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A Country-by-country Guide to COVID-19 Entry Requirements in Europe

Everything you need to know for a safe and healthy trip to Europe.

When the COVID-19 pandemic first spread around the world, many countries shut their borders. In the years since, countries have opened, welcoming tourists with different vaccination or testing rules in place.

But many countries in Europe have since dropped travel-related restrictions, reverting back to pre-pandemic times and making it easier than ever to plan a trip.

Here, we've outlined every country in Europe and its current reopening status, including entry any requirements foreign travelers need to know.

Albania does not require U.S. travelers to show any COVID-19-related documents or tests, according to the U.S. Embassy in Albania .

To get to Andorra, visitors need to go through France or Spain, and therefore abide by the rules and regulations for those individual countries. Beyond that, there are no further entry requirements for coming to Andorra, according to the Andorra tourism site .

Austria is open to travel and there are no vaccination or testing requirements in place, according to the country’s official tourism site . In Vienna, masks must be worn on public transportation.

Belgium welcomes travelers from the U.S. and does not require them to show proof of vaccination, recovery, or a negative test, according to the U.S. Embassy in Belgium .

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina welcomes U.S. travelers without any COVID-19-related travel restrictions, according to the U.S. Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina .

Bulgaria welcomes U.S. travelers without any COVID-19-related travel restrictions, according to the U.S. Embassy in Bulgaria .

Croatia welcomes U.S. travelers without any COVID-19-related travel restrictions, according to the Croatian National Tourist Board .

Cyprus has eliminated all COVID-19-related entry restrictions, according to the Deputy Ministry of Tourism . Masks remain mandatory on public transportation.

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic has eliminated all COVID-19-related entry restrictions, according to the Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic .

Denmark eliminated all of its COVID-19 entry and internal restrictions, according to the government’s COVID-19 website .

Estonia has eliminated all COVID-19-related rules, according to the government .

Finland has lifted all COVID-19-related entry rules, according to the Finnish government .

France has lifted all pandemic-related entry rules, according to the French government .

There are no longer any COVID-19-related entry rules for travel to Germany, according to the German Missions in the United States .

Greece has lifted all pandemic-era travel rules, according to the government . Greece has an optional Passenger Locator Form travelers can choose to fill out.

Hungary has lifted all COVID-19-related entry rules, according to the Hungarian Police .

Iceland welcomes travelers without any pandemic-era entry rules in place, according to Iceland’s COVID-19 website .

Ireland has removed all COVID-19-related entry rules for travel, according to the government .

Italy has lifted all COVID-19-related travel rules, according to the country's National Tourist Board .

Travelers entering Kosovo are not required to show proof of vaccination, according to the U.S. Embassy in Kosovo , but the embassy recommends travelers bring such proof. The country also doesn’t require pre-arrival testing, but the embassy said some airlines may.

Access to public institutions, malls, and indoor dining inside does require proof of vaccination or proof of a negative COVID-19 test for customers over 16.

Latvia has lifted all COVID-19-related travel rules, according to the Latvian tourism board .

Liechtenstein

Liechtenstein, a landlocked country, is accessible through Switzerland or Austria. Switzerland handles all immigration for Liechtenstein. COVID-19-related travel restrictions have been lifted in Liechtenstein, according to the European Union .

Lithuania no longer requires any pre-arrival testing or proof of vaccination to visit, according to the national tourism development agency .

Luxembourg welcomes travelers from all countries, regardless of their vaccination status, according to the U.S. Embassy in Luxembourg . Travelers do not need any pre-arrival COVID-19 tests.

Malta has eliminated all pandemic-related travel restrictions, according to the Malta Tourism Authority .

Moldova does not have any COVID-19-related entry restrictions in place for U.S. travelers, according to the U.S. Embassy in Moldova .

To get to Monaco, most visitors must travel through France. Monaco does not have any pandemic-related travel restrictions in place, according to the government .

Montenegro does not have any COVID-19-related entry rules in place, according to the U.S. Embassy in Montenegro . Face masks are required on public transportation, according to the country’s government .

Netherlands

The Netherlands has lifted COVID-19-related entry rules, according to the government .

North Macedonia

North Macedonia is open to American travelers who are not required to undergo any COVID-related entry requirements, according to the U.S. Embassy in North Macedonia .

Norway has discontinued all COVID-19-related entry restrictions, including pre-arrival testing, according to the government .

Poland has lifted all pandemic-era entry rules, including for vaccination and testing, according to the government .

Portugal, including the Azores and Madeira, no longer requires proof of vaccination or a negative test to enter, according to Visit Portugal .

Romania has lifted all pandemic-era entry rules, according to the government .

San Marino is a landlocked country surrounded by Italy. The country doesn’t have any specific COVID-19-related entry rules, according to the International Air Transport Association .

Serbia has removed all COVID-19-related entry restrictions, according to the U.S. Embassy in Serbia .

Slovakia has lifted all pandemic-related entry rules, according to Slovakia Travel . Travelers no longer have to show any proof of vaccination or tests to enter hotels, restaurants, or other venues.

Slovenia has eliminated pandemic-era travel restrictions, according to the government .

Spain has dropped all COVID-19-related health controls at entry points, according to the government , becoming one of the last European countries to do so. However, the country still asks that travelers from outside the European Union travel with either proof of vaccination administered within 270 days, proof of a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of departure, proof of a negative rapid antigen test taken within 24 hours of departure, or proof they contracted COVID-19 and recovered within 180 days.

Sweden no longer has any COVID-19-related entry restrictions, according to the Public Health Agency of Sweden .

Switzerland

Switzerland has lifted all COVID-19-related entry rules, according to the Federal Office of Public Health .

Turkey is open to foreign travelers and does not have any COVID-19-related entry rules in place, according to the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Turkey .

Visitors to Ukraine must show proof of either vaccination or proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours, according to the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine . Travelers must also have a health insurance policy to cover the potential costs of COVID-19 treatment.

The U.S. Department of State has currently issued a Level 4: Do Not Travel warning against visiting Ukraine due to the ongoing war and Russian invasion.

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom has dropped all COVID-19-related entry rules, according to the government .

Vatican City

Vatican City is the world's smallest country and is encircled by the Italian city of Rome. It is open to travelers who are able to enter Italy .

The information in this article reflects that of the publishing time above. However, as statistics and information regarding coronavirus rapidly change, some figures may be different from when this story was originally posted. While we strive to keep our content as up to date as possible, we also recommend visiting sites like the CDC or websites of local health departments.

What to know about Schengen zone, Europe’s ‘border-free’ travel system

Schengen countries allow international travelers to move freely across borders without additional passport checks.

Europe’s “border-free” Schengen zone has added travel protections for two more countries, making it easier for more people to explore the southeastern region of the continent.

Romania and Bulgaria partially joined the Schengen area on Sunday, which means visitors who arrive by air or sea from other countries in the zone can cross their borders without an ID check. Land borders will remain subject to ID checks because of opposition led by Austria, which has long cited irregular migration as a concern when it comes to welcoming the two Eastern European states into the Schengen agreement. The move comes more than a decade after Romania and Bulgaria joined the European Union.

