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Erasmus+ Programme Guide

The essential guide to understanding Erasmus+

Part of Erasmus+

Eligible countries

EU Member States participate fully in all actions of the Erasmus+ Programme. In addition, in accordance with article 19 of the Erasmus+ Regulation, the following third countries are associated to the programme:

  • 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: North Macedonia, Republic of Türkiye and Republic of Serbia;

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

In addition, in accordance with article 20 of the Regulation, legal entities from third countries non-associated to the Programme can be eligible in Erasmus+ actions in duly justified cases and in the Union interest (hereafter called “third countries not associated to the Programme”).

EU Member States and third countries associated to the Programme

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

Member States of the European Union (EU) 1

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

Third countries associated to the Programme 2

 

  • North Macedonia
  • Serbia
  • Iceland
  • Liechtenstein
  • Norway
  • Türkiye

Third countries not associated to the Programme

The following countries can take part in certain Actions of the Programme, subject to specific criteria or conditions. Some of these countries are recipients of official development assistance 3 . Please consult Part B of this Guide for eligible countries for each specific action.

Western Balkans (Region 1)

Albania; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Kosovo 4 ; Montenegro

Neighbourhood East (Region 2)

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

South-Mediterranean countries (Region 3)

Algeria; Egypt; Israel 5 ; Jordan; Lebanon; Libya; Morocco; Palestine 6 ; Syria 7 ; Tunisia

Russian Federation (Region 4)

Territory of Russia as recognised by international law

Region 5 Asia

  • Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, DPR Korea, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam
  • High income countries and territories8 : Brunei, Hong Kong, Japan, Republic of Korea, Macao, Singapore and Taiwan

Region 6 Central Asia

Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan

Region 7 Middle East

  • Iran, Iraq, Yemen
  • High income countries: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates

Region 8 Pacific

  • Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu
  • High income countries: Australia, New Zealand

Region 9 Sub-Saharan Africa

Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cabo Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Congo - Democratic Republic of the, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Eswatini, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Region 10 Latin America

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

Region 11 Caribbean

Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent & Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago

Region 12 US and Canada

United States of America, Canada

Region 13

Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, Vatican City State

Region 14

Faroe Islands, Switzerland, United Kingdom

 

Funding will be allocated to organisations in the countries within their territories as recognised by international law. Funding 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 Article 2 of the Treaty of the European Union. 

For more information, please consult the detailed description of the Actions of the Programme in 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 EU Member States and third countries associated to the Programme or third countries not associated to the Programme 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.

  1. According to Article  33.2 of Council Decision (EU) 2021/1764 of 5 October 2021 on the association of the Overseas Countries and Territories with the European Union including relations between the European Union on the one hand, and Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark on the other (Decision on the Overseas Association, including Greenland) (EUR-Lex - 32021D1764 - EN - EUR-Lex (europa.eu)) the Union shall ensure that individuals and organisations from or to Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT) shall be eligible for 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 'EU Member State or third country associated to the Programme' status, the 'EU Member State or third country associated to the Programme' being the Member State with which they are connected. The list of OCTs can be found at: https://ec.europa.eu/international-partnerships/where-we-work/overseas-countries-and-territories_en ↩ back
  2. Subject to the signature of the Association Agreements between the European Union and those countries ↩ back
  3. List of least developed countries[pdf] ↩ back
  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. ↩ back
  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. ↩ back
  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. ↩ back
  7. In line with the April 2018 Council Conclusions on Syria, Syrian public establishments are not eligible for funding under Erasmus+. ↩ back
  8. This includes countries and territories according to OECD’s High Income country list and is without prejudice to the status of or sovereignty over any territory, to the delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area. ↩ back