Bulgaria and Romania will join the Schengen zone on March 31, 2024, but only partially: passport and visa controls will be abolished at air and sea borders.
In 2007 Bulgaria and Romania joined the European Union. For 12 whole years these countries were ready to join Schengen, but they were constantly blocked by other members. The last one was Austria: in 2022 it was against Bulgaria and Romania joining Schengen, but at the end of December 2023 it softened the measures. The reasons for the opposition of Schengen members were related to the reliability of border security, corruption, crime, and a large influx of migrants.
The Minister of Finance stated that the effect for the Bulgarian economy will be the opening of land borders, which will be the priority goal for Bulgaria.
It is expected that from April 1, 2024 Bulgaria and Romania will start issuing Schengen visas.
The abolition of controls at land borders is the second stage of Bulgaria’s and Romania’s entry into Schengen. The exact date is unknown, but discussions on land borders will take place this year.
Accession to Schengen is an important step for Bulgaria and Romania, as it will have a great impact on the development of economic and cultural ties and will allow people to move freely within Europe.
