On November 22, Romania and Bulgaria will sign a declaration on full accession to Schengen. Find out what will change for these countries very soon

Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said Friday's (November 22nd) meeting in Hungary is "very important" for opening the door to Schengen for Sofia and Bucharest.

However, it is important to understand that this declaration is not a final decision on the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the Schengen Agreement, but is a recognition of the work that the countries have done on the way to joining the organization.

What will change after the signing of the agreement on November 22, 2024 on the membership of Romania and Bulgaria in Schengen?

Today, November 22, the interior ministers of Romania, Bulgaria, Austria and Hungary, which currently holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union, will hold a working meeting during which further measures will be considered after Romania's partial accession to the Schengen area, and they will also discuss Bulgaria's position.

The Romanian leadership is currently quite optimistic about this meeting. According to the country’s Prime Minister, Marcel Çolacu, Romania will fully join the Schengen area as early as January 1, 2025.

Despite Austria’s initial opposition, the parties appear to have reached an agreement.

Bulgaria is likely to become a full member of Schengen from the beginning of next year.

Both countries joined the Schengen area in March, but the rules so far only apply to travelers crossing air or sea borders.

Why is it important for Bulgaria and Romania to join the Schengen area?

For Romania and Bulgaria, the land borders are the main hub.

- According to the Romanian Union of Motor Carriers, truck drivers usually wait from eight to 16 hours at the border with Hungary, and from 20 to 30 hours at the border with Bulgaria, with a peak of three days.

- Similarly, in Bulgaria, trucks stand in queues at the border with Greece and Romania.

Based on this, Romania believes that the country loses 10 billion euros per year due to the fact that it is not a full member of Schengen. For the same reason, Bulgaria, three times smaller in population, estimates that its economy lost 1 billion euros last year.

Environmental impact assessments have also been done and are not reassuring to say the least.

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What will change for tourists after Romania and Bulgaria join the Schengen area?

One of the main advantages of this accession is the abolition of passport controls for all travelers arriving in the countries by any means (land, air or sea) from other Schengen countries. Currently, this rule applies only to tourists traveling by air or sea.

The Ministries of Interior of both countries have announced that all border checks will soon be abolished.

Passengers on flights, cruises and ferries can already travel without having to show their passports upon arrival, making travel between these countries even easier and more efficient. From January 1, 2025, this rule will also apply to passengers on land transport.

We will remind you! In the spring of 2024, Bulgaria and Romania partially joined the European Schengen area of ​​free movement. These changes have made travel to countries easier for millions of travelers. We have already told why tourists should visit Romania in 2024.

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Igor Usyk - Head of Migration department at VisitWorld

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