Schengen Area ETIAS Countries
Schengen Countries to travel with ETIAS
EU Schengen Area
From 2026 Canadians travelling to the Schengen Area will require an ETIAS visa waiver for Europe. The Schengen Area includes European Union and non-European Union countries. ETIAS will be an entry requirement for all the Schengen Area countries, including those who are not full members yet and will allow Canadians to travel freely between the following countries:
Non-Schengen EU states
There are 2 EU members that are not currently part of the Schengen Area: the Republic of Ireland and Cyprus. ETIAS will be required to visit Cyprus but not the Republic of Ireland. The ETIAS regulation applies to nations that are in the process of joining Schengen, but are not full members of the acquis yet.
Non-EU Schengen states
Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Liechtenstein are members of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). The first three are not members of the European Union but are part of the Schengen Zone, meaning ETIAS is also required for Canadians traveling to any of them.
Canadian citizens can travel to Schengen member states for up to 90 days without applying for a Schengen visa. However, the EU will launch a new programme in 2026 that will change how people travel to the Schengen region, improving security for both travellers and EU citizens.
The European Travel Information and Authorisation System, ETIAS, is an electronic and automated system designed to keep track of Canadian and foreign visitors from countries who do not need the Schengen visa to travel to Europe. The ETIAS countries will require that Canadian citizens have an approved ETIAS upon arrival.
ETIAS and the Schengen Area
The Schengen Agreement is a treaty that was first signed on June 14th, 1985, which led to the formation of the Schengen Area. In 1990, the abolition of systematic internal border controls and implementation of a common visa policy was proposed. Because of this, many countries across the world need to process a Schengen visa to visit the region.
The Schengen zone is made up of over 29 countries and 3 microstates (Monaco, Vatican and San Marino.) ETIAS will be necessary to enter all the members in the Schengen zone and Cyprus, which is in process of joining the Schengen acquis.
European citizens do not need a visa in order to travel within the Schengen zone. ETIAS is not a visa and Canadians will maintain their visa-free privileges after the introduction of the new travel authorisation.
There are 2 European countries that are not in the Schengen Area and have not abolished internal borders.
They are:
- Ireland
- Cyprus
The ETIAS visa waiver will be valid to travel to Cyprus, but not the Republic of Ireland.
ETIAS eligible countries for Canadians
Along with Canada, all visa-exempt non-EU nationals who want to travel to any country in the Schengen Area will have to apply for the ETIAS visa waiver using their valid passport. This will be an obligatory requirement to enter the Schengen member countries, and Cyprus.
Canadian citizens are considered third-country nationals exempt from applying for a Schengen visa. Therefore, once the travel authorisation programme is officially launched, in order to travel to any Schengen member country, or Cyprus they will have to enrol for an ETIAS visa waiver before their trip.