The European Commission had previously recommended that Bulgaria and Romania be admitted to join the Schengen zone, starting in 2011 and most recently in 2023. A combination of internal problems in the two countries and opposition from other countries citing irregular migration concerns — especially after the so-called “migrant crisis” of 2015 — meant they were caught in “Schengen purgatory” until now, according to Leon Züllig, a researcher and Schengen expert at Germany’s Justus Liebig University Giessen.

Schengen Area

The border-free Schengen Area guarantees free movement to more than 425 million EU citizens, along with non-EU nationals living in the EU or visiting the EU as tourists, exchange students or for business purposes (anyone legally present in the EU).  Free movement  of persons enables every EU citizen to travel, work and live in an EU country without special formalities. Schengen underpins this freedom by enabling citizens to move around the Schengen Area without being subject to border checks.

Today, the Schengen Area encompasses most EU countries, except for Cyprus and Ireland. Bulgaria and Romania became the newest Member States to join the Schengen area as of 31 March 2024, any person crossing the internal air and sea borders will no longer be subject to checks. Nevertheless, a unanimous decision on the lifting of checks on persons at the internal land borders is still expected to be taken by the Council at a later date. Additionally, the non-EU States Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein also have joined the Schengen Area.

Freedom and security for travellers

The Schengen provisions abolish checks at EU's internal borders, while providing a single set of rules for controls at the external borders applicable to those who enter the Schengen area for a short period of time (up to 90 days).

The Schengen area relies on common rules covering in particular the following areas:

crossing the EU external borders, including the types of visa needed,
harmonisation of the conditions of entry and of the rules on short stay visas (up to 90 days),
cross-border police cooperation (including rights of cross-border surveillance and hot pursuit),
stronger judicial cooperation through a faster extradition system and the transfer of enforcement of criminal judgments,
the  Schengen Information System (SIS) and
documents needed for travelling in Europe.

Police checks and temporary border controls

Any person, irrespective of their nationality, may cross the internal borders without being subjected to border checks. However, the competent national authorities can carry out  police checks  at internal borders and in border areas, provided that such checks are not equivalent to border checks. The non exhaustive list of criteria allowing to assess if police checks is equivalent to border controls is set out in the  Schengen Borders Code . The Code is complemented by relevant case-law of the Court of Justice. It includes the following elements:

the police checks do not have border control as an objective,
are based on general police information and experience,
are carried out in a manner clearly distinct from systematic border checks on persons at the external borders,
are carried out on the basis of spot-checks.

The police carry out checks under the national law of the Schengen country. Depending on the exact purpose, they can, for example, include identity checks.

For more information on police checks in internal border areas see cases of the European Court of Justice  C-188/10 (Melki) ,  C-278/12 (Adil)  and  C-444/17 (Arib) .

Temporary reintroduction of border controls

If there is a serious threat to public policy or internal security, a Schengen country may exceptionally  temporarily reintroduce border control  at its internal borders.

If such controls are reintroduced, the Member State concerned has to inform the Council (and thus, other Schengen countries), the European Parliament and the European Commission as well as the public. The Commission provides more information on the current reintroductions of internal border controls on the website: Temporary Reintroduction of Border Control .

Proposal to reform the Schengen Borders Code

The proposal to amend the Schengen Borders Code , submitted by the Commission on 14 December 2021, has three main objectives:

to offer solutions to ensure that internal border checks remain a measure of last resort and to provide flexibility to Member States’ use of alternative and proportionate measures to the challenges they address
to build on lessons-learned from the COVID-19 pandemic
to respond to the recent challenges at EU’s external borders

The proposal to amend the Schengen Borders Code is both the result of extensive consultations with Member States, as well as a response to the latest developments at EU’s external borders.

Interinstitutional negotiations between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission started on 7 November 2023.

On 30 November 2020 and 17 May 2021 , the Commission organised two Schengen Forums. The aim was to gain better insight into the needs of Schengen States, in particular, regarding the situation at internal borders. The Forums allowed for constructive exchanges towards building a stronger and more resilient Schengen area.

The discussions on both events provided the basis for the Strategy towards a fully functioning and resilient Schengen area , which was presented by the Commission in June 2021. The Schengen Strategy took stock of the progress made on the fundamental pillars of the Schengen area and other key measures sustaining the area of freedom, security and justice. It also announced a proposal for amendment of the Schengen Borders Code.

Criteria for countries to join the Schengen Area

Joining the Schengen Area is not merely a political decision of the joining State. Countries must fulfil a list of pre-conditions:

apply the common set of Schengen rules (the so-called "Schengen acquis"), e.g. regarding controls of land, sea and air borders (airports), issuing of visas, police cooperation and protection of personal data,
take responsibility for controlling the external borders on behalf of other Schengen countries and for issuing uniform Schengen visas,
efficiently cooperate with law enforcement agencies in other Schengen countries, to maintain a high level of security, once border controls between Schengen countries are abolished,
connect to and use the  Schengen Information System (SIS)

Countries wishing to join the Schengen area must undergo a series of Schengen evaluations to confirm whether they fulfil the conditions necessary for the application of the Schengen rules.

Once the Schengen Evaluation confirms the readiness of the Member State to join the area without internal border controls, a unanimous approval from all other Member States applying the Schengen acquis in full is required.

Bulgaria and Romania have successfully accomplished the Schengen evaluation process set out in their  Treaties of Accession , taking all the necessary measures to ensure application of all relevant parts of the Schengen acquis. On 30 December 2023, the Council unanimously agreed on the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the Schengen area. Thus, as of 31 March 2024, both Member States will start applying Schengen rules. Controls at internal air and sea borders between Bulgaria and Romania and countries of the Schengen area will be lifted as of 31 March 2024. The Council agreed that a further decision should be taken at an appropriate date for the removing checks at internal land borders.

In addition, the Schengen evaluation process to assess the readiness to join the Schengen area is ongoing for Cyprus. The Schengen Information System in Cyprus was put into operation in July 2023 and this process was already verified by a dedicated Schengen evaluation in 2023.

For more information on the Schengen Evaluation and Monitoring mechanism see  Schengen evaluation and monitoring .

Background: Free movement in Europe

Originally, the concept of free movement was to enable the European working population to freely travel and settle in any EU State, but it fell short of abolishing border controls within the Union.

A break-through was reached in 1985 in Schengen (a small village in Luxembourg), with the signing of the Agreement on the gradual abolition of checks at common borders, followed by the signing of the Convention implementing that Agreement in 1990. The implementation of the Schengen Agreements started in 1995, initially involving seven EU countries.

Born as an intergovernmental initiative, the developments brought about by the Schengen Agreements have now been incorporated into the body of rules governing the EU.

Virus Variants Deliver Fresh Blow to Europe’s Open Borders

Countries are again rushing to limit travel. That’s become a standard measure in the face of Covid threats, raising questions about whether a pillar of European Union integration can survive.

