Which countries are in Schengen in 2026, which EU countries are not, and what that means for your visa

The 29

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland. This is the list of countries using the Entry/Exit System on the Commission's site, which is the operational definition of the area for a traveller. Four of them (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland) are not EU members but are Schengen associated countries; a uniform visa is valid in all 29 (Article 2(3), Visa Code).

EU members outside Schengen

• Ireland keeps its own visa policy; a Schengen visa is not valid there and Indian nationals need an Irish visa.
• Cyprus is an EU member that does not yet apply the Schengen rules in full; it issues its own national visas and, under its published policy, admits holders of certain valid Schengen visas without a Cypriot visa (see our also-valid page for Cyprus). Passports are stamped manually there rather than recorded in the EES.

Recent changes

Bulgaria and Romania lifted air and sea border controls with the Schengen area on 31 March 2024 and land border controls on 1 January 2025, completing their accession; the Commission's 2024 consulate statistics carry a separate sheet for their pre-accession months and the 2025 statistics treat them as full Schengen states. Croatia joined on 1 January 2023.

Not Schengen, not EU, no border post either

Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City are outside Schengen and the EU but have no controlled borders with their Schengen neighbours; entering them means, legally, leaving the Schengen area, so a single-entry visa holder should not plan a day trip to Andorra. Our also-valid pages carry the detail where an official rule exists.

What this means for a visa file

The competent state (Article 5) is one of the 29; the itinerary can cross any of them on one uniform visa; nights spent in the United Kingdom, Ireland or Türkiye do not count toward the main-destination test and do not use Schengen days, but a single-entry visa is spent when you leave for them.

FAQ

Is the UK in Schengen?

No, and it never was; it has its own visa regime.

Is Cyprus in Schengen in 2026?

Not yet in full; it is an EU member that issues national visas and manually stamps passports. It admits some Schengen visa holders under its own rules.

Are Bulgaria and Romania Schengen countries now?

Yes; full members after land border controls ended on 1 January 2025.