Breakdown of European Union Countries—Plus, Other Things to Know

Here’s the low-down…

• The Schengen Area was first established in 1985 and includes 29 countries; the European Union (EU) was established in 1993 and includes 27 countries
• In 2026, Americans need to complete an ETIAS form to enter Schengen and/or the EU
• Seven EU countries don’t use the Euro

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If you’re heading to Europe, there are three important geopolitical factors you need to think of. (Apologies for bringing up geopolitics—it’s never my intention to bore you!)

The first is figuring out which countries are part of Europe’s Schengen area. The second is figuring out which countries are part of the European Union. Then, from there, you need to know which EU states actually use the Euro.

That’s right—Schengen, the EU, and the Euro all operate differently. Just because a country is part of Schengen doesn’t make it part of the EU. And just because a country is part of the EU, that doesn’t mean it uses the Euro. Throw in other considerations, like the Nordic Passport Union and the UK’s Brexit, and things get even more complicated.

 Let me simplify things for you as someone who has lived in the EU for seven years—and someone who, at one point, got her Schengen countries mix-up and got fined for it.

The EU vs the Schengen area

Want to know something kind of mindblowing? Schengen is older than the European Union. The Schengen area was first created in 1985 by five central European countries that wanted to simplify movement across the borders.

So, that’s what you need to think of when someone mentions the Schengen area: cooperation between European nations that lets you criss-cross the borders without any customs agents. (In most cases, at least.) It’s focused on free movement—mostly related to people, but also economies.

29 European countries are part of Schengen (or 30, if you count Cyprus), but some are not part of the EU. That includes Switzerland and Norway, for example. On the other hand, Cyprus has been part of the EU since 2004, but is only set to join Schengen in 2026. The reason for the Schengen delay is thanks to Cyprus’s complicated domestic borders, which divide the country.

The European Union, by contrast, is a political and economic group that unites its 27 member states based on trade, migration, agriculture, consumer rights, and much more. It was formed in 1993 after the Maastricht Treaty was signed.

Here’s what travelers need to know:

• The upcoming ETIAS forms will apply to countries in the EU and Schengen—you need one to enter both
• There are more Schengen countries than EU countries, meaning you shouldn’t face any problems when you travel from country to country

The EU vs the Euro

Most countries that are part of the European Union use the Euro—but that’s not the case across the board. A country’s currency must be stable enough to swap to the Euro; some currencies are worth too much, which could destabilize the Euro, while others need more time to develop. Other times, it’s a matter of preference.

For example, Swedish citizens voted in 2003 not to switch to the Euro. Technically, the county must adopt the Euro at some point because it’s part of the European Union—but Sweden keeps dodging the charge.

By contrast, Poland still uses its zloty currency for a few reasons. First, the currency isn’t stable or valuable enough to switch to the Euro—it could cause domestic inflation. Similar to Sweden, it seems some in Poland still aren’t certain that adopting the Euro meets their national interests.

These countries in the European Union don’t use the Euro:

• Bulgaria (set to adopt the Euro on January 1, 2026)
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Hungary
• Poland
• Romania
• Sweden

List of European Union countries—and other things travelers should know

Again, I recommend travelers focus more on European countries that are part of Schengen than the European Union. That’s because the Schengen area is tied to your travel visa, which allows Americans to stay inside its borders for 180 days per year. On top of that, the EU and Schengen are always expanding. For example, Cyprus is set to join Schengen and is now in the process of integration.

Below, you can find countries that are in the European Union, along with Schengen countries and those that use a non-Euro currency.

1. Austria
2. Belgium
3. Bulgaria (Set to adopt the Euro on January 1, 2026)
4. Croatia
5. Cyprus (part of the EU
6. Czech Republic (Uses the Czech Koruna)
7. Denmark (Uses the Danish Krone)
8. Estonia
9. Finland
10. France
11. Germany
12. Greece
13. Hungary (Uses the Hungarian Forint)
14. Iceland (Only in Schengen, not EU; uses the Icelandic Krona)
15. Italy
16. Latvia
17. Liechtenstein (Only in Schengen, not EU; uses the Liechtenstein Franc)
18. Lithuania
19. Luxembourg
20. Malta
21. Netherlands
22. Norway (Only in Schengen, not EU; uses the Norwegian Krone)
23. Poland (Uses the Zloty)
24. Portugal
25. Romania (Uses the Ieu)
26. Slovakia
27. Slovenia
28. Spain
29. Sweden (Uses the Swedish Krona)
30. Switzerland (Only in Schengen, not EU; uses the Swiss Franc)

What about the UK?

The UK is not part of Schengen or the EU. It uses the pound instead of the Euro. Because of this, citizens of the UK now must wait in the ‘foreigners’ line when entering the EU, alongside Americans. That means one thing: expect longer waits at customs lines in European airports that are popular with Brits.