Schengen Countries Passport Rankings 2026

The foundations of the Schengen Area were laid on 14 June 1985, when France, West Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg signed an agreement in the Luxembourgish town of Schengen. The agreement was intended to gradually remove border controls between the participating countries and create a common travel area. The Schengen Convention, which established the practical rules for implementation, was signed in 1990, and internal border checks began to be removed in practice in 1995. The area expanded in the following years as countries from Central, Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe joined, with Bulgaria and Romania becoming full members on 1 January 2025. Today, the Schengen Area consists of 29 countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

The Schengen Area is not the same as the European Union; Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland participate in Schengen even though they are not EU members. Ireland, by contrast, has not joined the Schengen Area, while Cyprus has not yet reached the stage of full participation in which internal border controls are completely removed. The system is built on the abolition of routine passport checks at internal borders, the application of common rules at external borders and a shared visa policy for short stays. The participating countries also cooperate on security, policing, irregular migration, judicial coordination and data exchange through the Schengen Information System. Where there is a serious threat to public order or security, member countries may temporarily reintroduce internal border controls under specific conditions and for a limited period.

Passports issued by Schengen countries are generally strong because most of these states have stable economies, well-developed public institutions, reliable identity systems and extensive diplomatic relations. The right to free movement granted to European Union citizens allows many passport holders to live, work and study in other EU countries, further strengthening their mobility. Low security and irregular migration risks, biometric passport standards and effective data sharing between countries also make other governments more willing to grant visa-free access. Through reciprocal visa arrangements, economic partnerships and long-standing diplomatic ties, Schengen countries also secure visa-free or simplified entry to many destinations outside Europe. However, not every Schengen passport has the same level of strength, as global rankings vary according to factors such as each country’s foreign policy, bilateral agreements, economic position and international level of trust.