Four structures explained
European Union (EU) — 27 full members
A political and economic union with shared laws, trade agreements and institutional governance — parliament, court, central bank.
EU membership does not automatically mean Schengen membership.
Schengen Area — 29 members
A zone of 29 countries that have abolished passport control at their mutual borders. A Schengen visa allows free movement within this zone without additional border checks.
Your Schengen visa covers these countries — not "EU countries".
European Economic Area (EEA) — 21 members
Extends the EU's single market to Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. EEA members enjoy free movement of goods, services, capital and people — but the three non-EU members are not bound by EU political institutions.
EEA non-EU countries are also in Schengen but not governed by EU law.
Eurozone — 20 members
EU countries that adopted the euro (€) as their official currency. Switching to the euro is a separate process from joining the EU; some countries (e.g. Sweden, Czech Republic) chose not to.
Eurozone membership has no bearing on your visa rights.
Country membership table
Cross-reference each European country against the four structures.
| Country | EU | Schengen | EEA | Eurozone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Belgium | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bulgaria | ✓ | ✓ | — | — |
| Croatia | ✓ | ✓ | — | ✓ |
| Cyprus | ✓ | — | — | ✓ |
| Czech Republic | ✓ | ✓ | — | — |
| Denmark | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — |
| Estonia | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Finland | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| France | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Germany | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Greece | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Hungary | ✓ | ✓ | — | — |
| Ireland | ✓ | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Iceland | — | ✓ | ✓ | — |
| Italy | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Latvia | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Liechtenstein | — | ✓ | ✓ | — |
| Lithuania | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Luxembourg | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Malta | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Netherlands | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Norway | — | ✓ | ✓ | — |
| Poland | ✓ | ✓ | — | — |
| Portugal | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Romania | ✓ | ✓ | — | — |
| Slovakia | ✓ | ✓ | — | ✓ |
| Slovenia | ✓ | ✓ | — | ✓ |
| Spain | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Sweden | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — |
| Switzerland | — | ✓ | — | — |
Special cases
- Cyprus 🇨🇾 — EU member, Eurozone, but not in Schengen. A separate Cypriot visa is required (separate visa rules apply).
- Ireland 🇮🇪 — EU member, Eurozone, but opted out of Schengen. Maintains the Common Travel Area with the UK.
- Bulgaria & Romania 🇧🇬🇷🇴 — Land borders open 1 January 2025; full members of Schengen. Joined the EU in 2007.
- Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Switzerland — Schengen + EEA, but not EU members.
Brexit & the UK
The UK left the EU on 31 January 2020 and was never a Schengen member. UK passport-holders travel visa-free for short stays (up to 90 days in any 180-day period) but will need ETIAS once it launches.
Need a Schengen visa?
If you're visa-required for short stays in Schengen, our wizard prepares the file in about 20 minutes for any of the 29 member states.
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