The 29 Schengen countries and what the list means for travellers

The complete list of Schengen countries

The Schengen Area has 29 members: 25 EU countries and four non-EU countries. Bulgaria and Romania are the newest full members, having joined on 1 January 2025. The following table is the complete alphabetical list, based on the countries listed by GOV.UK: Travelling to the EU and Schengen area.

A visa-exempt traveller has one combined allowance across this whole list. A stay in France, followed by Norway and then Italy, is not three separate 90-day allowances.

Schengen zone countries: EU membership is a separate question

EU membership and Schengen membership overlap heavily, but they are different arrangements. Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein are in Schengen without being EU members. Ireland and Cyprus are EU members outside Schengen. For how the arrangement works day to day, see what the Schengen area is.

The practical result is that an EU flag does not tell a traveller whether days count towards the Schengen allowance. The European Commission provides background on the arrangement and its member states at European Commission: the Schengen area. For the rule itself, see this explanation of the Schengen 90/180 rule in 2026.

For visa-exempt nationals, the limit is a maximum of 90 days in any rolling 180-day period. Leaving the area does not reset the count. Both the arrival date and departure date count as days in Schengen.

Is the UK in Schengen?

No. The UK is not in Schengen, so days spent in the UK do not use a traveller’s Schengen 90-day allowance. A UK passport holder entering one of the 29 countries as a visa-exempt visitor must still keep within the shared rolling limit.

Travel between Schengen countries normally has no internal-border checks, so a journey can pass through several countries without a new entry record at each frontier. That convenience does not create separate national allowances: the days remain part of the same total. Check the official source before travel if a route may be affected by temporary border measures.

At the Schengen external border, the EU Entry/Exit System, EES, is fully in place. It records passport data, fingerprints and a facial image on a first entry, and since 10 April 2026 records every entry and exit rather than using passport stamps. EES calculates the days used automatically, though travellers should retain their own accurate trip history.

Is Ireland in Schengen?

No. Ireland is an EU member outside Schengen. Time spent in Ireland does not count towards the Schengen 90 days in 180, and time spent in Schengen does not reduce any separate permission a traveller may have for Ireland.

This makes Ireland relevant when planning longer European itineraries, particularly when it is used between two Schengen stays. Entry and exit arrangements are separate from those of the Schengen Area, so travellers should check the official source for their nationality and route. Read more in Is Ireland in Schengen.

Is Cyprus in Schengen?

No. Cyprus is an EU member outside Schengen and has its own separate 90 days in 180 rule. Days in Cyprus do not count towards the Schengen allowance, and Schengen stays do not reduce the separate Cyprus count.

Cyprus still stamps passports by hand rather than using EES. Its position has an additional planning consequence: ETIAS is intended to cover 30 European countries, the 29 Schengen members plus Cyprus, once ETIAS starts.

ETIAS is a travel authorisation rather than a visa, and it does not change the 90-day limit. As of 16 October 2026, ETIAS is not in operation and no applications are being collected. A news article on the official ETIAS website, dated 16 April 2026, said UK nationals would need it “starting from the last quarter of this year”, but that was not a confirmed launch date; check the official source before applying. More detail is available in Is Cyprus in Schengen.

Non-Schengen countries in Europe and the 90-day count

For the Schengen calculation, time in the UK, Ireland and Cyprus is outside the shared 29-country total. Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Serbia, Kosovo and Turkey are also outside Schengen, so days there do not count against the Schengen allowance.

This does not mean that every destination has the same entry conditions or permitted stay. Each country has its own rules, and those can change, so check the official source for the passport being used. The table gives a quick answer for destinations travellers commonly compare with Schengen.

Monaco, San Marino, Vatican City and Andorra are not among the 29 listed above. Check the official source before relying on any assumption about how time in those places is treated.

How to count a trip across Schengen and non-Schengen countries

Count every calendar day from arrival to departure in a Schengen country, including both dates. Then look back 180 days from each day of the proposed trip and total all Schengen days in that moving period. Countries outside Schengen can break up an itinerary, but they do not erase earlier Schengen days.

For example, a UK traveller arrives in Paris on 1 May 2026 and leaves France on 10 May. That is 10 Schengen days. They then spend 11 to 25 May in Ireland, which adds no Schengen days. They enter Spain on 26 May and leave on 4 June, adding 10 more days. The trip has used 20 Schengen days in total, provided there were no earlier Schengen days still within the relevant 180-day window.

A rolling calculation becomes harder when several previous trips are involved because old days drop out one by one. Entorii can store actual trips, show the days that will fall out of the window and test a future itinerary before booking.

Keep the country list and your travel record together

The current list is straightforward: 29 countries share one Schengen visitor allowance, while nearby European destinations may operate outside it. The more important task is applying that list to the exact dates in a traveller’s 180-day window.

Before travelling, confirm border requirements with the relevant official authority, especially if an itinerary includes Cyprus, Ireland or a newly announced system change. A current trip record and a PDF report can also help a traveller explain their dates at a border check.

Frequently asked questions

Which countries are in Schengen in 2026?

There are 29 Schengen countries in 2026, listed in the table above. Bulgaria and Romania became full members on 1 January 2025.

Is the UK in Schengen?

No, the UK is outside the Schengen Area. Time spent in the UK therefore does not count towards the shared Schengen 90 days in 180 limit.

How does Ireland's status outside Schengen affect the 90-day rule?

Days in Ireland do not count towards the Schengen 90-day allowance. Ireland has separate entry rules, so travellers should check the official source for their passport.

How does Cyprus's separate 90-day rule work?

Cyprus has its own 90 days in 180 rule, separate from Schengen. Time in Cyprus does not reduce Schengen days, and time in Schengen does not reduce the Cyprus allowance.

Which non-Schengen countries in Europe do not use the Schengen allowance?

The UK, Ireland, Cyprus, Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Serbia, Kosovo and Turkey are outside Schengen. Days in those destinations do not count against the shared Schengen total.

When will ETIAS affect UK travellers visiting Schengen countries?

ETIAS is not yet in operation as of 16 October 2026, and no applications are being collected. The EU will announce a specific start date before launch, so check the official source before travel.