List of Schengen visa countries and entry rules

The Schengen Area includes 27 States. All of them, except for three countries, are members of the European Union. Another five countries are members of the EU but have no membership in the Schengen Area. 

Let’s look at the specifics of visiting these countries.

Countries of the Schengen Area

The Schengen Area is a unique European free-movement zone. It means there are no internal border checks at airports, sea or land borders. 

Checks at internal borders are resumed for limited periods only in the event of a serious security threat. For example, it was the case at the beginning of the pandemic in the spring of 2020.

The territories of the Schengen Area and the European Union do not coincide, although many European countries belong to both the Schengen Area and the EU. 

Bulgaria, Romania and Cyprus are members of the European Union but are not parts of the Schengen Area. Still, you can enter both of these countries on a national or a Schengen visa. But national visas of these countries do not grant access to the Schengen Area. 

Countries that are part of both the Schengen Area that are and the EU:

1. Austria 
2. Belgium 
3. Croatia 
4. Czech Republic
5. Denmark 
6. Estonia 
7. Finland 
8. France 
9. Germany 
10. Greece 
11. Hungary 
12. Italy 
13. Latvia 
14. Lithuania 
15. Luxembourg 
16. Malta 
17. Netherlands 
18. Poland 
19. Portugal 
20. Slovakia 
21. Slovenia 
22. Spain 
23. Sweden

Countries that are part of the EU but not of the Schengen Area:

1. Bulgaria
2. Cyprus
3. Ireland
4. Romania

Countries that are part of the Schengen Area but not of the EU:

1. Iceland 
2. Liechtenstein 
3. Norway 
4. Switzerland

The dwarf states of Vatican City, Andorra, Monaco and San Marino do not belong to either the Schengen Area or the European Union. But a Schengen visa can be used to enter their territory. For example, the Vatican enclave can only be accessed from Italy, while Monaco can only be accessed from France.

Candidates for joining the Schengen Area

Bulgaria, Cyprus, and Romania are all candidates for becoming Schengen states. Even now, during the transition period, you can enter these countries on either a national or a Schengen visa. 

The exact date of signing the agreement is unknown: the decision will be made by the Council of the European Union. It is planned that, eventually, all EU countries will sign the Schengen Agreement.

If accession takes place, Ireland will remain the only outsider EU country. It does not participate in the Schengen legislation, maintaining passport control at its external borders and an independent visa policy. In addition, Ireland retains an essential passport-free zone with the UK, which is not a part of either the Schengen Area or the European Union.

Along with the countries with the official Schengen Candidate status, there are potential candidates — Turkey, Montenegro, Georgia, Ukraine, and Moldova. 

Joining the Schengen Agreement means meeting certain requirements defined at the Copenhagen European Council in 1993 under the name Copenhagen Criteria. 

Any European country can apply for membership if it respects the democratic values of the European Union and is interested in promoting them.

Primary criteria for joining the Schengen Agreement:

1. Stable institutions guarantee democracy, the rule of law, human rights, and respect for and protection of minorities.
2. Functioning market economy and the ability to withstand competition and the EU market.
3. Ability to effectively implement membership obligations, including the adherence to the goals of political, economic and monetary union.

Travel rules for a Schengen visa

A Schengen visa is required to visit the Schengen Area. It is valid in all 27 countries, as well as in the candidate countries of Cyprus, Bulgaria and Romania. In addition, a Schengen visa gives access to dwarf states: Vatican City, San Marino, Andorra, and Monaco.

Schengen visas can be single-entry or multiple-entry. Single-entry Schengen Visa Type A gives the right to stay in transit zones of Schengen Area airports for 2 days.  

Categories of multiple-entry Schengen visas

Due to the influx of emigrants and the fight against crime, some Schengen states introduced special border controls in 2016:

• Austria — from Slovenia and Hungary.
• Germany — on the border with neighbouring Austria.
• Denmark — on the border with Germany, as well as in seaports where German ferries arrive.
• Sweden — on the Eresun Bridge, in the southern and western ports.
• Norway — in seaports where ferries from Denmark, Germany, and Sweden arrive.
• Hungary has built a fence on the border not only with Serbia, which is not part of the Schengen agreement but also with Slovenia.

Creating the Schengen Area 

The idea of creating the Schengen Area was first officially established in 1985 in the village of Schengen in Luxembourg. Representatives of Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Germany and Luxembourg signed an agreement on the free movement of goods, capital and travellers. 

The 1985 document did not yet mention a uniform Schengen visa and retained border checks. 

In June 1990, the Convention Implementing the Schengen Agreement was signed. It listed the conditions for issuing a Schengen visa and eliminating internal border checks in the member countries. The five Schengen countries of that time were joined by two more — Spain and Portugal.

The list of the Schengen Area member countries is constantly changing: new members join, and others leave. Our website publishes official to-date data on the countries participating in the Schengen Agreement and candidates for accession. All information on movement rules within the Schengen Area is regularly updated.

Frequently Asked Questions