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In Europe's Schengen area , your passport must be valid for at least six months at the time of your entry. At present, the Schengen area includes most European Union (EU) countries, except for Cyprus and Ireland.

If you are transiting through Canada or the United Kingdom (UK) enroute to the Schengen area : your passport must be valid for at least six months, even though Canada and the UK do not themselves have the six-month rule. If your passport will expire within six months, airlines may not let you board your onward flight to Europe.

Traveling in Europe

If you plan to travel in Europe, you need to know about the Schengen Borders Agreement, which allows you to move freely within a number of countries without border checks. Tourists, exchange students, and people visiting for business from certain countries, like the United States, can travel in the Schengen area for up to 90 days. The Schengen area includes most EU countries, except for Cyprus and Ireland. It also includes four non-EU countries: Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein.

Before you travel to the Schengen area, we recommend you do the following:

• Check the expiration date on your passport book carefully before traveling to Europe. Ensure your passport book is valid for at least six months when you enter the Schengen area. This is especially important for minors under age 16 as their passports are only valid for five years. In contrast, U.S. citizen adults aged 16 and older receive passports that are valid for 10 years.
• Always carry your passport book with you when traveling to another country in the Schengen area. Even if there is no border check at that time, officials may reinstate border controls without notice.
• Be prepared to explain your purpose of travel.
• Be prepared to provide proof of sufficient financial resources for the visit.
• Comply with other entry requirements for each country you will visit or transit.

On our Country Information pages , you can find passport validity requirements and other important information for your destination country. If your passport does not meet the Schengen requirements, you may be:

• Refused boarding by the airline at your point of origin or while transferring planes.
• Denied entry when you arrive in the Schengen area, regardless of how long you will stay.

An immigration official will determine if you qualify for visa-free entry to the Schengen area when you first cross any external Schengen border. You will have to present your passport at that time. The officer may deny your entry if you do not qualify.

You should also check passport validity requirements if traveling onward from the Schengen area to a country outside the Schengen area. You can find this information in our Country Information pages.

HOW LONG CAN I REMAIN?

• With a valid U.S. passport book, you can stay up to 90 days in the Schengen area for tourism or business during any 180-day period. You must wait an additional 90 days before applying to re-enter the Schengen area.
• If you plan to stay in the Schengen area longer than three months, contact the embassy of the country where you plan to spend the majority of your time and apply for a visa.

Countries in the Schengen area may reinstate temporary internal or external border control without notice. U.S. citizens should carry their U.S. passport book at all times when entering or leaving the Schengen area. They should also bring it when traveling between Schengen countries.

How can the U.S. government help me if border officials do not let me enter?

• We can give you the contact information of foreign embassies of the countries you wish to visit.
• We can provide information about hiring an English-speaking foreign attorney overseas if you choose to do so.
• Note: We cannot influence a foreign government’s decision about allowing you to enter. We cannot intervene in another country’s criminal or administrative procedures.

What countries are members of the Schengen Borders Agreement?

Click on the country name for more information.

Bulgaria (entering in March 2024)

Czech Republic

Liechtenstein

Netherlands

Romania (entering in March 2024)

Switzerland

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

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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.

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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.”

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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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Aug. 31, 2022

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.

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.

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

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Latest update on COVID-19 travel restrictions to Schengen area for May 2021

With the coronavirus pandemic still disrupting travel around the world, countries and regions continue to impose entry bans and other restrictive measures on foreigners and even their own citizens. When it comes to the European Union at the moment (May 2021), Schengen area travel restrictions remain in place. A 26-state block of some of the most visited destinations in the world, most of the Schengen area continues to require a pre-flight, negative PCR test and impose other travel measures on travelers looking to enter the zone. Today’s blog will therefore provide the latest update on COVID-19 EU entry for non-citizens and residents. Read on to find out the last information on who can and cannot enter Europe, whether the Schengen area gives green light to COVID-19 travel certificates (also known as Digital Green Certificates) and for the most updated news on restrictions on travel from countries to the EU. 