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By Matina Stevis-Gridneff

BRUSSELS — As new variants of the coronavirus spread rapidly, major countries are moving to reintroduce border controls, a practice that’s become Europe’s new normal during the pandemic and is chipping away at what was once the world’s largest area of free movement.

Fearing the highly contagious new variants first identified in Britain and South Africa, both Germany and Belgium introduced new border restrictions this month, adding to steps already taken by other countries.

The European Union sees free movement as a fundamental pillar of the continent’s deepening integration, but after a decade in which first terrorism and then the migration crisis tested that commitment, countries’ easy resort to border controls is placing it under new pressure.

The European Commission, the E.U. executive, has tried to pull countries back from limiting free movement since last March , after most imposed restrictions at the onset of the crisis . The result has been an ever-shifting patchwork of border rules that has sown chaos, while not always limiting the virus’s spread.

“Last spring we had 17 different member states that had introduced border measures and the lessons we learned at the time is that it did not stop the virus but it disrupted incredibly the single market and caused enormous problems,” the commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, told the news media this week. “The virus taught us that closing borders does not stop it.”

But many countries seem to find taking back control of borders irresistible. Ms. von der Leyen’s remarks, and a suggestion by commission spokespeople that new restrictions should be reversed, triggered a pushback from Germany, which echoed the new normal among E.U. countries in the coronavirus context: our borders, our business.

“We are fighting the mutated virus on the border with the Czech Republic and Austria,” the German interior minister, Horst Seehofer, told the tabloid newspaper Bild. The commission “should support us and not put a monkey wrench in the works with cheap advice,” he snapped.

The system of borderless movement of people and goods is known in the parlance of Europe as Schengen, for the town in Luxembourg where a treaty establishing its principles was signed in 1985 by five countries at the heart of what is now the European Union.

Today the Schengen zone includes 22 of the 27 E.U. member states as well as four neighbors (Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway and Switzerland), where travelers in principle traverse borders freely without being subjected to checks or other requirements.

Accession to the Schengen zone has been seen as the pinnacle of European integration, alongside joining the common currency of the euro, and an aspiration for nations that go through the process of joining the European Union.

Through its 35-year-old history, the Schengen system has morphed and deepened, but like many other E.U. aspirations toward unity, it has been vulnerable to setbacks during times of crisis.

“My biggest concern — and I’ve been dealing with Schengen for many years — is that Schengen is in serious danger,” said Tanja Fajon, a Slovenian member of the European Parliament who serves as the head of the assembly’s Schengen scrutiny group.

In the course of the previous decade, terrorist attacks in E.U. countries, and the abuse of Schengen’s vaunted freedoms by militants who hopped from country to country, revealed that law enforcement cooperation and intelligence sharing had not kept pace with European countries’ opening of their borders.

In 2015-2016, the arrival of more than one million refugees fleeing the war in Syria delivered Schengen an even more decisive blow. Many member countries, not wanting to accept more refugees, hardened their frontiers, isolating themselves and using countries at the bloc’s periphery, such as Greece and Italy, as a buffer zone.

The impact of the Syrian refugee crisis marked a tectonic shift in European border politics. Borderlessness, once a romantic ideal of a united, prosperous and free Europe, was seized on by the right and far right, and cast instead as a threat.

Soon even moderate politicians started to see boundaries within Europe as desirable, after decades of working to dismantle them.

“The freedom of movement is a symbol of European integration, the most tangible result of integration, something people really feel,” Ms. Fajon said.

“Now it’s not just the pandemic that threatens it — we’ve been in a Schengen crisis since 2015, when we started seeing internal border controls used to protect narrow national interests around refugees, without any real benefit,” she added.

The seemingly unstoppable spread of the coronavirus is delivering a third blow to the dream of open European borders.

“Schengen is not a very crisis-resilient system,” said Marie De Somer, an expert at the European Policy Center, a Brussels-based research institute. “It works in fair weather but the minute we’re under pressure we see it has flaws and gaps in how it functions, and Covid is a prime example.”

Countries that belong to Schengen have the explicit right to reintroduce checks at their borders, but they need to clear a few legal hurdles to do so, and they are not meant to retain them over the long term.

Ms. De Somer said flexibility was ingrained in Schengen because of how important national borders were to sovereignty; it’s a deliberate part of the design.

“But the biggest risk is that these measures persist beyond the original purpose and there is an erosion of the system,” making it harder to go back to the previous state of open borders once the crisis ebbs, she said.

One factor that may help keep borders open is the vast and instant economic impact now felt from even minor closures — a reflection of how the bloc’s daily functioning has been built around the absence of borders for decades.

Since mid-February, the only people allowed to enter Germany from the Czech Republic or the Tyrol region of Austria, where instances of the coronavirus variant that originated in Britain are rising, are those who are German, living in Germany, carrying freight or working in essential jobs in Germany. All have to register and show a negative coronavirus test result before entry.

But thousands of people in Austria and the Czech Republic commute daily to jobs in Germany, and after the new checks came into force, long lines began to form. By the end of the week, business groups were writing desperate letters asking Germany to ease or lift the restrictions, and warning that the seemingly limited and targeted move had already wreaked havoc in supply chains.

“The measures have quite serious implications for all of Austria and therefore clearly contradict the ‘lessons learned’ from last spring,” said Alexander Schallenberg, Austria’s minister of foreign affairs.

Yet even in an imaginary near future when most Europeans have been vaccinated and the coronavirus has finally been brought under control, the future of Schengen is likely to be contested.

The European Commission has been suggesting changes that would essentially make it harder for individual members to introduce obstacles. But several countries led by France have advocated that the bloc’s external borders need to become impenetrable if internal freedom of movement is to survive — an idea often referred to as “Fortress Europe” and reinforced by boosting the budget of Frontex, the E.U. border agency.

These ideas come hand-in-hand with proposals for a scaling up of surveillance at internal borders to replace noticeable physical obstacles and checks.

The fight for the future of Schengen is on, Ms. Fajon, the European lawmaker said, as the European Commission prepares to present a strategy paper on the subject later this year.

“The question is, what kind of Schengen will that be?” Ms. Fajon said. “Hidden cameras at borders and shooting at license plates, or other technological tools that are questionable?”

Still, Ms. De Somer thinks the system of free movement has an important long-term ally: the continent’s youth.

“Young people are saying that the Covid crisis has been the first time they experience what it’s like to live in a Europe with borders,” she said. “It’s made them appreciate the borderlessness.”

Christopher F. Schuetze contributed reporting from Berlin and Monika Pronczuk from Brussels.

An earlier version of this article mistranslated remarks the German interior minister, Horst Seehofer, made to the newspaper Bild about the European Commission’s stance regarding cross-border movement in the bloc during the pandemic. Mr. Seehofer said the commission should “not put a monkey wrench in the works with cheap advice.” He did not say “put spokespeople in our wheels with cheap advice.”

