Two new countries just joined Europe's passport-free travel zone

One of the biggest things that surprise American travelers moving across several European countries for the first time is just how easy it can be to cross between borders. When traveling by train, one can easily discover that you are in a different country only by looking out the window and noticing that the language on the station signs is different.

Established in 1995, the Schengen Zone is an area of open borders between many of the countries making up the European Union. The goal was to remove the need for internal borders within countries that already have freedom of work and movement as well as establish a common EU area.

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While the initial signatories to the Schengen Agreement were only Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, the idea worked incredibly well and more and more nations joined over the next 30 years. On March 31, the coalition of 27 countries increased by the partial addition of Bulgaria and Romania — two nations that had long been slated to join the Schengen Zone but needed to complete a number of steps to prove that they properly address illegal migration.

Two more countries partially join 'the largest area of free movement in the world'

The two countries' ascension grants EU citizens and visitors who have already crossed through another port of entry free access by air and sea but requires some identity document checks at certain land borders for the time being. Bulgaria and Romania have been on the pathway to join the Schengen Zone since 2007.

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"I welcome the lifting of internal air and sea border checks," Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, said in a statement. "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."

Prior to this change, Croatia was the last country to join the Schengen Zone in January 2022. The land borders for Bulgaria and Romania remain due to resistance from the member state of Austria about illegal immigration flowing west through those two countries. The partial ascension was called out by some lawmakers who felt like they were being asked to hit a moving target not required of other countries.

Here is what the change will mean for travelers passing through these countries by land, air and sea

"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," Romanian European Parliament Member Siegfried Muresan said to the Associated Press. "[The partial membership] will offer additional arguments to the last EU member state that has been vetoing the full accession.”

Those coming into Bulgaria or Romania by plane or ship from another EU country will not need to show their passport at the airport or port crossing. Both countries have, in recent years, have seen a significant burst of tourist interest as off-the-radar European destinations that have become particularly popular following the pandemic but the vast majority of border movement occurs by land.