Latest update on COVID-19 EU entry

• At the moment, the majority of the Schengen area continues to maintain a ban on all non-essential traveler from certain countries. 
• In general, non-essential travel to the Schengen area is reserved exclusively for people from the following countries: Australia, New Zealand, Rwanda, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, and China. However, while these exceptions apply to the Schengen area generally, it is up to the individual countries to decide which countries and travelers are subject to entry restrictions. 
• If you are thinking of traveling to the Schengen area, make sure that you will be allowed into the specific country you seek to enter based on your purpose of travel, nationality/residency, and country of departure.  
• Additionally, most foreigners (and many citizens and residents) who seek to enter the Schengen area can only do so if the present a negative COVID-19 test prior to embarking. 
• Finally, most travelers who gain entry to the zone are subject to mandatory testing and quarantine periods in the aftermath of their arrival. 
• Keep in mind that individual Schengen countries continue to have their own domestic restrictions in place that affect anyone living and transiting within their borders. These include curfews, internal travel bans, mask mandates, and other requirements meant to reduce the spread of the virus.   
• Finally, while you may have seen headlines such as “the Schengen area gives green light to COVID-19 travel certificates!” Please note that the zone does not yet accept Digital Green Certificates (also known as COVID-19 passports) for entry. While reports indicate that the EU will adopt some sort of COVID-19 passports system to facilitate Schengen area safe travel (which will theoretically allow the entry to the zone of non-citizen/resident travelers) this system is not yet operational. This means that even if you are vaccinated for COVID-19 (and you have proof of it) you will almost certainly be subject to pre and post-entry requirements, including testing and even-entry bans. 

 Schengen area safe travel

• The 26 Member States of the Schengen area are meant to coordinate policy so that entry/post-entry requirements are relatively uniform throughout the bloc. 
• While the European Commission can make general recommendations to Member States about entry-conditions and travel bans, individual states maintain discretion as to how they can apply them. 
• While country-specific travel requirements exist, ideally, the bloc should be united in how the most basic entry requirements are applied. 
• For example, while different Schengen countries might have different requirements for how long a traveler has to quarantine post-arrival, the states are generally united in prohibiting most non-essential travel, banning the entry of nationals from certain countries, and requiring some form of negative COVID-19 test for entry. 
• Since the pandemic began, the Schengen area has actively sought to uphold its principle of free movement for citizens and residents, even at it has moved aggressively to restrict the entry of foreigners and non-residents. This means that while travel to  the Schengen area is restricted, travel throughout  the zone is less so. 
• Essentially, while entering the zone can be difficult for non-citizens and residents, once you gain access to any of the 26 Member States, you will likely be relatively unimpeded, should you choose to travel throughout Europe.

Country-specific Schengen area travel restrictions

The following is a summary of the requirements for entry to some of the most popular Schengen countries: 

