The 29 Schengen countries
The Schengen area is made up of 29 countries: 25 European Union member states and 4 that are outside the EU (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland). There are no internal border checks between them, and for visitors from elsewhere they work as a single territory: one Schengen visa covers all of them, and every day you spend in any of them goes into the same count of 90 days in any 180-day period.
The full list: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
The most recent members are Croatia, which joined on 1 January 2023, and Bulgaria and Romania, which joined on 1 January 2025.
To see how many days you have left, use the Schengen 90/180 calculator. How those days are counted is in the 90/180 rule guide.
Schengen and the EU are different lists
The two lists do not match:
- Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein are in Schengen but not in the EU. Days there count towards your 90.
- Ireland and Cyprus are in the EU but not in Schengen, so days there do not count.
- The euro tells you nothing either. Montenegro and Kosovo use it and are not in Schengen, while Switzerland, Denmark and Poland are in Schengen with their own currencies.
- The United Kingdom and the non-EU Balkan countries (Serbia, Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo) set their own entry rules, and a stay there does not use up Schengen days.
Ireland
The EU treaties let Ireland opt out of the Schengen rules, so it keeps its own visa and border policy within the Common Travel Area it shares with the UK. A Schengen visa does not get you into Ireland, and anyone who needs an Irish visa applies for it separately.
Cyprus
Cyprus takes part in Schengen cooperation, but the Council of the EU has not yet lifted its internal border controls, so in practice it is not a Schengen country. It issues its own national visa, days spent there do not count towards the Schengen 90, and the Entry/Exit System (EES) does not run at its borders, so passports are still stamped. Travellers who need a visa can enter with a valid double- or multiple-entry Schengen visa. Its accession is under way, so if you travel after the date of this guide, check whether it has changed.
The microstates
Four small countries surrounded by Schengen territory are not members, and each one works differently:
- Monaco has an open border with France, which runs its immigration. You enter under Schengen rules, with a Schengen visa if you need one.
- San Marino has no passport control and can only be reached through Italy. You need to have entered Schengen lawfully, and the 90 days are counted for Schengen and San Marino together.
- Vatican City can only be reached by crossing Rome, so Italy’s entry rules are the ones that apply in practice.
- Andorra is not in Schengen, and there are checks at its borders with Spain and France. Since the only way in is by road from those two countries, leaving Andorra means entering Schengen again: anyone who needs a visa must hold one valid for two or more entries, and the EES records that new entry.
Territories outside Schengen even though their country is in it
The Schengen rules only apply to the European territory of France and the Netherlands. That leaves out places that are fully French or Dutch in every political sense:
- French overseas territories: Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana, Réunion, Mayotte, Saint-Martin, Saint-Barthélemy, Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, French Polynesia, New Caledonia and Wallis and Futuna have their own entry rules. A Schengen visa does not get you in on its own: if you need a visa, you need one valid for that territory. Days there do not count towards the 90.
- The Dutch Caribbean: Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba do not apply the Schengen rules either.
- Denmark: the Faroe Islands and Greenland are in neither Schengen nor the EU. If you need a visa, it has to be a Danish one marked “valid for Greenland” or “valid for the Faroe Islands”. If you are visa-exempt for Denmark, you are visa-exempt there too.
- Norway: Svalbard is outside Schengen. Svalbard itself needs no visa, but you get there through mainland Norway, so anyone who needs a Schengen visa must have a double-entry one to come back.
Going the other way, several far-flung islands are fully in Schengen and count like anywhere else: the Canary and Balearic Islands (Spain), the Azores and Madeira (Portugal) and the Greek islands.
Ceuta and Melilla
Ceuta and Melilla are part of Spain and inside Schengen, but they have a special arrangement with the Moroccan provinces of Tetouan and Nador: registered residents of those areas can enter the two cities without a visa as long as they do not stay overnight. That arrangement does not cover travel on to mainland Spain or the rest of Schengen, which is why there are checks when leaving Ceuta and Melilla for the rest of Spain.
Frequently asked questions
If I leave for Ireland, Cyprus or the UK, does my 90-day count reset? No. Those days do not add to the count, but they do not wipe out the days you have already used either. Your Schengen days stay in the 180-day window until they drop out by date. There are worked examples in the 90/180 rule guide.
Does my Schengen visa cover Guadeloupe, Martinique or Curaçao? Not on its own. Those territories have their own rules, which you need to check separately even though the country is France or the Netherlands.
Do Bulgaria and Romania count towards the 90 days now? Yes. They have been full members since 1 January 2025.
Do I need ETIAS for Ireland? No. Ireland applies neither ETIAS nor the EES. More in our ETIAS guide.
Guide verified on 20/10/2026. Sources: European Commission, Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs, “Schengen Area” page (29 countries, 25 in the EU and 4 outside it; Bulgaria and Romania since 1/1/2025; Cyprus takes part without having lifted internal border controls; Ireland’s opt-out), last updated 27/05/2025; Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement, Article 138 (applies only to the European territory of France and the Netherlands), on EUR-Lex; Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and nyidanmark.dk, “Visa for the Faroe Islands and Greenland”; Sysselmesteren på Svalbard (Governor of Svalbard), “Entry and residence” and “Schengen visa”; gov.cy, Cyprus visas; Spanish Ministry of the Interior, border control for Moroccan nationals (Ceuta and Melilla). Monaco, San Marino, Vatican City and Andorra as set out in our destination pages, verified on 02/10/2026. Cyprus’s accession status may change: confirm it with the European Commission before you travel.