Romania and Bulgaria have become full members of the European Union’s border-free Schengen area after scrapping land border controls in the bloc. The expansion was officially introduced at midnight on Wednesday and was marked by celebrations at some of the countries’ border posts.

Bulgaria and Romania are holding ceremonies to mark their full membership in Europe’s Schengen area, the culmination of years of negotiations by the Eastern European countries to join the ID check-free travel zone.

Ceremonies were held at Romania and Bulgaria's borders to celebrate becoming fully fledged members of the Schengen Area. #EuropeNews

Romania and Bulgaria officially join the Schengen Area on 1 January 2025, removing border controls and ensuring free movement across the EU

The European Union ministers has agreed to let Bulgaria and Romania fully integrate into Europe’s ID-check-free travel zone known as the Schengen area by lifting land border controls next year.

Romania and Bulgaria fully joined the Schengen Area on Wednesday, allowing their citizens to travel freely within the European Union. The Schengen Area now includes 25 of the 27 EU member states, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.

Romania and Bulgaria scrapped land border controls to become full members of the European Union's Schengen free-travel area on Wednesday, joining an expanded bloc of countries whose residents can travel without passport checks.

Two EU nations, Romania and Bulgaria, are eliminating land border controls to the rest of the bloc after Austria dropped its veto last month. All EU countries except Cyprus and Ireland are now in the Schengen zone.

On 1 January 2025, border controls on the land borders with Bulgaria and Romania were lifted. Both countries have been striving to join the full Schengen Area since they joined the EU in 2007. Romania and Bulgaria joined the EU and adopted some of the Schengen regulations,