• Bans the entry of most-travelers from all non-EU countries, except those coming from the following states:  Australia, Singapore, and South Korea— travelers from these countries will not face restrictions post-entry.
• Ban on direct flights from Brazil, India, and South Africa. 
• Ban on the entry of all travelers from the above states, with the exception of Austrian nationals. 
• Most travelers are required to fill out a pre-travel clearance form for arrival. 
• Subjects most travelers to a mandatory 10-day quarantine period post-arrival. 
• Prohibits non-essential travel for non-EU, non-Schengen residents who seek to enter Belgium. 
• Permits the unrestricted entry of nationals/residents of the following countries. (who are arriving from the following countries):  Australia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand. 
• Non-EU/Schengen residents/nationals who are not arriving from one of the above countries will have to quarantine for 10 days in Belgium post-arrival (unless they are staying in Belgium for under 48 hrs). Those who receive a negative PCR test a week into quarantining can end their self-isolation.   
• All travelers are required to complete a passenger locator form prior to departing for Belgium. 
• With the exception of EU/Schengen residents who can show proof of having been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, all other travelers to Denmark are subject to post-arrival COVID-19 testing. 
• Travelers from the following “yellow list’ countries can enter Denmark for non-essential reasons, provided they submit to pre and post entry COVID-19 testing:  Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Israel, and Iceland . If your country is not one of the following, this means it is either on the “orange list” or “red list.”
• Travelers from orange and red listed states can only enter Denmark for essential reasons. In addition to the above testing requirements, they must also undergo a mandatory 10-day quarantine period post-arrival. 
• Bans all essential travel for travelers from non-EU/non-Schengen states, except those from the following:  Australia, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, and the United Kingdom.
• Requires a negative pre-departure (72 hrs before) PCR test for entry, and negative PCR test post-arrival (in order to avoid quarantine). 
• Travelers from the following countries are subject to even more restrictive-pre and post-entry requirements: Brazil, Argentina, Chile, South Africa and India. 
• While travelers from other countries can present a negative PCR test taken 72 hours before departing for France, travelers from the above states must take one within 36 hours, and ALSO present a (negative) antigen test 24 hrs before departure. Additionally, anyone who enters France from one of these countries is automatically subject to a seven-day quarantine.  
• Ban on all non-essential travel from non-EU, non-Schengen countries, excluding the following:  Australia, Israel, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand.
• All travelers looking to enter Germany are required to submit a negative COVID-19 test 48 hrs prior to departing.  
• If you are arriving from a country that Germany classifies as high risk, you will have to fill out a Digital Registration on Entry.   
• Please note that different German Federal States have different rules and regulations post-arrival. Check what conditions apply to the state you plan on entering/residing in so that you remain in compliance throughout your stay. 
• General ban on touristic and other non-essential travel from non-EU/Schengen countries, with the exception of the following:  Australia, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore. 
• Strict ban on the entry of anyone who has spent time in Brazil, Bangladesh, India,  and Sri Lanka within 14 days of seeking arrival in Italy (some exceptions apply). 
• Most travelers (including those from other European states) must present a negative COVID-19 test (taken within 48 hrs of arrival), fill out an official form, and quarantine for 5-10 days (depending on where they are arriving from). 
• Ban on all non-essential travel from non-Schengen/non-EU countries. 
• All travelers must fill out a health form. 
• All travelers (including those from the EU/Schengen area) and except those from the below exempted states, must test negative for COVID-19 prior to departing for the Netherlands, and also self-quarantine for a minimum of 10 days upon arrival. 
• Exempted countries include  Australia, Finland, Iceland, New Zealand, Portugal Rwanda, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, China, and parts of Spain and Greece . 
• Until May 15 th : strict ban on international carriers flying directly from the following countries: India, South Africa, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela. 
• Bans all but essential travel for non-EU/non-Schengen travelers from all but the following states:  Australia, China, South Korea, Japan, New Zealand, Rwanda, Singapore, Thailand and Uruguay.
• All arriving passengers not from the above countries must present a negative PCR test, taken within 72 hrs of departing for Spain, in order to enter.
• Strict ban on travelers from Brazil and South Africa. 
• Travel measures for travelers from India include a mandatory quarantine period of 10 days post-entry. 

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Europe Reopened to Americans. Why, It Asks, Hasn’t the U.S. Reciprocated?

America’s borders remain closed to most European travelers during the pandemic, even those fully vaccinated. With fears of the Delta variant raging, there appears to be no end in sight.

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By Nicholas Casey

MADRID — He was vaccinated in April, tested negative for the coronavirus and believed he was exempt from travel restrictions .

But on a stopover in Amsterdam in late May, Peter Fuchs, 87, was told he could not board his New York-bound flight to attend his great-granddaughter’s christening. The reason: As a European citizen, he was not allowed to enter the United States.

“I felt helpless and broken down,” Mr. Fuchs said in an email from his nursing home apartment in Hanover, Germany .

In June, as the United States made headway in its vaccination campaign, European Union leaders recommended that member countries reopen their borders to Americans, a significant gesture meant to signal what they hoped would be the beginning of the pandemic’s end. They expected to be repaid in kind.

