Great news for travellers to Europe.
Romania and Bulgaria have officially joined the Schengen Area, which now consists of 29 countries in continental Europe. This means that tourists can now use their Schengen visa
to travel to these countries.
Image source The Economic Times
Bulgarian and Romanian authorities will begin issuing Schengen C visas to foreign travellers from the 1st of April, which will allow them to stay in the area for up to 90 days within 180 days. It is worth noting that visas issued by these two countries before 1 April do not entitle travellers to access the rest of the Schengen area.
Image source Amber Student
For travellers from non-Schengen countries, passport checks will still be mandatory when moving between different Schengen countries. However, citizens of Romania and Bulgaria will not have to go through passport checks when moving between these two countries or any other Schengen country. It is important to note that land border ID checks will remain in place for now due to a veto by Austria, which limits this new status to land and sea routes.
With the inclusion of Romania and Bulgaria in the Schengen Area, travellers now have two more amazing countries to add to their bucket list. So, the next time you plan to visit Europe, don't forget to include Romania and Bulgaria in your itinerary!
Opmerkingen