EU Member States take part in the Erasmus+ Programme. In addition, in accordance with article 16 of the Erasmus+ Regulation, the following third countries are associated to the programme1:

• members of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) which are members of the European Economic Area (EEA): Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein;
• acceding countries, candidate countries and potential candidates: Republic of North Macedonia, Republic of Turkey and Republic of Serbia;

The EU Member States and the above mentioned third countries associated to the programme will be hereafter called “Programme Countries”.

In addition, in accordance with article 17 of the Regulation, entities from other third countries non-associated to the Programme can be eligible in Erasmus+ actions in duly justified cases and in the Union interest (hereafter called “Partner Countries”).

Programme Countries

The following countries can fully take part in all the Actions of the Erasmus+ Programme:

Member States of the European Union (EU)2

Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Ireland, Greece, Spain, France, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland, Sweden

Non EU Programme Countries3

• Republic of North Macedonia
• Serbia
• Iceland
• Liechtenstein
• Norway
• Turkey

Partner Countries

The following countries can take part in certain Actions of the Programme, subject to specific criteria or conditions (for more information, please consult Part B of this Guide). Funding will be allocated to organisations in the countries within their territories as recognised by international law. Applicants and participants must respect any restrictions placed on EU external assistance imposed by the European Council. Applications have to be in line with the overall EU values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities as foreseen in art 2 of the Treaty of the European Union.

The Partner Countries below are regrouped according to the financial instruments of the EU External Action.

Western Balkans (Region 1)

Albania; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Kosovo4; Montenegro

Eastern Partnership countries (Region 2)

Armenia; Azerbaijan; Belarus; Georgia; Moldova; Territory of Ukraine as recognised by international law

South-Mediterranean countries (Region 3)5

Algeria; Egypt; Israel; Jordan; Lebanon; Libya; Morocco; Palestine6; Syria; Tunisia

Russian Federation (Region 4)

Territory of Russia as recognised by international law

Region 57

Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, Vatican City State

Region 6 Asia8

Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, DPR Korea, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam

Region 7 Central Asia9

Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan

Region 8 Latin America10

Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Venezuela

Region 911

Iran, Iraq, Yemen

Region 1012

South Africa

Region 11 ACP

Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Congo - Democratic Republic of the, Cook Islands, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Micronesia- Federated States of, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Saint Kitts And Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent And The Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Suriname, Eswatini, Timor Leste - Democratic Republic of, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Region 12 Industrialised: Gulf Cooperation countries13

Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates.

Region 13 Other Industrialised countries14

Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Hong Kong, Japan, (Republic of) Korea, Macao, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, United States of America, Uruguay.

Region 1415

Faroe Islands, Switzerland, United Kingdom.

For more information, please consult the detailed description of the Actions of the Programme in the Part B of this Guide. 

Requirements regarding visa and residence permits

Participants in Erasmus+ projects may need to obtain a visa for staying abroad in the Programme or Partner Country hosting the activity. It is a responsibility of all the participating organisations to ensure that the authorisations required (short or long-term stay visas or residence permits) are in order before the planned activity takes place. It is strongly recommended that the authorisations are requested from the competent authorities well in advance, since the process may take several weeks. National Agencies and the Executive Agency may give further advice and support concerning visas, residence permits, social security, etc. The EU Immigration Portal contains general information on visa and residence permits, for both short-term and long-term stays: https://ec.europa.eu/immigration/

• 1. Subject to the signature of the Association Agreements between the European Union and those countries.
• 2. According to Article 33.3 of the Council Decision 2013/755/EU* on the Association of the OCTs with the European Union adopted on 25 November 2013 (http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2013:344:0001...), the Union shall ensure that individuals and organisations from or to Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT) shall be eligible for the Erasmus, subject to the rules of the Programme and the arrangements applicable to the Member State with which these OCTs they are connected. This means that individuals and organisations from the OCTs are participating in the programme on a 'Programme country' status, the 'Programme country' being the Member State with which they are connected. The list of OCTs can be found at: https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/regions/overseas-countries-and-territorie...
• 3. Subject to the signature of the Association Agreements between the European Union and those countries
• 4. This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.
• 5. The eligibility criteria formulated in Commission notice Nr.2013/C-205/05 (OJEU C-205 of 19/07/2013, pp. 9-11) shall apply for all actions implemented through this Programme Guide, including with respect to third parties receiving financial support in the cases where the respective action involves financial support to third parties by grant beneficiaries in accordance with article 204 of the EU's Financial Regulation.
• 6.   This designation shall not be construed as recognition of a State of Palestine and is without prejudice to the individual positions of the Member States on this issue.
• 7. Countries not covered by the External Action Instruments.
• 8. Classification used in the framework of the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) and the proposed Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA III).
• 9. As above
• 10. As above
• 11. As above
• 12. As above
• 13. Classification used in the framework of the Partnership Instrument (PI).
• 14. Classification used in the framework of the Partnership Instrument (PI).
• 15. Countries not covered by the External Action Instruments.