But nearly two months later, even as Europe has overtaken the United States in vaccinations , America’s borders remain closed to most European travelers , even ones with vaccinations. And with fears of the Delta variant of the virus raging, there appears to be no end in sight.

That the United States remains largely closed has dismayed Europeans and frustrated their leaders, who are demanding that Europe’s decision to open its borders be reciprocated.

“We insist comparable rules be applied to arrivals in both directions,” Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, the bloc’s executive arm, said last week at a news conference. Officials with the bloc have even suggested reimposing travel restrictions against American travelers, though a quick change is not expected since many countries are reluctant to risk further ruin to summer tourism.

For some European families, the continued ban has compounded one of the deepest sorrows of the pandemic — separation itself — as loved ones become ill across closed borders and family elders grow fearful they may never see their loved ones again.

Unmarried partners with different passports have struggled to keep relationships afloat, giving rise to the popular Twitter hashtag #loveisnottourism . Europeans offered jobs in the United States still do not know whether they should accept them.

“Now that we have vaccines, at least let the vaccinated people come,” said Michele Kastelein, a dual French-American citizen living in Portola Valley, Calif. Her French brother Maurice had to abandon plans to attend her son’s wedding this month, despite hopes that the ban would be lifted by now for Europeans like him who are vaccinated.

The European travel ban dates to the start of the pandemic. President Donald J. Trump removed the restrictions in the final days of his term, but President Biden reinstated them shortly after taking office.

The White House, however, has offered little explanation on why the restrictions remain — even though some countries with higher infection and lower vaccination rates face no similar ban. At a news conference last week, Jen Psaki, the White House spokeswoman, cited the advice of medical experts and continued concerns about the Delta variant.

Under the current rules, virtually all residents of Europe’s Schengen Area — the passport-free zone that includes 26 countries plus other entities — as well as those living in Britain and Ireland are still barred from traveling to the United States.

Five other countries under the ban include ones with high infection rates, like Iran, South Africa, Brazil and India, but also China, where rates of spread have been far lower than those in the United States for months.

The travel ban exempts some people, among them American citizens, permanent U.S. residents and some family members of U.S. citizens, provided the American is under 21.

People from the prohibited countries can still enter the United States if they spend the 14 days before their arrival in a country that is not on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s list .

This last proviso led Shelley Murray, an American strength and conditioning coach, and her partner, Viktor Pesta, a mixed martial arts athlete from the Czech Republic, into an odyssey that spanned not just their native countries, but also Turkey and the Dominican Republic.

The two had moved into a home in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., shortly before the pandemic when Mr. Pesta was called to a coaching assignment in the Czech Republic. The European Union and the United States banned travel in both directions soon after, and the two were separated for six months, Ms. Murray said.

She was the first to leave her country, last August, after the Czech Republic created a so-called sweetheart exception that allowed Americans to visit unwed partners. But when Mr. Pesta wanted to return to the United States last October, he had to spend two weeks in Turkey — a country not on the C.D.C.’s prohibited list — so he would be allowed to enter.

This spring, shortly after Mr. Pesta was vaccinated in the United States, he traveled back to the Czech Republic for a mixed martial arts fight. When he wished to return to Florida this summer, the couple went to the Dominican Republic to allow for Mr. Pesta’s re-entry, a visit that stretched on for seven weeks because of visa delays.

Ms. Murray said her chief frustration was that American rules led the couple to stay in countries where infection rates were higher than in much of Europe, supposedly as a precaution against infected travelers.

“It was kind of nonsensical to us,” she said.

In another part of Fort Lauderdale sits the empty two-bedroom apartment of Elisabeth Haselbach, a Swiss citizen who bought it four years ago as an investment and vacation property.

But Ms. Haselbach has not been able to see her home since before the pandemic. She continues to pay taxes and condominium fees, but is worried because she has been unable to reinforce her home for the hurricane season , which lasts from June through November.

She said the predicament left her stunned: She found Mr. Trump’s behavior on the international stage unreasonable, but she did not expect to think the same of Mr. Biden on the closed borders.

“I was the No. 1 fan of the Democrats,” she said.

Frustration with the ban led Marius Van Der Veeken, a retired finance professional in the Netherlands, to write to Mr. Biden, saying he wanted to see his family in Michigan.

Mr. Van Der Veeken, 64, and his wife, Anne-Mieke, 61, had just gotten to know their grandchildren, now 3 and 4, before the pandemic prevented travel. Having received the AstraZeneca vaccine in March, they had believed they would soon have a chance to see the children, along with their daughter and son-in-law. Instead, they continue to meet each Sunday by video call.

Their grandchildren recognize them — calling them Opa and Oma, grandpa and grandma in Dutch — but Mr. Van Der Veeken worries that long-distance calls are not enough and that he is losing precious years.

“It’s important now to be building a relationship with them,” he said. “My big argument is that the travel restrictions should make a difference between family connections and tourists.”

Mr. Fuchs, the retiree from Germany, had similar feelings when he was blocked from his flight in May to attend the christening of his great-granddaughter, his first.

His daughter Natascha Sabert, an American citizen, said she had been told mistakenly by U.S. consular officials that he was eligible to enter the country as her father. But when he reached the airport in Amsterdam, he was told that he did not qualify because his daughter was over 21.

Ms. Sabert worried that her father, who is hard of hearing, would not be able to make it back to Germany that night from Amsterdam. Airport officials told her there were no more flights to Hanover that day, she said.

“I said, ‘You can’t push him in a wheelchair somewhere in the airport in the corner and just leave him there,’” she recalled.

Eventually, Mr. Fuchs was put on a flight to Hamburg, where a relative helped him onto a train to Hanover.

The experience has left Ms. Sabert fearful of asking her father to try to make the trip again. But she also feels time is running out and wants the chance for the family to reunite.

“It’s about these last moments before we say goodbye,” she said.

Monika Pronczuk contributed reporting from Brussels.

Nicholas Casey is the Madrid bureau chief, covering Spain, Portugal and Morocco. He spent a decade as a foreign correspondent in Latin America and the Middle East and wrote about national politics during the 2020 U.S. presidential campaign. More about Nicholas Casey

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Schengen Area - Travel Guidance

US intends to keep travel restrictions in place against UK, European countries, others

The United States has no plans to lift travel restrictions at this point given the rise of the delta variant, according to the White House.

The decision means the country’s current travel restrictions – which deny entry for people from the European Schengen area, United Kingdom and other countries – will remain in place. 

“Given where we are today … with the delta variant, we will maintain existing travel restrictions at this point for a few reasons," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said at a press briefing Monday. "The more transmissible delta variant is spreading both here and around the world. Driven by the delta variant, cases are rising here at home, particularly among those who are unvaccinated and appear likely to continue in the weeks ahead.”

The delta variant now accounts for about 83% of cases nationwide and has led to a spike in U.S. COVID-19 cases. In the last two weeks,  cases have increased 171% nationally, and the death rate is up 19% over the week before.

The decision comes just one week after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Americans should avoid travel to the United Kingdom because of a spike in coronavirus cases. "They will evaluate and make recommendations based on health data," Psaki said of the CDC.

Learn more: Best travel insurance

Which countries are included in the travel ban? 

The U.S. first imposed travel restrictions were first imposed  in early 2020  to slow the spread of COVID-19, and were reinstated by President Joe Biden in January after then-President Donald Trump rescinded the restrictions days before the end of his term. The country still prohibits entry for most travelers from:

• European Schengen area (Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City)
• United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland)
• Republic of Ireland
• South Africa

The decision to keep the ban in place comes one month after the European Union added the U.S. to a list of countries for which travel restrictions should gradually be lifted .

The U.S. also recently extended land border restrictions on nonessential travel through Aug. 21, despite Canada's plans to reopen its borders to vaccinated American travelers on Aug. 9 .  

The Biden administration has faced increasing pressure to lift travel restrictions from other nations and tourism industry leaders. Biden was pressed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel on July 15 about lifting U.S. travel restrictions, and various airlines have urged the government to lift travel bans.  

When will the U.S. lift its travel ban? 

When asked if Biden would drop travel restrictions in the event airlines adopted vaccine passports or vaccine mandates, Psaki said Friday there are “ongoing working groups” focused on how to reopen international travel into the U.S.

“There are a range of topics in those discussions that are ongoing,” Psaki said. “The president receives regular briefings on them, but we rely on public health and medical advice on when we’re going to determine changes to be made.”

Travel industry groups have urged the Biden administration to open international travel.

Following the news Monday that travel restrictions would remain in place, U.S. Travel Association Executive Vice President of Public Affairs and Policy Tori Emerson Barnes voiced confidence that travel restrictions could safely be dropped despite delta variant concerns. 

“Given the high rates of vaccination on both sides of the Atlantic, it is possible to begin safely welcoming back vaccinated visitors from these crucial inbound markets," Barnes said in a statement. “We respectfully urge the Biden administration to revisit its decision in the very near term and begin reopening international travel to vaccinated individuals, starting with air corridors between the U.S. and nations with similar vaccination rates.”

US travel restrictions: Amid mounting frustration, Biden suggests decision on EU travel coming within days

Contributing: Michael Collins, Joey Garrison, Julia Thompson

Follow USA TODAY reporter Bailey Schulz on Twitter: @bailey_schulz . 

What is the Schengen Area and what European countries are included?

On Wednesday, President Trump unveiled new travel restrictions for foreign nationals coming from most European countries in an effort to halt the spread of the coronavirus . While the restrictions were first believed to be from all of Europe, the White House and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed the new rules apply only to foreign nationals coming from the Schengen Area as of midnight on Friday, March 13.

So, what does this all mean?

What is the Schengen Area?

In the Schengen zone, internal border checks are mostly a thing of the past. This area of 26 European states have largely done away with passport checks along their mutual borders, and the zone comprises a single jurisdiction, with a standardized visa policy, for the purposes of international travel. Just don't confuse the Schengen zone with the European Union itself, or the EU Customs Union for that matter. Some countries, such as Switzerland, do not belong to the EU but are part of the Schengen area, while others (like Cyprus) are not part of the Schengen area but are members of the EU.

While the Schengen Area doesn't include all the European nations, all of the countries within the Schengen Area are in Europe.

Related: Everything you need to know about the U.S. European travel ban

The Schengen Area includes the following 26 countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

Notably missing from the Schengen Area are the United Kingdom and Ireland. As a result, foreign nationals originating in those countries will still be permitted to travel to the United States so long as they haven't visited any country in the Schengen Area in the past 14 days.

Related: Complete guide to traveling during the deadly coronavirus outbreak

In addition to the U.K. and Ireland, the following European countries are also not members of the Schengen Area: Albania, Andora, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Georgia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine and Vatican City.

Who is affected?

According to the DHS, the travel restrictions do not apply to "legal permanent residents, (generally) immediate family members of U.S. citizens and other individuals who are identified in the proclamation."

Visit TPG's guide to all coronavirus news and updates

However, if a U.S. citizen is looking to return to the country after visiting a Schengen Area destination, they will be subject to screening. While the White House and DHS haven't released specifics on how the restrictions will be implemented, American Airlines' website gives us some clues as to how it may be enforced.

Prior to boarding any American Airlines flight to the U.S., all passengers will be asked if they have visited a country within the Schengen Area, Iran or mainland China (excluding Hong Kong and Macau) within the past 14 days. If so, the approved passenger — a U.S. national — must enter through an approved airport. Foreign nationals who answer yes will be denied permission to travel to the U.S.

