Romania and Bulgaria are expected to become full members of the Schengen Area by January 2025, following years of partial inclusion. The Schengen Area is a group of 29 European countries (including 25 EU nations) where people can travel freely without internal border checks.
These two Balkan nations joined the European Union in 2007 but have not been granted full Schengen membership until now due to ongoing concerns, primarily related to illegal migration. While border checks for air and maritime travel were removed in March 2023, land border restrictions remained due to opposition from Austria.