Good news for anyone planning a flight to Bulgaria or Romania: From March 31 onwards, there will be no more passport checks for people flying in from other Schengen area states. What does this mean for travellers? First and foremost, it will save time at the airports - for example for anyone on holiday at the Black Sea coast and flying to Burgas or Varna, as there is one less queue to join before take-off and after landing. Does this mean I don't need a passport? No. There is still a requirement to carry a valid passport or identity card when leaving and re-entering countries within the Schengen area. Even in the Schengen area, countries can carry out spot checks under certain conditions - which is another reason why it is always advisable to have identification with you. What if I'm not flying and crossing a land border into Bulgaria or Romania instead? The end of passport checks only impacts internal air and sea borders. Anyone travelling by car or coach from another Schengen state, for example from Hungary to Romania or Bulgaria to Greece, will still have to show their passport. During busy holiday periods, you can even expect to have to wait several hours at the border before being checked. The Schengen area is intended to guarantee the unrestricted movement of people in Europe. Border checks between the 27 Schengen members are largely suspended allowing people to travel, work and live in another member country without visas or permits. So far, 23 of the 27 EU member states as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland are part of the Schengen area. Romania and Bulgaria had been waiting to join Schengen since 2011. Apart from Bulgaria and Romania, Ireland and Cyprus are the only EU countries that are not part of the Schengen area. (Source:https://www.dpa.com/en/international-news)
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