Bulgaria and Romania are holding ceremonies to mark their full membership in Europe’s Schengen area, the culmination of years of negotiations by the Eastern European countries to join the ID check-free travel zone.

Romania and Bulgaria scrapped land border controls to become full members of the European Union's Schengen free-travel area on Wednesday, joining an expanded bloc of countries whose residents can travel without passport checks.

Romania and Bulgaria joined the Schengen Area on January 1, 2025, ending land border checks with other Schengen countries — but it means one rule has to now be followed by Brits

This expansion means that travellers can now move freely between Bulgaria, Romania, and the other 27 EU member states

Romania and Bulgaria have joined the Schengen zone on January 1, a space that now consists of 29 European countries that have abolished border controls between

Romania and Bulgaria have officially joined the Schengen Area as of January 1st, 2025, offering new opportunities for skilled workers

Romania and Bulgaria became part of the Schengen Zone by air and sea on March 31, 2024, but not also through land borders. In spite of meeting the technical criteria since 2012, Austria continuously opposed the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen Area citing irregular migration concerns.

Romania and Bulgaria became full members of the Schengen zone on Wednesday, expanding the borderless area to 29 members and ending a 13-year wait for the two eastern European countries.

Romania and Bulgaria scrapped land border controls to become full members of the European Union's Schengen free-travel area on Wednesday, joining an expanded bloc of countries whose residents can travel without passport checks.

The Bulgarian border

Two EU nations, Romania and Bulgaria, are eliminating land border controls to the rest of the bloc after Austria dropped its veto last month. All EU countries except Cyprus and Ireland are now in the Schengen zone.