40k free EU rail passes

The European Commission has opened applications for 40,000 free DiscoverEU rail passes for 18-year-olds, with the spring 2026 round closing on April 22. (commission.europa.eu) The passes are open to people born between July 1, 2007 and June 30, 2008 who live in a European Union country or an Erasmus+ associated country. Applications opened on April 8 at 12:00 Central European Time and close on April 22 at 12:00 Central European Summer Time on the European Youth Portal. (youth.europa.eu 1) (youth.europa.eu 2) Selected applicants can travel for up to 7 travel days within a one-month period between July 1, 2026 and September 30, 2027. The pass is mainly for rail travel, though the programme allows other transport in specific cases, including for islands and remote areas. (commission.europa.eu) (youth.europa.eu) DiscoverEU is part of Erasmus+, the European Union’s education and youth programme, and it is aimed at 18-year-olds taking a first independent trip across Europe. The European Youth Portal says winners also get a discount card for museums, local transport, accommodation, food and other activities. (youth.europa.eu 1) (youth.europa.eu 2) This round is tied to the 40th anniversary of the Schengen area, the passport-free travel zone that started in 1985 and now covers most European Union countries plus several non-European Union states. The portal is branding the call as “40 years of Schengen with 40,000 travel passes.” (youth.europa.eu) (europa.eu) The eligible non-European Union countries in Erasmus+ include Iceland, Liechtenstein, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia and Türkiye. Those countries can take part fully in the programme alongside the 27 European Union member states. (erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu) Applicants can travel alone or apply as a group with friends if everyone meets the age and residency rules. The programme says selection is based on an application process run through the portal rather than first-come, first-served booking. (commission.europa.eu) (youth.europa.eu) The travel itself is framed as the lower-emissions option inside Europe, with trains listed as the default “most environmentally friendly means of transport.” For teenagers turning 18 this year, the next date that matters is April 22, when the application window shuts at noon in Brussels. (commission.europa.eu)