What is the Schengen Area?
The Schengen Area consists of 26 European countries that permit unrestricted movement of people. The area mostly functions as a single jurisdiction for international travel purposes, with a common visa policy. The area includes most EU countries (but not all!) and non-member countries such as Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Lichtenstein.
Schengen Area Countries
The 26 countries included in the Schengen Area are Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
There are five more EU members that have not joined the Schengen zone: Ireland, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, and Cyprus.
What does the Schengen Zone mean in the airport?
Just as some airports will have Domestic and International areas within their terminals, European airports will have Schengen and non-Schengen areas.
- If you are in a Schengen airport and will be flying to another Schengen airport, you will use the Schengen Area.
- If you are in a Schengen airport and will be flying to a non-Schengen airport, you will use the non-Schengen Area.
