How Countries Join the Schengen Zone: A Complete Guide

The Schengen area is a group of European countries that have agreed to coordinate their entry requirements to allow an area of free movement. This zone enables to work together and allows travelers to explore more countries with more freedom. Instead of applying for a visa for each country in the area (there are 29), travelers can apply for one visa and get access to all of them.

There are currently 29 countries in the area, and you may have noticed that new countries occasionally become members. In 2024, both Bulgaria and Romania joined the zone. Cyprus is currently working towards meeting the criteria.

But how does a country become part of this zone? What are the requirements to join?

In this guide, we're going to take a look at what you need to know about how countries join the Schengen area: the criteria, the process, and the benefits of countries joining.

Schengen countries: Understanding what that means

To be a Schengen country, you have to have two requirements:

• Be a country in Europe.
• Be a member of the Schengen zone.

For participating countries, internal border checks are removed which allows travelers to move from one member country to another without needing to go through passport control. While each member is a different country, you can think of it kind of like passing from state to state in the US. People can generally go to any Schengen country they'd like once they have been allowed entry into one of them.

Part of what makes Schengen countries so unique is that they adopt a common visa policy, as well as the same external border control measures and security systems. This ensures that no matter which Schengen country a traveler arrives in, they have gone through the same authorization processes and requirements.

For countries, it isn't as simple as just saying you want to be a member, however.

The Schengen Zone

The Schengen zone includes several European countries, allowing passport-free travel between them. 

For citizens and visitors, this is a huge benefit because it makes it easier to travel across multiple countries without the hassle of multiple visa applications, permissions, or border checks. 

Today, there are 29 countries in the Schengen zone. Oftentimes the Schengen zone and the EU are confused for one another. It’s helpful to know that the Schengen zone is not the same thing as the European Union. For example, countries like Norway and Iceland are in the Schengen zone, but not in the EU.

Why is this important to know as someone who enjoys traveling to Europe? A Schengen visa doesn’t allow you to travel freely throughout all of the countries in the EU – only the ones that are also Schengen countries. You’ll be happy to know that the majority of them are.

Requirements to join the zone

Countries looking to join the Schengen zone have to meet a stringent set of requirements. These rules make sure that both the citizens of the new member and those of the existing Schengen countries can enjoy the benefits of open borders without sacrificing security.

To join the zone, prospective countries have to meet all of the requirements, which include adopting specific technological systems, cooperating with other countries, and unanimous approval.

Here is a closer look at the requirements countries have to meet:

The Schengen Information System (SIS)

The Schengen Information System (SIS) is a database that allows Schengen countries to share security information, like criminal records, missing persons, and stolen vehicles.

If a country wants to join the Schengen area, they have to implement and maintain robust IT systems to interact with the SIS, ensuring seamless data sharing for law enforcement and border control across all Schengen countries.

External border policies

In order for the entire area to work (and by work, we mean be secure and allow free movement), Schengen countries need to have strong border security in place.

This includes having the infrastructure, technology, and personnel to handle the increased responsibility of monitoring borders for both itself and the entire Schengen area.

On top of that, they need to implement Schengen requirements and abide by them in order to mitigate jeopardizing the zone's integrity.

Law enforcement cooperation

Cooperation between national police forces and other law enforcement agencies is mandatory in the Schengen zone.

Countries that want to join the Schengen area must prove that they are capable of sharing information and coordinating efforts, and can act swiftly in response to cross-border crime.

Visa issuance requirements

Schengen countries all have the same short-stay visa requirements for third-country nationals. They also have the same visa-waiver agreements with other countries.

To join the zone, countries must adopt the homogenized visa policy and waiver agreements. They also have to allow short-term visitors (whether they require a visa or not) to move freely within the entire zone once admitted.

Protection of personal data

To meet Schengen requirements, countries also have to show that they have adequate protection for personal data, particularly law enforcement and security.

Strong data privacy laws have to be in place to safeguard the information that gets shared between member states.

An evaluation process

Countries don’t become Schengen members overnight.

There is a rigorous evaluation process in place where each aspiring country is assessed based on its compliance with the Schengen rules.

The evaluations are performed by existing Schengen countries, as well as experts from the European Union.

Unanimous approval

Finally, becoming a Schengen country requires unanimous approval from all existing Schengen members. Currently, there are 29.

This ensures that new members have demonstrated they are fully capable of upholding the same high standards for border security, law enforcement, and data protection.

How often do new countries join the Schengen Zone?

While the Schengen zone has grown over the years, new additions are pretty infrequent.

Expansion typically occurs when European countries meet the criteria and there is broad political will for further integration. The last significant expansion was in 2024 when Romania and Bulgaria joined. Before that, it was in 2023 with Croatia. 

Despite the infrequency, more countries are showing interest in joining and are working to meet the requirements, like Cyprus.

Which countries are currently in the Schengen zone?

As of today, the Schengen zone includes 29 countries. Here is the full list of Schengen countries:

• Austria
• Belgium
• Bulgaria
• Croatia
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Hungary
• Iceland
• Italy
• Latvia
• Liechtenstein
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Malta
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Poland
• Portugal
• Romania
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland

Which countries want to join the Schengen area?

Several European nations are currently working towards joining the Schengen zone. Romania, Bulgaria, and Croatia are the most recent candidates to have joined. Cyprus is currently working towards meeting the criteria and and Montenegro has expressed interest.

FAQs: how countries join the Schengen area