Last updated: 12 August 2026 · Reviewed by Małgorzata Zep, lawyer and travel industry specialist
Schengen is the name of a village in Luxembourg — and of the area where 29 European countries abolished checks at their shared borders. This page explains what the word means, which countries belong, and the distinctions people most often get wrong.
What Does “Schengen” Mean?
Schengen is a wine-growing village of about 500 residents on Luxembourg’s border with Germany and France. On 14 June 1985, five countries signed an agreement there to remove checks between them: Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.
The name stuck. Today “Schengen” refers to three different things, and the context tells you which:
- the Agreement — the 1985 treaty and the 1990 Convention implementing it
- the Area (also called the Schengen zone) — the territory of the 29 participating countries
- a Schengen visa — the short-stay visa valid across that whole territory
How it is spelled
The correct spelling is Schengen. Common misspellings include Shengen, Shenghen, Schengan and Schemgen. If you are searching for official information, the spelling matters: consulate and EU pages use only the correct form.
Which Countries Are in the Schengen Area?
There are 29 members: 25 of the 27 EU states, plus four non-EU countries.
EU members in Schengen (25)
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden.
Non-EU members (4)
Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland participate fully without being EU members. So yes — Switzerland is in Schengen, though it is not in the European Union.
Recent changes
- Croatia joined in January 2023.
- Romania and Bulgaria became full members on 1 January 2025, after land border checks were lifted.
Schengen Is Not the Same as the EU
This is the single most common confusion, and it has practical consequences.
| Country | EU | Schengen |
|---|---|---|
| Germany, France, Spain | yes | yes |
| Ireland | yes | no — opted out, keeps its own border checks |
| Cyprus | yes | not yet — committed to joining, not yet applying the rules |
| Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein | no | yes |
What this means for a traveller: a Schengen visa does not admit you to Ireland, and it does not admit you to the United Kingdom, which left the EU and was never in Schengen. Both require their own visas. Norway and Switzerland, despite being outside the EU, accept a Schengen visa.
What Actually Happens at the Borders
Internal borders have no routine checks — you can drive from Portugal to Poland without showing a passport. Two things are worth knowing:
- Carry your document anyway. Police may check identity inside the zone, and airlines require ID for internal flights.
- Checks can return temporarily. Members may reintroduce internal border controls for limited periods on security grounds, and several have done so.
The external border is where the real check happens, and since 12 October 2025 the Entry/Exit System (EES) records it — fingerprints and a facial image instead of a passport stamp. EES became fully operational on 10 April 2026. From Q4 2026, visa-exempt visitors will also need ETIAS: an online authorisation costing €20 and valid three years.
The Schengen Information System
Removing internal checks required a shared database. The Schengen Information System (SIS) lets national authorities across the zone share alerts on wanted persons, missing people, refused-entry decisions and stolen property. It is why a refusal issued by one member state affects your standing in all of them.
Who Needs a Visa
Roughly 450 million people live in the Schengen Area, and rules differ by nationality:
- Citizens of member states move freely; EU citizens also have the right to live and work in any member state.
- Visa-exempt nationalities (including the UK, US, Canada, Japan, Brazil) enter without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period, counted across the whole zone — not per country. ETIAS applies from late 2026.
- Everyone else needs a short-stay Schengen visa: €90 for adults, €45 for children aged 6–11, a decision within 15 calendar days, and travel insurance covering €30,000 in medical expenses.
⚠️ The insurance requirement applies to visa applicants only. Visa-free travellers are not legally required to hold it, though medical costs in Europe make it sensible.
For how the zone functions day to day — the 90/180 count, what EES changed, main destination rules — see how the Schengen Area works.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Schengen countries are there in 2026?
29. That is 25 EU member states plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
Is Switzerland part of Schengen?
Yes, since 2008 — even though Switzerland is not an EU member. A Schengen visa is valid there.
Are the UK and Ireland in the Schengen Area?
No. Ireland is an EU member that opted out and keeps its own border checks. The UK left the EU and was never in Schengen. Each requires its own visa.
What is the difference between the Schengen Area and the EU?
The EU is a political and economic union of 27 states. Schengen is a border arrangement of 29 countries. Ireland is in the EU but not Schengen; Norway and Switzerland are in Schengen but not the EU.
What is the Schengen zone?
Another name for the Schengen Area — the same 29 countries. “Zone”, “region” and “Area” are used interchangeably.
Why is it called the Schengen Agreement?
Because it was signed in the village of Schengen, Luxembourg, on 14 June 1985 — chosen as a neutral point where the borders of Luxembourg, Germany and France meet.
