The EU and Schengen Area Explained

The European Union

List of countries that are part of the European Union:

A Quick Rundown:

• The EU (European Union) is a political and economic partnership between 27 European countries that work together under a set of shared rules.
• Think of it as a partnership — member countries remain independent and keep their own identities, but they agree on shared rules for things like:
  • Studying abroad
  • Working across borders
  • Consumer rights
  • Keeping cross-border travel simple
• For example, an Irish person living in Germany has nearly the same rights as a native-born German — that’s the power of EU membership.
• If you have an EU passport, you can freely travel, move and work, visa free in all other EU countries.
• For travellers, the EU matters because it creates consistency – similar safety standards, easier data roaming rules, and in most countries, the shared currency.
  • It’s important to remember that not all countries in the EU use the Euro as their national currency. These countries include: Bulgaria, Czechia (Czech Republic), Denmark, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Sweden.
• You can find the full list of EU member states and their rights on the official European Union website

The Schengen Area and Visa Rules

List of countries in the Schengen Area

A Quick Rundown:

• The Schengen Area is the world’s largest free travel zone — and the reason you can backpack across most of Europe without showing your passport at every border.
• It’s made up of 29 countries that have agreed to remove internal borders.
• This means travellers can move freely between Schengen countries without passport checks — as if you were travelling domestically.

Visa Rules:

• One Schengen visa lets you visit all 29 member countries — you don’t need separate visas for each.
• Most Importantly: The 90-day rule – You can stay up to 90 days within any 180-day period across the entire Schengen Area.
  • When tracking your visa days, treat the entire Schengen Area as one country.
• There are usually no passport checks when crossing borders within the Schengen Area (e.g. flying from France to Italy or catching the train from Germany to Switzerland).
  • There are still occasional border checks for all modes of transport (car, plane, train, bus) crossing borders – even though they are quite rare.
• You can use the European Commission’s official short-stay calculator to check your remaining days.

*Note: It’s important to note that not all EU countries are part of the Schengen Area and not all countries that are part of the Schengen Area are part of the EU. This means that the countries in the EU but not in the Schengen Area (Ireland, Cyprus) have their own separate visa rules.

What about the Micro-States?

There are 4 micro-states in Europe that are technically not part of the EU or the Schengen Area. These are: Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City.

Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City aren’t technically in the Schengen Area; however they operate under the Schengen Area 90-day rule. Meaning any day spent in these areas counts as a day towards your 90 days.

Andorra, however, is a different story. If you can get an exit stamp at the Spanish or French border, your Schengen 90-day clock technically pauses. But you must get the stamp — without it, your days keep counting.

What Does This Mean for Countries not in the Schengen Area

Countries not part of the Schengen Area:

Countries not in the Schengen Area have their own border control and visa rules. You will always be stopped at border control when entering these countries.

Most of these countries offer a similar arrangement: a 90-day tourist visa within a 180-day rolling period.

So if you want to stay in Europe for longer than 90 days, you can. For example, you could spend 90 days in the Schengen Area, travel to a non-Schengen country (like the UK, Turkey, or the Balkans) for 90 or more days, and then return to the Schengen Area for another 90 days.