How we handle corrections

Matina Stevis-Gridneff is the Brussels correspondent for The New York Times, covering the European Union. She joined The Times after covering East Africa for The Wall Street Journal for five years. More about Matina Stevis-Gridneff

Border controls in Schengen due to coronavirus: what can the EU do?

EU countries are relaxing Covid-induced border controls. Parliament wants a coordinated effort to restore a functioning Schengen zone as soon as possible.

Controls at the Spanish-French border in La Jonquera ©REUTERS/NACHO DOCE/AdobeStock

Free movement in the EU is resuming as restrictions introduced to halt the spread of the coronavirus are lifted. The epidemiological situationis improving and with the summer holidays in sight, countries are gradually allowing free travel. MEPs demand that the passport-free Schengen zone returns to its full functioning as soon as posible, especially because the freedom of movement of people, goods and services are needed for the economic recovery after the pandemic.

On 19 June, Parliament adopted a resolution expressing concern about thre remaining border controls . Borders should reopen respecting the principle of non-discrimination, say MEPs.

Schengen in lockdown

“Member States were acting alone and it is now high time the EU steps in before it is too late and irreparable damage to Schengen has been done,” said MEP Tanja Fajon , The chair of the civil liberties committee's working group on Schengen scrutiny. “The Commission should take on a key role in restoring freedom of movement and firstly for crucial categories such as cross-border workers. European coordination is therefore essential.”

According to the current Schengen rules , EU countries can - for a limited period - introduce border checks at their internal borders if there is a serious threat to public policy or internal security. They must notify the European Commission and the Parliament of such closures. The Commission currently keeps an overview of national Covid-19 restriction measures by country .

EU guidance: how to reopen borders

In a package of proposals to enable travelling to resume safely in the EU , the Commission proposed on 13 May to countries that are part of the Schengen zone to gradually reopen their internal borders . The emphasis is on coordination, no discrimination based on nationality and the respect of common health-related criteria based on guidance by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control .

EU interior ministers confirmed on 5 June that most member states will have lifted the controls at their internal borders and the related travel restrictions by 15 June, with others due to follow by the end of the month. Ministers agreed to continue to coordinate closely under the lead of the Commission. Ahead of the 15 June deadline, the Commission issued further recommendations on h ow to lift restrictions with non-EU countries after 1 July 2020.

Find out on re-open.eu what the current travel conditions and safety measures are for each EU country.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, the Commission has been facilitating common guidelines to make sure that workers in critical sectors as well as deliveries of goods and services in the single market are guaranteed. It also facilitated the repatriations of almost 600,000 Europeans stranded abroad and proposed restricting entry of non-EU nationals into the EU, which now applies until the end of June.

Find out more on what the EU is doing to fight the coronavirus

Check out the timeline of EU action against Covid-19

Parliament’s position

MEPs are pressing for the restoration of borderless free movement for people, goods and services in the Schengen area. They want stronger EU cooperation to guarantee that there is no discrimination against any EU citizen.

In a debate on the state of Schengen by the civil liberties committee on 12 May, Tanja Fajon (S&D, Slovenia) recalled the closures introduced in the midst of the migration crisis in 2015. Some countries maintained those controls for years, which Parliament criticised as unjustified .

“If we fail to restore the integrity of Schengen, we would seriously endanger the European project,” Fajon said. MEPs therefore want to ensure that any future internal borders controls remain truly exceptional and very limited in time.

Read more how Parliament is strengthening the Schengen system and improving border security .

The Schengen zone

The Schengen Area consists of 26 countries
This includes 22 EU countries (Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Finland and Sweden)
As well as Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein

Schengen zone map indicating current EU and non-EU members, candidate countries and EU country outside the Schengen area

Find out more

Briefing: the impact of coronavirus on Schengen borders (27 April 2020)

Coronavirus: facts about your passenger rights, schengen: what issues affect the border-free zone, the eu's response to the coronavirus, share this article on:.

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The Schengen zone in the face of coronavirus

Docteur en droit (UE) & chercheur associé à l'Univ. Grenoble-Alpes (CESICE) & univ. Aix-Marseille (CERIC), Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA)

Disclosure statement

Pierre Berthelet does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA) provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation FR.

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In Fear in Western Countries , a remarkable book first published in 1978, the French historian Jean Delumeau highlighted two phenomena that underlie collective behaviour: invasion and disease. In less than five years, Europe had to tackle both – the migrant crisis of 2015 and the Covid-19 epidemic of 2020. The comparison in terms of crisis management is striking.

Migrant crisis and health crisis: two rapid and far-reaching phenomena

The seriousness and scale of both phenomena are striking. In 2015, the European Union had to deal with a massive and unprecedented influx of non-European migrants. According to a Frontex report , more than 1.8 million crossings were recorded that year. While it is difficult to put a figure on the Covid-19 epidemic given its evolving nature, the disease poses a serious crisis in terms of its scale. According to the regional director of the World Health Organisation , Europe is currently regarded as the centre of the pandemic of coronavirus.

The speed of the phenomena and the lag in the political response should be noted. The European Parliament sounded the alarm on the migration crisis in a resolution approved after a European Council meeting on April 23, 2015 . However, the EU did not mobilise itself substantially until after the informal meeting of Heads of State and Government on September 23, 2015. By mid-October, that public action was effectively structured around the implementation of short- and medium-term measures – for example acceleration of the deployment of crisis management centres, the hotspots, in Greece and Italy.

At first glance, the Covid-19 epidemic presents similar characteristics – a rapid acceleration followed by a late political reaction. The meeting of EU heads of state and government didn’t take place until March 17, 2020, at the request of the President of the Republic, even though Italy had established a “protected area” targeting 15 million inhabitants on March 9, 2020.

What re-establishment of boundaries?

The comparison does not end there. The EU witnessed disorderly decisions of individual member states to seal off the internal borders of the Schengen area, both in 2015 and 2020. Political leadership in Brussels was caught off guard by the resurgence of travel restrictions during the Covid-19 spreading across Europe. According to the Schengen Borders Code , member states are entitled to reintroduce police controls at the border within the Schengen area, in particular for a “threat to public health”. However, the code does not as such provide for the re-establishment of borders on such grounds.

Nevertheless, the European Commission accepts an interpretation from a public health perspective , while recalling the importance for member states not to apply any measure that could jeopardise the integrity of the single market for goods, particularly with regard to supply chains. Rather, the disorganized movement as part of unilateral closure of internal borders within the Schengen area – that is to say, without consultation – infringes the code despite the commission’s flexible interpretation. Here again, the progressive re-establishment of border controls in disarray is reminiscent of those of 2015, in violation of the provisions of the code as revised at the end of the 2011 migration crisis.

Under-utilisation of existing means

Yet another point of convergence between the two events is the under-utilisation of existing European instruments. In 2015, member states had to faced up with the influx of migrants, yet were slow in deploying EU tools related to civil protection, among others. In 2020, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), which is the European structure responsible for the early detection of emerging epidemic threats to the EU, was not sufficiently supplied with health data by the member states.

To put it another way, this reflects the prevalence of individual and uncoordinated responses to health emergencies. Italy deplored the refusal of France and Germany to send masks and denounced the EU’s lack of solidarity . When a shortage of face masks gravely affected France, the country’s border guards stopped two trucks carrying 130,000 of them bound for the UK health care service, sparking anger in the UK .

Here again, the re-partitioning of the Schengen area is a symptom of member states’ individual management of the crisis. In 2015, those situated downstream on the Balkan migration route (successively Northern Macedonia, Serbia and Hungary) allowed the transit of migrants through their territory, leaving the responsibility for settling the migration issue to the states situated upstream (successively Serbia, Hungary and Austria). This was what the European Commission had termed a laissez-passer policy . Consequently, downstream states introduced controls to block the flows of migrants at their southern borders. This lack of coordination brought about a bottleneck at the border, tasking the upstream state – Serbia in the example of the Hungarian border – with the management of the massive influx of migrants at a portion of its northern border.

What division of competences between the EU and the Member States?

This lack of solidarity is aggravated by the fact that migration policies competences (in the sense of entry and residence of more than three months) are not conferred upon the Union and its action is strictly constrained within the provisions of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU). Member states have not made the same choices, to say the least: Germany had, for a time at least, opted for a more open policy, while Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia were hostile to any admissions.

In current situation, member states control the choices to be made in their fight against the Covid-19 epidemic – the Union cannot impose any specific options upon them. Although there seems to be some convergence, the Netherlands and Sweden have opted for distinct health choices . Despite the April 15 joint European roadmap intended to enhance the coordination between member states on the lifting of Covid-19 containment measures, the de-escalating process is going forward in disarray. Indeed, it seems that the pandemic is afflicting not only European citizens, but also European solidarity .

Are we therefore heading toward an institutional crisis on the same scale as that of 2015? While the crisis is undeniable, the EU appears to have learned the lessons of the migration crisis. Indeed it is important to note that the process of building the Union’s response is more rapid. This is reflected in the measures identified by the Council of Health Minister on March 13, as well as the aforementioned Commission guidelines adopted on March 16, which are intended to both issue a wide range of recommendations in the field of public health and strengthen the external borders by applying a temporary ban on travel to the EU for a period of 30 days (since prolonged). This stringent restriction is one of the five priorities identified by the European Council on March 17. Moreover, much improvement have been made, for instance the new project of reinforcement of the Union Civil Protection Mechanism or the impending activation of the emergency funds . The goal is to create medical supplies at the European level to provide assistance to any affected member states and to support the administration of large-scale application of medical tests.

Nevertheless, all these measures can’t really paper over the need for solidarity : unlike the declaration of the European council promoting a better co-ordination between Member States, some of them are currently discussing of an intra-Schengen border lift selection beneficial to central and eastern EU countries, paving the way for a bilateral system of pick-and-choose tourist migration during this summer.**

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail”, as Benjamin Franklin wrote. The health public choices leading to unpreparedness for the pandemic and competition between member states in terms of medical supplies, the crying need for solidarity and the blatant lack of coordination impairing a forceful political response, all these aspects must be scrutinised, but in the future.

As the European Council president, Charles Michel, stated , we have to stay focus on the fight against the virus. “The debate is not institutional: when the house burns down, we don’t have to shilly-shally about the water bill”.

This article was originally published in French

Immigration
European Union (EU)
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Two countries join Europe’s Schengen travel zone – what it means for holidays

T wo countries have partially joined Europe ’s ID-check-free travel zone on Sunday, marking a new step in the two countries’ integration with the European Union .

After years of negotiations by Romania and Bulgaria to join the so-called Schengen area, there is now free access for travelers arriving by air or sea. Land border checks will remain in place, however, due to opposition primarily from Austria , which has long blocked their bid over illegal migration concerns.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hailed the change as a “huge success for both countries” and a “historic moment” for what is the world’s largest free travel zone.

The Schengen Area was established in 1985. Before Bulgaria and Romania’s admission, it was comprised of 23 of the 27 EU member countries, along with Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. Around 3.5 million people cross an internal border each day.

Austria vetoed Romania and Bulgaria’s admission into the Schengen zone at the end of 2022 but allowed Croatia full accession. Bulgaria and Romania joined the EU in 2007 and Croatia in 2013.

Siegfried Muresan, a Romanian Member of the European Parliament, told The Associated Press that it is “an important first step” that will benefit millions of travelers annually.

“Bulgaria and Romania have been fulfilling all criteria for joining the Schengen area for years — we are entitled to join with the terrestrial border as well,” he said, adding that it “will offer additional arguments to the last EU member state that has been vetoing the full accession.”

Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu called it a “well-deserved achievement” for Romania that he said will benefit citizens who can travel more easily and will bolster the economy.

“We have a clear and firmly assumed government plan for full accession to the Schengen Area by the end of the year,” he said.

The EU’s executive branch, the European Commission , has said for more than a decade that Romania and Bulgaria both meet the technical criteria for full accession, which requires unanimous support from their partners. Both countries have agreed to implement random security screening at airports and maritime borders to combat illegal migration and cross-border crime.

While lifting border controls on air and sea ports is expected to positively impact the tourism sector, members of the European Parliament have voiced concerns about long queues at the EU’s land borders and the impact it can have on trade in the bloc’s single market, as well as the health and safety of drivers.

Truck drivers are frequently stuck in kilometers-long queues at the borders of both Romania and Bulgaria. The Union of International Carriers in Bulgaria estimates delays cost the sector tens of millions of euros each year.

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Visas and entry requirements in europe and the schengen area.

This page is for Australians travelling to Europe.

Read this page to learn about:

the Schengen Area
entry and exit to the Schengen Area
other European countries with visa waivers
non-Schengen European countries

The Australian Government doesn't issue visas for other countries. We can't provide final information on border rules. Ask your destination's high commission, embassy or consulate for details before you travel.

The Schengen Area

The Schengen Area is made up of 27 European countries with common border rules. It lets travellers move freely between member countries without

going through border controls
getting a visa for each country.

The members of the Schengen Area are:

Czech Republic
Liechtenstein
The Netherlands
Switzerland

Bulgaria and Romania partially joined the Schengen area on 31 March. Border checks should have ceased for air or sea travel between Bulgaria, Romania, and other Schengen Area countries. Checks are still undertaken for land-based travel. Stays in Bulgaria and Romania now count towards your total visa-free stay in the Schengen Area (see below).

Entry and exit in the Schengen Area

Australians can travel visa-free in the Schengen Area for up to 90 days in a 180-day period. Your travel must be for:

business purposes
visiting friends and family
tourism and holidays
cultural and sports events
official visit
medical reasons
short-term study

Apply at the embassy, high commission or consulate of the country where you'll stay the longest. If you're staying for the same length of time in each country, apply at the embassy of the country you'll visit first.

You'll need to apply for a visa if:

you're planning to stay for more than 90 days
your reason for travel changes, and you no longer qualify for visa-free travel.

You'll need to apply outside the country you want a visa for.

Calculating your 90/180 days

Calculating your visa-free days can be complicated. The European Commission provides a calculator to help you track your visa-free days .

The 180 days isn't fixed in time. It's calculated backwards from today.
Your 90 days are calculated from your first day in the Schengen Area within the 180 days.
If you leave and return within 180 days, your last stay will count towards the 90-day maximum.
If you use up your visa-free days, you must leave until you accumulate more or apply for a visa.
You may be fined or banned from the Schengen Area if you overstay your 90 days.

Example You arrive in Spain on 18 March. You fly to the UK on 21 April and stay there until the 29th. On 30 April, you travel to Greece and stay until 23 June. Your trip was 97 days, but only 90 were in the Schengen Area. You can't re-enter the Area until at least 14 September, when the Spanish leg of your trip falls outside your 180 days. If you re-enter on 14 September, you can only stay another 35 days as your time in Greece still counts towards your current 90 days. If you re-enter on 22 September, you can stay another 90 days, as you haven't been in the Area in the past 180 days .

Entering and exiting the Schengen Area

You must show a valid passport when entering the Schengen Area.

Your passport must be valid for at least 3 months after the date you intend to leave.

Make sure you get a clear entry stamp in your passport when you enter the Schengen Area for the first time. Without a stamp, you could be fined or detained.

Some countries need you to register within 3 days of arrival.

See our destination-specific travel advice for entry and exit details for each country. Check the European Commission for information on temporary border controls .

These visa rules only apply when travelling on your Australian passport . If you're a dual national travelling on your other passport, check the rules for that nationality.

The European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) is an electronic security system. It will do a security check before you can enter participating European countries . ETIAS is expected to start in mid-2025 if the new system is working.

You won't need an ETIAS for EU countries who aren't taking part in the program.

Other European countries with visa waivers

There are other European countries where you can travel visa-free. Travel to these countries does not count towards your 90 days for Schengen Area travel.

Countries can change their border rules at short notice. Before you travel, ask your destination's nearest embassy or consulate for the latest rules.

Visa waiver agreements with Australia

Australia has visa waiver agreements with several countries in the Schengen Area. These agreements may allow you to spend 60 to 90 days in the country for tourism.

Visa waiver agreement countries include:

Using visa waiver agreements with Schengen visa-free arrangements is complex. Each country operates the visa waiver in its own way.

Most countries need you to use the visa waiver at the end of your Schengen Area travel.

Visa-free tourism programs in non-Schengen countries

Some European countries outside the Schengen Area allow you to enter visa-free for tourism. Most let you stay up to 90 days. Some are for longer. See our country advisories for details on border rules.

Bosnia & Herzegovina
North Macedonia (Republic of North Macedonia)
United Kingdom

Non-Schengen European countries

Many European countries are not part of the Schengen Area. Non-Schengen countries have their own border rules. These countries include:

Ask these countries' high commission, embassy or consulate for visa information.

General advice on visas .
Before you go, get the right travel insurance .
Read about Australia's 11 reciprocal health care agreements .
The Schengen Area explained

Romania and Bulgaria join Europe’s Schengen travel zone but keep land border checks

Passengers arriving at the Henri Coanda International Airport in Otopeni, near Bucharest, Romania.

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Romania and Bulgaria partially joined Europe’s ID-check-free travel zone on Sunday, marking a new step in the two countries’ integration with the European Union.

After years of negotiations to join the Schengen Area , there is now free access for travelers arriving by air or sea from both countries. However, land border checks will remain in place due to opposition primarily from Austria, which has long blocked their bid over illegal migration concerns.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hailed the change as a “huge success for both countries” and a “historic moment” for what is the world’s largest free travel zone.

Travel & Experiences

Schengen agreement: Understand the 90/180 rule before European travel

Question: Twice a year for more than 10 years, I have been flying to Zurich, Switzerland, from LAX.

March 30, 2015

The Schengen Area was established in 1985. Before Bulgaria and Romania’s admission, Schengen consisted of 23 of the 27 EU member countries, along with Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. Around 3.5 million people cross an internal border each day.

Austria vetoed Romania and Bulgaria’s admission into the Schengen zone at the end of 2022 but allowed Croatia full accession. Bulgaria and Romania joined the EU in 2007 and Croatia in 2013.

Siegfried Muresan, a Romanian member of the European Parliament, told the Associated Press that it is “an important first step” that will benefit millions of travelers annually.

“Bulgaria and Romania have been fulfilling all criteria for joining the Schengen Area for years — we are entitled to join with the terrestrial border as well,” he said, adding that it “will offer additional arguments to the last EU member state that has been vetoing the full accession.”

New Croatian euro coin depicting the map of the country is showcased at the Croatian central bank in Zagreb, Croatia, Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022. Croatia, known for its stunning Adriatic Sea coastline and resort islands, is on a roll: as of Jan. 1 the Balkan country is adopting the EU’s common currency, the euro, and joining the so-called Schengen zone — the 27-nation bloc’s borderless free-travel area — which has prompted officials to say that this will be remembered as one of the country’s biggest achievements since gaining independence in a war 30 years ago. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)

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Croatia set to adopt euro currency and borderless EU travel in the new year

As of Jan. 1, Croatia will use the EU’s common currency and join its borderless travel area, a milestone since gaining independence 31 years ago.

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Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu called it a “well-deserved achievement” for Romania that he said will benefit citizens who can travel more easily and will bolster the economy.

“We have a clear and firmly assumed government plan for full accession to the Schengen Area by the end of the year,” he said.

The EU’s executive branch, the European Commission, has said for more than a decade that Romania and Bulgaria both meet the technical criteria for full accession, which requires unanimous support from their partners. Both countries have agreed to implement random security screening at airports and maritime borders to combat illegal migration and cross-border crime.

“Bulgaria’s full accession to Schengen will happen by the end of 2024,” Kalin Stoyanov, Bulgaria’s interior minister, told reporters on Sunday. “We showed and continue to show to illegal migrants that they should not take the road to Europe through Bulgaria.”

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The lifting of border control is expected to facilitate operations at Bulgaria’s four international airports, which in 2023 saw nearly 11 million passengers, according to official data.

The airport in the capital, Sofia, serves as the biggest hub for Schengen flights, which constitute 70% of all flights, airport representatives said.

While the eased regulations are expected to positively impact the tourism sector, members of the European Parliament have voiced concerns about long queues at the EU’s land borders and the impact it can have on trade in the bloc’s single market, as well as the health and safety of drivers.

Stephen McGrath and Veselin Toshkov write for the Associated Press. McGrath reported from Sighisoara, Romania.

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Romania and Bulgaria partially join Europe’s Schengen travel zone, but checks at land borders remain

Romania and Bulgaria partially joined Europe’s Schengen ID-check-free travel zone, marking a new step in the two countries’ integration with the European Union

SOFIA, Bulgaria -- Romania and Bulgaria partially joined Europe’s ID-check-free travel zone on Sunday, marking a new step in the two countries’ integration with the European Union.

After years of negotiations to join the Schengen area, there is now free access for travelers arriving by air or sea from both countries. However, land border checks will remain in place due to opposition primarily from Austria which has long blocked their bid over illegal migration concerns.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hailed the change as a “huge success for both countries” and a “historic moment” for what is the world’s largest free travel zone.

Austria vetoed Romania and Bulgaria’s admission into the Schengen zone at the end of 2022 but allowed Croatia full accession. Bulgaria and Romania joined the EU in 2007 and Croatia in 2013.

Siegfried Muresan, a Romanian Member of the European Parliament, told The Associated Press that it is “an important first step” that will benefit millions of travelers annually.

Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu called it a “well-deserved achievement” for Romania that he said will benefit citizens who can travel more easily and will bolster the economy.

“We have a clear and firmly assumed government plan for full accession to the Schengen Area by the end of the year,” he said.

The EU’s executive branch, the European Commission, has said for more than a decade that Romania and Bulgaria both meet the technical criteria for full accession, which requires unanimous support from their partners. Both countries have agreed to implement random security screening at airports and maritime borders to combat illegal migration and cross-border crime.

“Bulgaria’s full accession to Schengen will happen by the end of 2024,” Kalin Stoyanov, Bulgaria's interior minister, told reporters on Sunday. “We showed and continue to show to illegal migrants that they should not take the road to Europe through Bulgaria."

The lifting of border control is expected to facilitate operations at Bulgaria’s four international airports, which in 2023 saw nearly 11 million passengers, according to official data.

The airport in the capital, Sofia, serves as the biggest hub for Schengen flights which constitute 70% of all flights, airport representatives said.

McGrath reported from Sighisoara, Romania.

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Passport Checks for Air Travellers Lifted as Bulgaria and Romania Join EU's Schengen

Passengers arriving by a flight from Berlin receive European Union and Bulgarian flags during a ceremony marking Bulgaria's joining of Europe's open-borders Schengen area by air and sea, at Sofia airport, Bulgaria, March 31, 2024. REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov

SOFIA (Reuters) - Airports in Sofia and Bucharest on Sunday removed passport check points for those departing to or arriving from most European Union member states as Bulgaria and Romania partially joined the Schengen open-travel zone.

The two countries reached an agreement late last year to join Europe's free-travel area by air and sea after Austria opposed full membership, including land crossings, saying Romania and Bulgaria needed to do more to prevent illegal immigration.

"Of course this is a very beautiful achievement for Bulgaria which makes things easier for us, as Bulgarians," said Mincho Yurukov, who arrived to Sofia airport from Berlin.

"Also, we feel like Europeans, that is a very important thing, the flight is much nicer, no checks."

The Interior minister in the outgoing government, Kalin Stoyanov, told journalists on Sunday that Bulgaria should become a full member of the Schengen zone by the end of this year, meaning border check points will be removed for people and goods travelling by road and by rail.

The Romanian prime minister has also said the country expects to finish negotiations on land borders this year.

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"I welcome the lifting of internal air and sea border checks. This is a great success for both countries," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in a statement.

"Together, we are building a stronger, more united Europe for all our citizens,” she said.

Bulgaria and Romania have joined a regional police initiative with Austria, Greece and Slovakia to counter the flow of migrants.

The European Union's border agency Frontex said last month it would triple the number of its officers in Bulgaria to help stem the amount of people crossing into the bloc from Turkey.

(Reporting by Stoyan Nenov; Writing by Ivana Sekularac; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)

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Tags: European Union , Bulgaria , Europe , Romania

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Romania and Bulgaria partially join Europe’s Schengen travel zone, but checks at land borders remain

Romania and Bulgaria partially joined Europe’s ID-check-free travel zone on Sunday, marking a new step in the two countries’ integration with the European Union. (AP Video shot by Nic Dumitrache and Valentina Petrova)

Flight attendants arriving at the Henri Coanda International Airport pass under a Schengen Information sign, in Otopeni, near Bucharest, Romania, Sunday, March 31, 2024. Romania and Bulgaria joined Europe’s passport- and visa-free Schengen Area, applying only to travelers arriving by air and sea. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

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A passenger that arrived with a flight from Vienna shows his passport after being one of the first people to take advantage of Romania’s entry in the Schengen Area without border checks by air and sea at the Henri Coanda International Airport in Otopeni, near Bucharest, Romania, Sunday, March 31, 2024. Romania and Bulgaria joined Europe’s passport- and visa-free Schengen Area, applying only to travelers arriving by air and sea. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

Passengers pass a sign that reads “Welcome to Schengen!” at the Henri Coanda International Airport in Otopeni, near Bucharest, Romania, Sunday, March 31, 2024. Romania and Bulgaria joined Europe’s passport- and visa-free Schengen Area, applying only to travelers arriving by air and sea. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

Passengers arriving at the Henri Coanda International Airport pass under a Schengen Information sign, in Otopeni, near Bucharest, Romania, Sunday, March 31, 2024. Romania and Bulgaria joined Europe’s passport- and visa-free Schengen Area, applying only to travelers arriving by air and sea. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

Passengers coloured by green light attend a welcoming ceremony announcing Bulgarias’ accession in Schengen by air and water, at Sofia airport, Bulgaria, Sunday, March 31, 2024. Romania and Bulgaria partially joined Europe’s ID-check-free travel zone on Sunday, marking a new step in the two countries’ integration with the European Union. (AP Photo/Valentina Petrova)

Passengers make a selfie as they at Sofia airport, Bulgaria, Sunday, March 31, 2024. Romania and Bulgaria partially joined Europe’s ID-check-free travel zone on Sunday, marking a new step in the two countries’ integration with the European Union. (AP Photo/Valentina Petrova)

Ebasa, a border police service dog, climbs on her handler during a media tour at the Henri Coanda International Airport in Otopeni, near Bucharest, Romania, Sunday, March 31, 2024. Romania and Bulgaria joined Europe’s passport- and visa-free Schengen Area, applying only to travelers arriving by air and sea. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

From left: Yordanka Chobanova, the head of the Representation of the European Commission in Bulgaria, Maria Gabriel, deputy Prime Minister, Nikolay Denkov, Prime Minister, Jesus Caballero, Sofia Airport’s CEO, press the red button during an official opening of Schengen borders by air, at Sofia airport, Bulgaria, Sunday, March 31, 2024. Romania and Bulgaria partially joined Europe’s ID-check-free travel zone on Sunday, marking a new step in the two countries’ integration with the European Union. (AP Photo/Valentina Petrova)

Passenger passes posters announcing Bulgarias’ accession in Schengen by air and water, at Sofia airpot, Bulgaria, Sunday, March 31, 2024. Romania and Bulgaria partially joined Europe’s ID-check-free travel zone on Sunday, marking a new step in the two countries’ integration with the European Union. (AP Photo/Valentina Petrova)

Passengers pass posters announcing Bulgarias’ accession in Schengen by air and water, at Sofia airport, Bulgaria, Sunday, March 31, 2024. Romania and Bulgaria partially joined Europe’s ID-check-free travel zone on Sunday, marking a new step in the two countries’ integration with the European Union. AP Photo/Valentina Petrova)

A journalist passes Non-Schengen automatic border control gates during a media tour at the Henri Coanda International Airport in Otopeni, near Bucharest, Romania, Sunday, March 31, 2024. Romania and Bulgaria joined Europe’s passport- and visa-free Schengen Area, applying only to travelers arriving by air and sea. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

Passengers ride an escalator at Sofia airport, Bulgaria, Sunday, March 31, 2024. Romania and Bulgaria partially joined Europe’s ID-check-free travel zone on Sunday, marking a new step in the two countries’ integration with the European Union. (AP Photo/Valentina Petrova)

A passenger that arrived with a flight from Vienna talks to media members after being one of the first people to take advantage of Romania’s entry in the Schengen Area without border checks by air and sea at the Henri Coanda International Airport in Otopeni, near Bucharest, Romania, Sunday, March 31, 2024. Romania and Bulgaria joined Europe’s passport- and visa-free Schengen Area, applying only to travelers arriving by air and sea. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

A woman passes a sign that reads “Welcome to Schengen!” as she arrives at the Henri Coanda International Airport in Otopeni, near Bucharest, Romania, Sunday, March 31, 2024. Romania and Bulgaria joined Europe’s passport- and visa-free Schengen Area, applying only to travelers arriving by air and sea. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

A man touches a sign that reads “Welcome to Schengen!” as he arrives at the Henri Coanda International Airport in Otopeni, near Bucharest, Romania, Sunday, March 31, 2024. Romania and Bulgaria joined Europe’s passport- and visa-free Schengen Area, applying only to travelers arriving by air and sea. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

A flight attendant passes a sign that reads “Welcome to Schengen!” as she arrives at the Henri Coanda International Airport in Otopeni, near Bucharest, Romania, Sunday, March 31, 2024. Romania and Bulgaria joined Europe’s passport- and visa-free Schengen Area, applying only to travelers arriving by air and sea. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Romania and Bulgaria partially joined Europe’s ID-check-free travel zone on Sunday, marking a new step in the two countries’ integration with the European Union.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hailed the change as a “huge success for both countries” and a “historic moment” for what is the world’s largest free travel zone.

Austria vetoed Romania and Bulgaria’s admission into the Schengen zone at the end of 2022 but allowed Croatia full accession. Bulgaria and Romania joined the EU in 2007 and Croatia in 2013.

Siegfried Muresan, a Romanian Member of the European Parliament, told The Associated Press that it is “an important first step” that will benefit millions of travelers annually.

FILE - Ales Bialiatski, the head of Belarusian Viasna rights group, stands in a defendants' cage during a court session in Minsk, Belarus, on Nov. 2, 2011. In an open letter, 27 Nobel laureates have demanded the release of all political prisoners in Belarus including Ales Bialiatski, the winner of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize. The Nobel laureates said the situation in Belarus is a “humanitarian catastrophe” and called for an immediate end to political repression in the country of 9.5 million people. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits, File)

Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu called it a “well-deserved achievement” for Romania that he said will benefit citizens who can travel more easily and will bolster the economy.

“We have a clear and firmly assumed government plan for full accession to the Schengen Area by the end of the year,” he said.

The EU’s executive branch, the European Commission, has said for more than a decade that Romania and Bulgaria both meet the technical criteria for full accession, which requires unanimous support from their partners. Both countries have agreed to implement random security screening at airports and maritime borders to combat illegal migration and cross-border crime.

The lifting of border control is expected to facilitate operations at Bulgaria’s four international airports, which in 2023 saw nearly 11 million passengers, according to official data.

The airport in the capital, Sofia, serves as the biggest hub for Schengen flights which constitute 70% of all flights, airport representatives said.

McGrath reported from Sighisoara, Romania.

Bulgaria and Romania partially join Europe’s Schengen area

Schengen rules are not yet applicable to land borders due to Austria’s concerns over undocumented migration.

After a 13-year wait, Bulgaria and Romania have partially joined Europe’s Schengen area of free movement.

The two countries reached an agreement late last year to join the continent’s free-travel area by air and sea after Austria opposed full membership, including land crossings, saying Romania and Bulgaria needed to do more to prevent irregular migration.

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Despite the partial membership, lifting controls at the two countries’ air and sea borders on Sunday has significant practical and symbolic value.

“Of course this is a very beautiful achievement for Bulgaria which makes things easier for us, as Bulgarians,” said Mincho Yurukov, who arrived at Sofia airport from Berlin on Sunday.

“Also, we feel like Europeans. That is a very important thing, the flight is much nicer, no checks.”

Created in 1985, the Schengen area allows more than 400 million people in the European Union to travel freely without internal border controls.

As partial members, the Schengen zone now comprises 29 members – 25 of the 27 EU member states as well as Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.

“I welcome the lifting of internal air and sea border checks. This is a great success for both countries,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement.

“Together, we are building a stronger, more united Europe for all our citizens,” she said.

Calls for extension

While some travellers have reason to celebrate, truck drivers, faced with long queues at borders with their European neighbours, feel left out.

One of Romania’s main road transport unions, the UNTRR, has called for “urgent measures” to get full Schengen integration, deploring the huge financial costs caused by the long waits.

“Romanian hauliers have lost billions of euros every year, just because of long waiting times at borders,” UNTRR secretary-general, Radu Dinescu, said.

According to the union, truckers usually wait eight to 16 hours at the border with Hungary, and from 20 to 30 hours at the Bulgarian border, with peaks of three days.

Bulgarian businesses have also voiced their anger over the slow progress.

“Only 3 percent of Bulgarian goods are transported by air and sea, the remaining 97 percent by land,” said Vasil Velev, president of the Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association (BICA).

“So we’re at 3 percent in Schengen and we don’t know when we’ll be there with the other 97 percent,” he told the AFP news agency.

Bucharest and Sofia have said there will be no going back.

“There is no doubt that this process is irreversible,” Romanian Interior Minister Catalin Predoiu said this month, adding, it “must be completed by 2024 with the extension to land borders”.

Migration management

One of the key reasons behind Schengen rules not being applicable to Bulgaria and Romania’s land borders is Austria’s concerns over how Sofia and Bucharest manage irregular migration through these borders.

Bulgaria’s Interior Minister Kalin Stoyanov told journalists on Sunday that the country should become a full member of the Schengen zone by the end of this year, meaning border checkpoints will be removed for people and goods travelling by road and rail as well.

The Romanian prime minister has also said the country expects to finish negotiations on land borders this year.

The two countries have joined a regional police initiative with Austria, Greece and Slovakia to counter the flow of irregular migration and the EU’s border agency Frontex also said last month that it would triple the number of its officers in Bulgaria to help stem the amount of people crossing into the bloc from Turkey.

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