Is Switzerland in the Schengen area?

Switzerland is not an EU member, but it is one of the four non-EU countries inside the Schengen area. Swiss voters approved joining in a 2005 referendum, and the country became a full Schengen member on 12 December 2008; passport checks at land borders ended that day, with airport checks following in March 2009.

This is why Switzerland confuses people: it sits outside the European Union (it is in EFTA, not the EU) and keeps the Swiss franc rather than the euro, yet for border and short-stay purposes it behaves exactly like France or Germany. There are no Schengen passport checks when you cross between Switzerland and its Schengen neighbours.

It helps to separate three questions people often merge. Switzerland - the Swiss Confederation - is unambiguously in Europe: it sits in the geographic heart of the continent, ringed by Germany, France, Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein. It is also in the Schengen area. What it is not is a member of the European Union. "In Europe", "in the EU" and "in Schengen" are three different things, and Switzerland is in the first and the third but not the second.

The one practical difference is customs. Switzerland is outside the EU customs union, so you can still be stopped for a customs check and there are duty-free allowance limits on goods you bring in - but a customs check is not a passport check, and it does not change your Schengen day count. Liechtenstein, with which Switzerland shares an open border, is also in Schengen.

Because Switzerland is a full Schengen member, it is part of the upcoming ETIAS scheme: once ETIAS launches, visa-exempt visitors will need an approved travel authorisation to enter Switzerland just as they will for the rest of the area.

Keeping track of your 90 days across the whole 180-day window? Use the free Schengen calculator and read the full rule explainer.