Bulgaria and Romania in Schengen: when days started counting

The dates

Date	What changed
Before 31 Mar 2024	Days in Bulgaria and Romania were not part of the shared Schengen count.
31 Mar 2024	Checks at internal air and sea borders were lifted and Schengen rules applied (Council Decision (EU) 2024/210). From this date, short stays count toward the shared 90/180.
1 Jan 2025	Checks at internal land borders were lifted (Council Decision (EU) 2024/3212). Both became full members.

Why 31 March 2024, not 1 January 2025

Some guides only count Bulgaria and Romania from 1 January 2025. We use 31 March 2024 because the Danish Immigration Service and the Romanian Border Police both say short stays in the two countries count toward the shared 90 days from that date. 1 January 2025 is when the land border checks ended.

The difference only affects dates up to 25 September 2024, whose 180-day window reaches back before 31 March 2024.

Every Schengen country and the date it counts from: Schengen countries.

Questions

Are Bulgaria and Romania in the Schengen area?

Yes. Both have been full members since 1 January 2025, when checks at their internal land borders ended.

Do days in Bulgaria and Romania count toward my 90 days?

Yes. Short stays there have counted toward the shared 90 days in any 180-day period since 31 March 2024.

Why do some calculators start counting on 1 January 2025?

That is when land border checks ended. Schengen rules already applied from 31 March 2024, and the Danish Immigration Service and the Romanian Border Police both say short stays count toward the shared 90/180 from that date.

Does this still matter?

Only for dates up to 25 September 2024. From 26 September 2024, the whole 180-day window falls after 31 March 2024.

Bulgaria and Romania in Schengen

The dates

Why 31 March 2024, not 1 January 2025

Questions

More guides

By passport

By country

Longer stays

Sources