Currency
The euro (€) was adopted as the currency of the European Union on January 1, 2002, and it is used by the institutions of the European Union and the twenty Member States belonging to the eurozone: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain. Bulgaria is expected to adopt the euro on January 1, 2026.
Languages
The official languages of the European Union are Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Irish, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovene, Spanish, and Swedish.
Business Customs
For information on business customs, please consult the relevant Member States’ Country Commercial Guide.
Travel Advisory
For information on any travel advisories, please consult the Department of State’s Travel Website.
The Schengen Area
U.S. businesses continue to benefit from the border-free Schengen area, which simplifies movement across air, land, and sea borders. This area covers 25 of the 27 Member States, along with non-members Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. Bulgaria and Romania are the two most recent members to join the Schengen area, with their accession to full membership having been completed on January 1, 2025. Ireland had opted out of the Schengen area (as had the United Kingdom before its departure from the European Union), and it is not certain when Cyprus will join, even though it is legally obligated to do so.
[Note: The United Kingdom left the European Union on January 31, 2020, after 47 years of EU membership. In accordance with withdrawal agreement, the United Kingdom is now officially a third country to the European Union and no longer participates in European Union decision-making. An EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement entered into force on May 1, 2021. This agreement sets out preferential arrangements in a broad array of areas, such as trade in goods and in services, digital trade, intellectual property, public procurement, aviation, road transport, energy, fisheries, social security coordination, law enforcement, judicial cooperation in criminal matters, thematic cooperation, and participation in EU programs. While this agreement resolved questions around U.S. exports that are shipped directly to the EU, exports to the EU that passed through the UK faced challenges until the 2023 Windsor Framework between the UK and EU resolved these issues.]
Visa requirements
Companies that require travel of foreign businesspersons to the United States should be advised that security evaluations are handled via an interagency process. Visa applicants should go to the Department of State’s Visa Website.
For information on visa requirements, please consult the relevant Member States’ Country Commercial Guide.
The EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) became operational in October 2025. EES is an automated IT system for registering travelers from third countries, including both short-stay visa holders and visa exempt travelers, each time they cross an EU external border. The system will register the person’s name, type of travel document, biometric data (e.g., fingerprints and captured facial images), and the date and place of entry and exit. The European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) will become operational during the final quarter of 2026. Under ETIAS, visitors from the United States, among other countries, will require travel visas to the Schengen area for visits up to 90 days.
Local Time, Business Hours, and Holidays
The EU generally follows the holidays of the Member State in which its institutions are located. During August, most European Union organizations are staffed with minimum personnel. For information on local time zones, business hours, and holidays in EU Member States, please consult the relevant Member States’ Country Commercial Guide.
As the U.S. Mission to the EU and some EU institutions are located in Brussels, the following table lists the official holidays observed in Belgium in 2026.
| 2026 | Holiday |
| January 1 | New Year’s Day |
| April 3 | Good Friday |
| April 6 | Easter Monday |
| May 1 | Belgian Labor Day |
| May 9 | Europe Day |
| May 14 | Ascension Day |
| May 25 | Whit Monday |
| July 21 | National Day |
| August 15 | Assumption Day |
| November 1 | All Saints Day |
| November 11 | Veterans Day |
| December 25 | Christmas Day |
| December 26 | Boxing Day |
The U.S. Mission to the European Union operates on Central European Time (CET), which is GMT -01:00. The U.S. Mission to the EU is closed on most U.S. and Belgian holidays. For individual Member States’ local time and business hours, please consult the relevant Member States’ Country Commercial Guide.
Other Issues
For more information on the temporary entry of materials or personal belongings, telecommunications and electric issues, transportation, and health, please consult the relevant Member States’ Country Commercial Guide.
Appointments with the Commercial Service
Business travelers to the European Union seeking appointments with officials in the U.S. Mission to the European Union should contact the U.S. Commercial Service at the U.S. Mission to the European Union in advance of their travel.