The Schengen Area has 29 member countries, according to the European Commission: 25 European Union member states plus four non-EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Bulgaria and Romania were the most recent to join, becoming full members on January 1, 2025, and checks at the internal borders between all 29 countries have been abolished.
Only two EU countries remain outside Schengen. Ireland has chosen to stay out to preserve its Common Travel Area with the United Kingdom, and Cyprus, which the Commission judged technically ready in July 2026, still needs a unanimous Council decision before it can join.
Source: European Commission, Migration and Home Affairs, “Schengen area”.
Image: Border sign near Ainaži, Latvia, by Tohaomg (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons.