Schengen Visa: Travellers to Europe could visit two more countries from Jan 2025

Romania and Bulgaria are likely to become full members of the Schengen Area by January 2025, reported Economic Times quoting Hungarian officials. This development is set to take place after years of partial inclusion, with the two Balkan countries joining the European Union in 2007 but not gaining full access to the Schengen Area until March 2023.
While border checks were removed for air and maritime travel, land borders remained restricted due to concerns over illegal migration, primarily from Austria, which had blocked their entry into the zone.
After recent discussions in Budapest between Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania’s interior ministers, Austria has decided to lift its opposition. This will open the door for a final decision on the matter by EU interior ministers in December 2024.
The Schengen area consists of 29 European countries (of which 25 are EU states): Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland and Sweden, along with Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. 
The two countries are now “one step closer” to full membership, and a significant step will be the deployment of at least 100 border guards to the border between Bulgaria and Turkey, confirmed Hungarian Interior Minister Sándor Pintér.
This agreement marks a turning point in the Schengen expansion process. EU officials, including Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, welcomed the development, stating that Romania and Bulgaria now “fully belong” to the Schengen Area. Johansson expressed her satisfaction with the progress, describing it as a step toward full freedom for the citizens of both countries.
The new development means that travellers who hold Schengen visas will be able to visit two more countries: Romania and Bulgaria. This will enable visitors to enter these new Schengen members without having to undergo any additional border checks. Romania and Bulgaria’s entry is expected to improve travel opportunities across Europe, simplifying cross-border movement and boosting tourism and trade within the region.
With Romania and Bulgaria’s full integration, the Schengen Area will become even more accessible to travellers starting in January 2025.
It is worth mentioning here that the European Commission announced a cascade regime for Indian nationals in April 2024, which allows multi-year validity for travellers with an established travel history.
Under this scheme, Indian citizens can be issued multi-entry Schengen visas for two years after using two visas within the previous three years. If the passport has remaining validity, the two-year visa will be followed by a five-year visa.