Bulgaria and Romania fully join schengen

Bulgaria and Romania welcomed the New Year with full accession to the European Union’s passport-free Schengen Zone, a move that will provide a new impetus for their economies, according to Bloomberg.

The EU had already allowed Bulgaria and Romania passport-free travel by air and sea in March last year. However, both countries have long emphasized that the elimination of controls at land borders is a critical factor.

According to an analysis by the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, without queues at the border, the entire population of Bulgaria could save time equivalent to 242,000 days of waiting at checkpoints.

The same study revealed significant economic benefits. The direct impact of full Schengen membership on Bulgaria, one of the EU’s poorest members, is estimated at €866 million annually.

Key manufacturers, including those in the automotive industry — which accounts for about 15% of Romania’s economy and 4% of Bulgaria’s economy — have also expressed relief.

“It’s the best news we could’ve got in a period marked by big uncertainties for the auto industry overall,” said Adrian Sandu, head of Romania’s Association of Automotive Manufacturers. He estimated that staying outside Schengen cost the country’s automotive industry €180,000 per day.

Second-class citizens

Due to the long wait, 19 million Romanians and 6 million Bulgarians have said they feel like second-class citizens in the EU.

However, the Schengen they dreamed of is gradually changing. This is due to new restrictions already implemented in other parts of the passport-free zone. For example, once a champion of open borders, Germany has reintroduced controls at its borders with EU neighbors.

Meanwhile, rising anti-migrant sentiment is boosting support for far-right groups across the EU, and Romania and Bulgaria are no exception. Disputes over migration led to delays in the full accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the Schengen Zone as both countries sought to address Austria’s concerns.

As the final decision granting full access to the Schengen Zone was made only on December 12, authorities were unable to prepare for the abolition of border controls promptly.

Romania’s 2025 train schedule was approved before the Schengen agreement decision, meaning trains still have to stop for 30 minutes at the border for document checks.

The Schengen Zone is a group of European countries that have agreed to abolish border controls at internal borders to facilitate the movement of people and goods. This zone was established under the Schengen Agreement signed in 1985 in Schengen, Luxembourg.

The zone allows borders to be crossed freely without passport or visa checks. For short-term stays (up to 90 days within 180 days), a single Schengen visa allows visits to all countries in the zone.