Bulgaria And Romania Join The Schengen Area

May 2, 2025

On 1 January, Romania and Bulgaria finally became official members of the Schengen area after the border restrictions were lifted. The internal border controls between these countries and the Schengen area were already lifted since 31 March 2024. Integration of both members into the Schengen region will boost travel, tourism, and trade, which will definitely strengthen the internal market.

Background

The Commission first confirmed that both countries, Bulgaria and Romania, were ready to become part of this region in 2011. And since then, they have continuously demonstrated that they match the conditions for becoming a member of the Schengen area.

However, their integration was a bit delayed due to concerns like corruption and irregular migration. It wasn’t until December 2024 that Austria (the Last EU member who opposed this inclusion) said yes to this decision.

Schengen Area

Schengen stands for the world’s largest area without internal border restrictions. This permits free movement to more than 450 million EU citizens for different purposes.

The Schengen was established on 14 June 1985 when the Schengen agreement was signed on a river boat. This agreement was signed by the governments of Belgium, Germany, France, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. The EU project brought Schengen to an upgraded scale, and when it established the right to movement in 1992, there was a huge shared European space. Then another milestone was achieved in 2007, when created the “area of freedom, security and justice without internal frontiers”.

Today, the Union has 29 member states and authorises them to cooperate in all spheres and adhere to the Schengen rules. Schengen states work closely on migration and border security through a common visa policy.

Integration’s Impact on the Travellers

• Enhance travelling: After the removal of internal border controls, travelers can now easily move between Schengen countries and these two countries without any passport controls.

• Boost tourism: This integration will stimulate trade and tourism between the existing members and new members of the Schengen area. This will definitely increase Romania’s economic growth too.

• Common visa policy: Romania and Bulgaria are issuing Schengen-compliant visas since 31st March, 2024. The holders of this visa can freely move across all Schengen countries with the 90-180 day rule.

Tips for UK residents planning to visit

Being a UK resident, if you are planning to travel to Bulgaria and Romania, then you need to apply for a visa. This is necessary because a Schengen visa is a crucial requirement to cross the Schengen country border for short or longer stays.

*** Currently, German consulates are handling the visa applications for Bulgaria and Romania.

Final Thoughts

The inclusion of Bulgaria and Romania into the Schengen area is a crucial step towards a unified Europe. Travelers can now have more freedom when exploring the countries. For more visa information, you can contact the experts at Schengen travel info.