Though not the most major of concerns for the UK directly, the Schengen Area is quite a vital element of European tourism. If you’re from a country within the Schengen Area and you may have been wondering whether you can travel to Cyprus without border control, we’re here to answer exactly that for you. Is Cyprus in the Schengen Area?
Just because a country is a member of the European Union does not automatically mean that it’s also a part of the Schengen Area. These are two unrelated things. After all, the UK was never actually a Schengen member, the rite of free travel was a part of the EU membership alone. Cyprus is a member of the EU, but is it in Schengen?
Unfortunately, like Croatia, Cyprus is not currently a member of the Schengen Area. As such, yes, even if you’re from a country within the Schengen Area, currently you’ll still have to go through a control procedure.
Is Cyprus going to join Schengen? It’s very likely. In fact, it has actually made a significant step forward recently, on 25 July of 2023 to be exact, as it has officially been given a green light to join the SIS, the Schengen Information System. Apart from that, Cyprus has most of the green checks (5 out of 6) for joining Schengen ready, so it’s very possible that it may become a member state relatively soon.
But, at this moment, no, neither northern or southern Cyprus is a part of the Schengen Area.
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