How to Get EU, EU VAT, EEA, and SCA Countries in WooCommerce

You can get EU, EU VAT, EEA, and SCA countries in WooCommerce using the built-in WC()->countries->get_european_union_countries() method and small array adjustments, instead of manually maintaining these country lists yourself.

Why Use WooCommerce’s Built-In Country Lists

• EU, EEA, and related country groupings change over time (Brexit, accession countries) — a hardcoded list quickly goes stale
• WooCommerce maintains these lists as part of its own tax and compliance logic, so they stay current with core updates
• Useful for conditional payment gateways, tax logic, or region-specific notices based on the customer’s billing country

Step 1: Get EU Countries

$eu_countries = WC()->countries->get_european_union_countries();

Get EU VAT Countries

The EU VAT area includes Monaco (MC), which isn’t part of the EU itself, so this uses a dedicated parameter:

$eu_vat_countries = WC()->countries->get_european_union_countries( 'eu_vat' );

Get EEA (European Economic Area) Countries

The EEA extends the EU single market to include Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway:

$eea_countries = array_merge(
    array( 'IS', 'LI', 'NO' ),
    WC()->countries->get_european_union_countries()
);

Get SCA (Strong Customer Authentication) Countries

SCA applies to EEA countries under the EU’s revised Payment Services Directive:

$sca_countries = array_merge(
    array( 'IS', 'LI', 'NO' ),
    WC()->countries->get_european_union_countries()
);

In practice, SCA and EEA country lists overlap significantly — always verify against current regulatory guidance if your use case depends on precise legal accuracy, since requirements can shift.

Troubleshooting

Checking If a Customer’s Country Is in the List

$customer_country = WC()->customer->get_billing_country();

if ( in_array( $customer_country, WC()->countries->get_european_union_countries(), true ) ) {
    // Customer is in the EU
}

List Seems Out of Date

Since these lists live inside WooCommerce core, an outdated result usually means the WooCommerce version itself needs updating — check the changelog if a country’s status has recently changed and confirm your version reflects it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Getting EU, EU VAT, EEA, and SCA countries in WooCommerce is best done through the built-in get_european_union_countries() method rather than a manually maintained array. It stays accurate as WooCommerce core updates and saves you from tracking regulatory changes yourself.

See also How to Make a Customer Tax Exempt Based on a Checkout Field Value in WooCommerce. Then read How to Protect Revenue by Rotating Payment Methods.

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