Related: Which airlines are offering the most flexibility for travelers affected by the coronavirus

According to American, the following airports are "approved entry points" for eligible passengers who have traveled to the Schengen Area, Iran or mainland China within the past 14 days:

• Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)
• Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)
• Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW)
• Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey (EWR)
• Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu, Hawaii (HNL)
• John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City (JFK)
• Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
• Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD)
• Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)
• San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
• Washington-Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C. (IAD)

For travelers who are not set to travel to one of the approved airports, American Airlines said it will reroute the passenger.

The White House could ultimately expand this travel restriction to include the U.K., Ireland and other European countries not already banned. For the time being, however, if you're a foreign national — or a U.S. citizen — who has traveled in Europe and not stepped foot in a Schengen Area country in the past 14 days, you'll still be able to travel to the U.S. All others, however, will be subject to additional screening (if a U.S. citizen) or not be allowed to travel at all.

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• Passports, travel and living abroad
• Travel abroad

Travelling to the EU and Schengen area

You do not need a visa for short trips to the EU or countries in the Schengen area if both of the following apply:

• you’re staying for 90 days or less in a 180-day period
• you’re visiting as a tourist or for certain other reasons

Other reasons include:

• studying a short course
• getting medical treatment
• travelling for business for your UK employer, for example to attend a business meeting or conference
• journalism or other media activities

Check the entry requirements of the country you’re visiting to find out what you can and cannot do during your stay.

These rules do not apply to travelling and working in Ireland .

Travelling to countries in the Schengen area for up to 90 days in a 180-day period

You can travel to more than one country in a 180-day period. How long you can stay in each country depends on whether or not it’s in the Schengen area.

The countries in the Schengen area are:

Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

Your total stay in the Schengen area must be no more than 90 days in every 180 days. It does not matter how many countries you visit. The 180-day period keeps ‘rolling’.

To work out if your stay is within the 90 day limit, use the following steps.

Check the date you plan to leave the Schengen area on your next trip.

Count back 180 days from that date to get the start of the 180-day period.

Add up the number of days you have already spent in the Schengen area in that 180-day period (you can use the dates stamped in your passport showing when you entered and left a country).

Work out how many days you will spend in the Schengen area on your next trip. Add this number to the number of days you worked out in step 3.

Check that the total number of days is not more than 90.

Travelling to EU countries that are not in the Schengen area

Bulgaria, Cyprus and Romania are not in the Schengen area. You can stay up to 90 days in a 180-day period in each of these countries without a visa.

Any time you spend in the Schengen area does not affect the number of days you can spend in these countries.

When you may need a visa

​​You may need a visa or permit if you want to either:

• stay for more than 90 days

If you’re travelling for work, check the rules for the country you’re visiting .

If you’re travelling for another reason or staying longer than 90 days, check the entry requirements for the country you’re visiting .

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Passport checks for air travellers lifted as Bulgaria and Romania join EU's Schengen

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Romania and Bulgaria Partially Join Europe's Schengen Area — What That Means for Travelers

Airports in both Romania and Bulgaria have removed passport check points for travelers flying within much of Europe.

Europe added two more additions to its border-free area this weekend, welcoming both Bulgaria and Romania.

The two countries partially joined the Schengen Area on Sunday, allowing travelers to move freely between them and dozens of other European countries, according to the European Commission . The new policy will apply to Bulgaria and Romania’s air and sea borders.

“I welcome the lifting of internal air and sea border checks. This is a great success for both countries. And a historic moment for the Schengen area - the largest area of free movement in the world,” Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, said in a statement. “Together, we are building a stronger, more united Europe for all our citizens.”

The lifting of border controls only applies to air and sea borders for the moment. It was not immediately clear when restrictions on land borders would be lifted.

As a result of their new status, airports in both Romania and Bulgaria removed passport check points on Sunday for travelers flying within much of Europe, Reuters reported .

The Schengen Area includes 27 other countries and allows travelers to move from country to country without border controls, according to the Council of the European Union . A couple of Romania and Bulgaria’s neighbors are already members, including Greece and Hungary.

The addition of the two countries comes months after the European Commission welcomed Croatia to join the Schengen Area in January. At the same time, Croatia also adopted the euro as its currency.

