Bulgaria becomes part of the Schengen area by sea and air from 31 March 2024

We are so glad to announce that the European Commission welcomes Bulgaria and Romania into the Schengen area, starting with lifting controls at air and sea borders as of 31 March 2024.

The two countries’ accession will encourage travel and tourism around the whole area. Discussions on a further decision to lift controls at land borders will continue.

As a tour operator and DMC with 27 years of experience, the Boiana-MG Travel Company’s team realizes the importance of Bulgaria and Romania entering the Schengen area. That means quickly travelling around the country-members and passing without complicated passport checks.

How the joining by air and sea will affect travellers?

EU residents and travellers arriving in Bulgaria and Romania from other countries in the Schengen Area will enter on flights, ferries or cruises without passport checks. There will still be checks if entering via land borders, such as on coaches, trains and cars.

The rule specifying that nonresidents can only stay in the EU for a maximum of 90 days within 180 days without a visa will still be applied to Romania and Bulgaria.

Visits to these two nations will count towards the 90-day limit. The two states also have the exact passport validity requirements used throughout the EU. When entering, the passport must have an expiry date of at least three months after the day you plan to leave.

The chosen date for the inclusion corresponds with the winter/summer schedule change the International Air Transport Association (IATA) set.