If you’re traveling to Europe from outside the continent, you may be confused about whether there are border checks between two countries, or where the euro is the local currency.
At first, you might think that all this goes hand in hand with a country being an EU member. Member states should not have border checks between each other and they all should use the euro as official currency. But that’s simply not the truth. The relationship between European countries and their participation in different partnerships is much more intricate.
This is not an exhaustive study of the EU, the Schengen zone, or the euro. I just wanted to put together a quick but easy to understand recap that you can use as a tourist. You don't need to know or understand the political background, but it's handy to learn how to prepare for visiting any European country.
The EU
Interestingly, this is the least interesting aspect for any tourist. The European Union, or EU, is a political congregation of European nations, but you don’t really have to know whether the country you’re visiting is a member or not.
The EU currently consists of 27 member states: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden.
If you’re a citizen of an EU member state, you can travel between EU countries with a valid national ID card or passport; within the Schengen Area (see later) you usually won’t go through routine border checks, but you must still carry valid ID.
Check out the official website of the European Union or the EU Wikipedia website to learn more about this supranational political union.
The Schengen Zone
This one is much more interesting if you’re traveling between European nations. The Schengen Zone consists of a list of countries that have signed the Schengen treaty. Hence the name, after the village of Schengen in Luxembourg. This, in short, allows free personal movement between the member countries without regular border control.
There are two main aspects that I have to emphasize in order to understand how crossing borders between two Schengen countries works:
- In general, there is no border control. You can freely cross the border anywhere you want. You won’t be stopped by a road or train border check, not even when flying. You can also freely cross the border between these countries anywhere you want, even in the middle of a field. But you still need to have a valid passport or ID with you.
- Schengen countries have the right to temporarily reinstate border control in exceptional circumstances, which they occasionally do. So don’t be shocked when, traveling between two Schengen countries, you’ll find a temporary border control.
And here comes the funny part. EU membership and being a Schengen country doesn’t necessarily go hand in hand. There are EU countries that are not members of the treaty, currently Ireland and Cyprus. But there are also countries that are not EU members but they do form part of the Schengen area. Namely Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.
If you travel to Ireland or Cyprus from a Schengen country, you'll go through border control. By contrast, travel between Schengen countries (including Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland) normally does not involve regular border checks.
In general, you won’t notice when you cross the border between two Schengen countries. That is free movement; it mostly feels like traveling in the same country.
The same goes for a Schengen visa, if you need one. When you’re inside the Schengen area, you’re good to cross any inside borders anytime.
Countries Using The Euro
This is also something that you’ll definitely notice as a tourist: the official currency. Interestingly, not all EU members currently use the euro, so this is a third aspect you need to consider when traveling to any European country.
Although all EU members are required to commit to the euro sooner or later (except for Denmark), not all member states have introduced it yet as their official currency. So traveling to an EU country doesn’t necessarily imply that they’re using the euro.
Countries where the euro is legal tender currently are as follows: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain.
All other countries still have their own currency.
EU flag credit: Wikimedia Commons