In addition to expanding its border-free area, the European Commission has postponed the start of a travel authorization fee until at least 2025. The fee, which will cost €7 ($7.51), will be required for travelers from visa-exempt countries , including the United States, to enter 30 different European countries . The fee will also apply to travelers visiting both Romania and Bulgaria.

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Read the original article on Travel & Leisure .

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Romania and Bulgaria partly join Schengen area after thirteen-year-long wait

A veto from Austria means the new status will not apply for land routes, due to concerns of an influx of refugees.

Bulgaria and Romania joined Europe's  Schengen area of free movement on Sunday, joining the rest of Europe travelling freely by air and sea without border checks.

The admission to the zone comes after a thirteen-year wait. 

The membership is partial, however, as a veto by Austria means the new membership will not apply to land routes, which Vienna argued would lead to more asylum seekers travelling into Europe.  

"This is a great success for both countries," President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said.

"And a historic moment for the Schengen area — the largest area of free movement in the world. Together, we are building a stronger, more united Europe for all our citizens."

The Schengen zone will now comprise of 29 members – 25 of the 27 European Union member states as well as Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.

Romania's government said Schengen rules would apply to four seaports and 17 airports, including Bucharest's largest Otopeni airport.

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Increased border police and immigration officers will be deployed to support passengers, and random checks will be carried out to detect people with false documents.

In January 2023 Croatia beat Romania and Bulgaria to become Schengen's 27th member, despite joining the EU later.

The Schengen Area was created in 1995 following the signing of the Schengen Agreement 10 years earlier between five member states of the European Economic Community: Germany, Belgium, France, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

Several other agreements followed until the 2007 enlargement, integrating nine additional countries into the free movement area.

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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.

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.

“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.

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.

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.

McGrath reported from Sighisoara, Romania.

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EU: Romania and Bulgaria join Schengen area by air and sea

The Schengen zone, which allows travel in Europe without border controls, has welcomed the two new countries. But the welcome is limited to air and sea routes only.

More than a decade after joining the European Union, Romania and Bulgaria joined — at least partially — most of the rest of the bloc's members in the   Schengen zone on Sunday.

Travelers are now able to move between the two Eastern European countries and the rest of the EU without the need for passing through border control when traveling by sea or air.

Due to a veto by Austria, however, land routes are not included due to fears that it would enable non-EU migrants to more easily enter other EU states.

"This is a great success for both countries," President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said on Saturday.

"And a historic moment for the Schengen area — the largest area of free movement in the world. Together, we are building a stronger, more united Europe for all our citizens."

The Schengen area is comprised of 23 of the other EU member states — excluding Ireland or Cyprus — along with non-EU states Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.

Push for full Schengen inclusion

Romania has said that it will carry out random checks to guard against false travel documents and to combat human trafficking.

The two countries hope to become full members of the Schengen area by the end of the year. Even Croatia, which joined the bloc after Romania and Bulgaria, was accepted fully into the Schengen area in January last year .

Croatia adopts euro and borderless EU travel

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Romanian Interior Minister Catalin Predoiu told Romanian news site News.ro on Sunday: "Our efforts to also join [Schengen] with land borders is continuing on multiple diplomatic channels.

Truck drivers have been pressuring their governments to secure visa-free travel across land borders with their European neighbors to beat the long queues that they currently face.

Romania's main road transport union UNTRR said the average wait at the Hungarian border was 16 hours.

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

Bulgarian businesses have also expressed their dismay, with Vasil Velev of the Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association (BICA) pointing out that "only 3% of Bulgarian goods are transported by air and sea, the remaining 97% by land."

Correction from April 3, 2024: A previous version of this article stated that the Schengen area allows visa-free travel — but Schengen is about removing border passport controls, people from Romania and Bulgaria could already travel to the rest of the EU visa-free. The article also incorrectly stated that all other members of the EU are in the Schengen area, but Ireland and Cyprus are not. Both mistakes have now been corrected. We apologize for the error.

ab/rm (AFP, AP)

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