It’s official: Romania and Bulgaria joins the Schengen Area in 2024. The lifting of controls at airports and ports will take place on 31 March 2024. Romania only partially joins the Schengen area, as the accession does not cover the land borders.
Austria, Romania and Bulgaria signed a declaration with 5 commitments. Romania must be in compliance with the following commitments:
- Increased border controls with Turkey and Serbia;
- Multi-filter land border controls between Romania-Hungary and Bulgaria-Romania;
- Rapid takeover of asylum seekers entering via Romania or Bulgaria;
- Austrian and European control officers at airports as well as unannounced checks at Austrian airports;
- Commitment to discuss the functioning of Schengen in 2024.
No inspections will be conducted at the internal air and sea borders of the European Union (EU) between Romania (including Bulgaria) and other Schengen Area countries upon accession.
More exactly, citizens of Bulgaria and Romania, along with individuals traveling by air or sea to reach a destination within the Schengen area, will no longer have to undergo border inspections as of March 31.
The Schengen Area comprises all European Union member states with the exception of Ireland and Cyprus, in addition to Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.
Here is the official link to the Schengen Short Stay Calculator: https://ec.europa.eu/assets/home/visa-calculator/calculator.htm?lang=en
Feel free to contact us if you need any help in calculating your right to stay in the Schengen area: https://roimmigration.com/contact/
