almost all EU countries plus Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein are included.

And what implications does this difference have?

From the perspective of mobility:

If you have a passport from the European Union (meaning you are a national of any member territory), you will be able to travel freely among all the countries that make it up, and even obtaining your residency is a fairly quick and adaptable process.

However, if you are simply a visitor (traveler), then the territorial organization that concerns you is the Schengen Area and the countries that make it up, because you will only be able to move freely within them (and in many cases, this won’t necessarily match the EU member countries).

Differences with the Eurozone

Ultimately, we found another type of territorial division, this time based on a common currency.

The Eurozone is the group of European territories that use the euro as their official currency.

It consists of 19 states, most of which are EU member states.

Additionally, there are some microstates (such as Monaco, San Marino, Andorra, and the Vatican) that use the euro by agreement (but are not members of this area).

Kosovo and Montenegro also use it without prior agreement.

Understanding which territories use this currency (and therefore are within the Eurozone) will be quite important if you are planning your trip.

Because you might make the mistake of exchanging your local currency for euros thinking that the euro is used throughout Europe, only to realize that the destination country still uses its own traditional and specific currency. Below, we show you which countries are in the Schengen Area and which countries are outside the Schengen Area in the following image.

List of territories forming the Schengen Area:

Knowing the complete list of countries in the Schengen Area is essential…

Because, as we have already mentioned, there are territories that are not part of the European Union but still remain in the Schengen Area, and vice versa: territories that are not in the Schengen Area but are in the EU.

So, what countries are in the Schengen Area?

• Austria
• Belgium
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Hungary
• Iceland
• Italy
• Latvia
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Malta
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Poland
• Portugal
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Liechtenstein

Access requirements to the member nations:

Entering any territory within the Schengen Area allows you to move freely throughout the rest of the member territories, usually without border controls.

However, this implies that you must fulfill a series of essential requirements to enter this large territory.

Schengen Visa or ETIAS:

Initially, you may need to apply for a Schengen Visa to cross the first border. Here you can check if your country requires a visa or not to enter as a tourist, as it depends on whether there is an agreement or not.

It is essential to note that we are talking about a unified visa. This means there is no specific tourist visa for Spain, another for France, etc.

If you want to enter any of these countries, you must apply for a Schengen Visa, and it is valid for all member countries equally.

Ultimately, remember that if your country does not require a visa to enter the Schengen Area, you will need to apply for the ETIAS travel permit online starting from late 2022.

Health Insurance:

However, it is also essential to have travel health insurance that meets specific requirements. Primarily, it must provide coverage in all countries within the area and cover up to €30,000.

You can find all the information and requirements for this insurance here.

Highest time within the Schengen Area

Recall that you can stay for a maximum of 90 days within this region (once they are over, you must leave or you would be in an irregular situation).

And, to re-enter, at least 3 months must have passed since your last exit.

This is known as the 90-day rule.