New countries adopting the euro

Travelling within the European Union soon? You may be wondering whether you need to take euros with you or not – and the answer will depend on where you’re heading to. 

Bulgaria is the newest country to adopt the euro currency, moving away from the Bulgarian lev in January 2026 after a brief transitional period where both the lev and euro were accepted. And as the eurozone grows, more countries are set to adopt the euro in the coming years – so it’s always worth checking before you travel.

Below, we’ve covered new countries adopting the euro, countries that are set to adopt the euro in the future, and the destinations you’ll already need to buy euros for. Bear in mind that euros are used outside of the EU, too – there’s a full list on our guide to which countries use euros.

Countries that will adopt the euro in the future

Although there’s no set timeline, all remaining EU countries – except Denmark – are required to adopt the euro once they meet the convergence criteria. These are:

The Czech Republic – which currently uses the Czech koruna

Hungary – which currently uses the Hungarian forint

Poland – which currently uses the Polish złoty

Romania – which currently uses the Romanian leu

Sweden – which currently uses the Swiss franc

New countries that have recently adopted the euro

2026: Bulgaria – which previously used the Bulgarian lev

Countries that have previously adopted the euro

2023: Croatia – which previously used the Croatian kuna

2015: Lithuania – which previously used the Lithuanian litas

2014: Latvia – which previously used the Latvian lats

2011: Estonia – which previously used the Estonian kroon

2009: Slovakia – which previously used the Slovak koruna

2008: Cyprus – which previously used the Cypriot pound

2008: Malta – which previously used the Maltese lira

2007: Slovenia – which previously used the Slovenian tolar

2001: Greece – which previously used the Greek drachma

Countries that adopted the euro when it launched in 1999

Austria – which previously used the Austrian schilling

Belgium – which previously used the Belgian franc

Finland – which previously used the Finnish markka

France – which previously used the French franc

Germany – which previously used the Deutsche mark

Ireland – which previously used the Irish pound

Italy – which previously used the Italian lira

Luxembourg – which previously used the Luxembourgish franc

The Netherlands – which previously used the Dutch guilder

Portugal – which previously used the Portuguese escudo

Spain – which previously used the Spanish peseta

Buying euros with M&S Travel Money

Travelling soon? We’ve made it really easy to buy euros online for free collection from 580+ participating M&S stores*. Plus, if you get back with leftover euros, you can also sell them back to us*.

*T&Cs apply. Subject to availability. Selected stores only.