Travelling between Romania and Bulgaria: borders, documents and stay limits

Romania and Bulgaria are both full members of the Schengen area. A journey between them now fits into a wider Schengen trip, but it does not create a new allowance of visitor days. Before booking a long route, check your documents and count the whole stay.

The land-border change is already in effect

The Council of the European Union confirms that routine internal land-border checks with and between Romania and Bulgaria were lifted on 1 January 2025. Air and sea internal checks had already been lifted in March 2024.

That does not mean a coach or car crosses instantly. Traffic, bridge approaches and temporary controls can still affect a journey. Carry the travel document required for your nationality and status, even when travelling within Schengen. A transport booking is not proof that you meet the entry rules.

Count Romania and Bulgaria in the same short-stay allowance

For travellers subject to the usual short-stay rule, the maximum is 90 days in any rolling 180-day period across Schengen. Previous visits count too. Your visa may allow a shorter stay, fewer entries or a more limited period, so read its conditions.

For example, 20 days in France followed by 20 in Romania and 20 in Bulgaria use 60 days of the same allowance. Moving between those countries does not restart it. Arrival and departure days both count under the ordinary calculation.

Use the European Commission’s short-stay calculator with the actual dates. Residence permits, long-stay visas and EU free-movement rights involve different rules; use the relevant official guidance for your situation rather than applying a holiday example blindly.

A Moldova side trip involves an external border

Moldova is outside Schengen. Travelling from Romania to Chișinău therefore involves separate entry and exit formalities. Check Moldova’s requirements for your nationality as well as your right to return to Romania. A single-entry visa may not permit the return you have planned.

Time outside Schengen does not erase earlier Schengen days. If you leave for a week, the rolling calculation still looks back across the previous 180 days when you return. Avoid booking a trip on the assumption that a short border crossing resets the allowance.

The Chișinău–Bucharest guide compares the overnight train and coach. Border procedures are one reason to leave a comfortable gap before an important flight or a separate onward booking.

Check the official EES and ETIAS guidance

The EU’s EES and ETIAS explanation distinguishes the two systems. EES records external-border movements for covered non-EU short-stay travellers and can involve biometric registration. ETIAS is a separate travel-authorisation system for eligible visa-exempt travellers when it begins operating.

Use the official European travel portal for the current start date, eligibility and instructions before departure. Do not treat an advertisement offering an application as evidence that you need to buy one now. These systems do not give extra visitor days or replace a visa where one is required.

Finish with a practical booking check

Confirm that your passport or other accepted document meets the rules for the complete route. Check any visa’s dates, permitted entries and remaining stay. Keep the operator’s ticket and the accommodation details you may need accessible.

Then read the exact station or coach stop. Bucharest–Sofia and Bucharest–Veliko Tarnovo have different arrival plans. Arrange a first evening that still works if the road journey is delayed, rather than relying on a tight connection after arrival.