You may be planning a trip to Europe and started seeing and hearing people refer to the Schengen area, or Schengen zone, and maybe you wondered, “What in the world is the Schengen area?” Let me start with a broad overview. The Schengen area is a collection of European countries that have agreed to visa-free travel between the borders of the included countries.
That means that once you have entered a country in the Schengen area, you can travel without passport control to other countries also in the Schengen area. There are time restrictions and some details that we will get into below, but that is a quick summary. You may wonder how this concept got started.
Origins of the Schengen area.
In 1985, five EU countries started an intergovernmental project for a free travel area: France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. The agreement, signed in Schengen, Luxembourg, ended border controls between these countries, allowing free movement just as if moving between states in the United States. The Schengen area was born.
Since then, 24 additional countries have become part of the Schengen area, simplifying travel for citizens of all participating countries, and simplifying tourist travel after your initial entry into the first country. There are some interesting nuances to the membership of the Schengen area in comparison to the EU members.
Schengen area compared to the EU.
One of the greatest points of confusion is the differences and similarities between the Schengen area and the EU member states. To summarize before giving the details, they almost entirely overlap, with a few exceptions. But they serve two different purposes.
The European Union (EU) is a collection of 27 countries centered around political and economic interests. They operate differently for different types of policies. Some policy decisions require only a vote by the qualified majority, while others require unanimous agreement of all state governments in the Council.
The Schengen area is less about political or economic objectives (although there are economic benefits). The focus here is freedom of movement among countries. But that does not tell the whole story.
Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland are not part of the EU, but they are part of the Schengen borderless zone. And Cyprus and Ireland are both part of the EU, but not in the Schengen area. The table below gives you the full picture as of today. Without going into the weeds, I will just say there are several other exceptions like country-owned territories, Cyprus (working toward participation in the Schengen area), and other countries in line for EU membership that would then lead to participation in the Schengen area.
| Country | EU | Schengen |
| Austria | X | X |
| Belgium | X | X |
| Bulgaria | X | X |
| Croatia | X | X |
| Cyprus | X | |
| Czechia | X | X |
| Denmark | X | X |
| Estonia | X | X |
| Finland | X | X |
| France | X | X |
| Germany | X | X |
| Greece | X | X |
| Hungary | X | X |
| Iceland | X | |
| Ireland | X | |
| Italy | X | X |
| Latvia | X | X |
| Liechtenstein | X | |
| Lithuania | X | X |
| Luxembourg | X | X |
| Malta | X | X |
| Netherlands | X | X |
| Norway | X | |
| Poland | X | X |
| Portugal | X | X |
| Romania | X | X |
| Slovakia | X | X |
| Slovenia | X | X |
| Spain | X | X |
| Sweden | X | X |
| Switzerland | X |
Expect changes in the future, just as in the recent past when Bulgaria and Romania joined the Schengen area in March 2024. As the European Union continues to grow and evolve, expect this list to be different year over year.
90 days out of 180 days visa-free
For those visiting Europe as a tourist from 60+ countries including most of the Americas and Australia, you are allowed to enter the Schengen countries for 90 days out of 180 days. What does that mean? In short, the 180-day period is rolling, which means that starting from any date on the calendar forward or backward 180 days, you cannot be in the Schengen area for more than 90 days of those 180 days.
Sound confusing? Well it is, and most seasoned travelers still use a calculator like this one to make sure they do not overstay their 90 days.
The simplest approach is to use just under 90 days continuously, so there is very little calculation. I say just under because you would not want to plan for the full 90 days. You should allow for canceled flights that leave you in the Schengen area for an extra day or an unexpected extra day when in transit to a country that is outside of the Schengen area, but the airport is in the Schengen area.
That said, you can break it up and, for example, go to Greece for 28 days (in Schengen), Albania for 28 days (outside Schengen), Croatia for 28 days (In Schengen), Bosnia and Herzegovina for 28 days (outside Schengen) and finish in Slovenia for 28 days (in Schengen). At the end of that time, you will have spent 84 days in the Schengen out of 128 days of travel. You still have a few days left over to cross through the Schengen area as you continue your travels before your 180-day period is up.
The disadvantage of splitting your time back and forth between Schengen and non-Schengen countries is additional passport control. So especially for vacationers with limited time, but even for long-term roaming nomads, I highly recommend a continuous Schengen stay to maximize the benefits of free travel.
In the future, I will likely write a full post just on example scenarios with visual aids, because it can get so complicated. If you start with an online calculator, as long as you leave yourself some buffer room you will probably be fine. Just remember that this is completely on you to get right. If you overstay your 90 days, it can have financial and legal implications, so be careful to properly count your days.
If you are a typical tourist on a multi-week European vacation, the Schengen area makes your life much easier if you are staying only in the Schengen area. You will have passport control on initial Schengen entry to your first country, then when you go home, and nowhere in between, so be thankful and enjoy your vacation!
