The euro outside Europe
24 January 2017 (updated on 1 February 2020)
Some 346 million people in the euro area use euro banknotes and coins in their daily lives. But did you know the euro is also used outside the European Union and beyond the European continent? Find out where!
Canary Islands (Spain)
The Canary Islands are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and an autonomous community of Spain. As an “outermost region” of the EU, the islands are part of the euro area even though they do not belong to Europe geographically.
Ceuta and Melilla (Spain)
Ceuta and Melilla are two autonomous Spanish cities located on the northern coast of Africa. They are separated from the Spanish mainland by the Mediterranean Sea. As parts of Spain, they belong to the EU and their inhabitants pay with euros.
Azores and Madeira (Portugal)
The Azores and Madeira are two archipelagos in the Atlantic Ocean that comprise the two Autonomous Regions of Portugal. Like the Canary Islands, they are outermost regions of the EU and therefore part of the euro area.
Mayotte and Réunion (France)
Mayotte and Réunion are two islands located in the Indian Ocean, to the west and east of Madagascar. Both are “overseas departments” of France and outermost regions of the EU. People who live there therefore pay with euros.
Saint Pierre and Miquelon (France)
Saint Pierre and Miquelon form an archipelago off the eastern coast of Canada and make up an “overseas collectivity” of France. This means that they are part of France, but not part of the EU. The islands have signed an agreement with the EU to use the euro.
French Guiana
French Guiana is an overseas department of France located on the northern Atlantic coast of South America. As part of France, French Guiana forms an outermost region of the EU and therefore belongs to the euro area.
French islands in the Caribbean
The Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique are French overseas departments and therefore part of the EU. Saint Martin became an overseas collectivity of France in 2007, but remains in the EU. The overseas collectivity of Saint-Barthélemy, which is not part of the EU, has signed a monetary agreement with the EU to use the euro.
Microstates in Europe
The European microstates of Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City are not part of the EU. However, they have signed monetary agreements with the EU. This means that people living in these states use the euro as their official currency. The four states are also allowed to issue a limited quantity of coins with their own designs.
Kosovo and Montenegro
The states of Kosovo and Montenegro in the Balkans are not members of the EU. The two countries adopted the euro unilaterally in 2002 and have since used it as their de facto currency. This means that the euro is not legal tender there, but is treated as such by the population. Before 2002, Kosovars and Montenegrins used German marks.