ETIAS لبلغاريا ورومانيا 2026: هل تحتاج إليه؟

Q: Is Croatia also covered by ETIAS?

Yes. Croatia joined Schengen in January 2023 and sits on the ETIAS list too. One authorisation covers Croatia together with Bulgaria or Romania.

Lukas Lukas — Mon, 12 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000

Yes — you will need ETIAS for Bulgaria and Romania once the system starts — the EU has not yet set an official launch date. Both countries became full members of the Schengen area in 2025, so the €20 travel authorisation that applies across the zone will apply to them too, for every visa-exempt visitor. Here is what changed, and what it means for your trip.

ملخص سريع: Bulgaria and Romania joined Schengen fully on 1 January 2025. Once ETIAS launches (no official date yet; reports point to 2027), visa-free travellers such as Americans, Canadians and Australians will need an ETIAS to visit either country. It costs €20, lasts three years, and your days there now count under the shared Schengen 90/180 limit. You cannot apply yet.

Quick Facts: ETIAS, Bulgaria and Romania	التفاصيل
Both covered by ETIAS?	Yes — full Schengen members
Schengen since	Air/sea March 2024, land 1 January 2025
الرسوم	€20 (مجاني للأشخاص تحت 18 سنة وفوق 70 سنة)
الصلاحية	3 سنوات، أو حتى انتهاء صلاحية جواز السفر
Day count	Shared Schengen 90/180 clock
إطلاق	No official date yet (Q4 2026 target dropped)

Bulgaria and Romania are covered by ETIAS as full Schengen members. Source: European Commission.

For years, Bulgaria and Romania sat in an odd halfway house: EU members, but outside Schengen, with passport queues at their borders. That ended in 2025. If you want the broader context, our guide to ما هو ETIAS والـ القائمة الكاملة لدول ETIAS cover the whole zone. This article zooms in on the two newest members.

Do you need ETIAS for Bulgaria and Romania?

You need ETIAS for Bulgaria and Romania if you hold a passport from a visa-exempt non-EU country and plan to travel once ETIAS launches. That covers US, UK, Canadian, Australian and dozens of other nationalities. EU and EEA citizens are exempt, as are holders of a valid Schengen residence permit or long-stay visa.

Because both countries are now inside Schengen, they belong to the 30 states covered by ETIAS (صفحات European Commission ETIAS, accessed 8 July 2026). A single authorisation works for both, and for the rest of the zone. Confirm your nationality first: our guides for مواطنو الولايات المتحدة و مواطنو المملكة المتحدة lay out each case, and the قائمة الجنسيات المؤهلة shows who qualifies for visa-free travel in the first place.

Worth stressing: ETIAS is not a visa and not a reaction to the accession. It is a pre-travel check that every visa-exempt visitor to the zone will complete, whether they land in Sofia, Bucharest or Berlin. The accession simply means Bulgaria and Romania now fall inside that single system rather than running their own entry rules on the side.

What changed: Bulgaria and Romania joined Schengen

Bulgaria and Romania lifted air and sea border checks on 31 March 2024, then removed land-border controls on 1 January 2025, completing their entry into Schengen. That makes them the newest full members of the zone and pulls them squarely under the ETIAS rules once the system launches.

Romania completed Schengen entry on 1 January 2025. Source: EU Home Affairs.

The change was a long time coming. Both joined the EU back in 2007, then waited more than 17 years for full free movement (وزارة الشؤون الداخلية بالاتحاد الأوروبي بشأن منطقة شنغن, accessed 8 July 2026). Croatia had already joined in January 2023, so the 2025 step left Cyprus and Ireland as the only EU countries still outside the zone.

What does that mean on the ground? At Sofia and Bucharest airports, flights from other Schengen countries now arrive without passport control, the same as a flight from Madrid to Amsterdam. Land crossings from Hungary or Greece no longer stop for checks. The practical upshot for non-EU visitors is simple: once ETIAS is live you clear one check before you travel, then move freely once you are inside.

البلد	EU member since	Full Schengen since
بلغاريا	2007	1 يناير 2025
رومانيا	2007	1 يناير 2025
كرواتيا	2013	1 January 2023

Not keen on wrestling with the online form when it opens? You can apply directly on the official EU portal for €20, or let our team check and submit your answers for you. Both routes lead to the same authorisation.

How the shared 90/180 day count now works

Now that Bulgaria and Romania are inside Schengen, your time there counts against the same 90-days-in-180 limit as France, Germany or Spain. This differs from before 31 March 2024, when each country ran a separate count. Plan a long Balkan trip carefully so you do not overstay the shared allowance.

Days in Bulgaria and Romania now count under the shared Schengen 90/180 limit. Source: EU Home Affairs.

نصيحة للمحترفين: Say you spend 40 days touring Romania and Bulgaria in spring, then want three weeks in Italy that autumn. All of it now draws from the same 90-day pot. Keep a running total from your first Schengen entry, not per country.

Our guide to the قاعدة 90/180 يومًا walks through the maths with examples, and the ETIAS versus Schengen guide explains where the borders sit. Touring wider? The Balkans route guide maps a sensible itinerary.

Cost, validity and how to apply for ETIAS

ETIAS costs €20 and covers both Bulgaria and Romania on one application, valid for three years or until your passport expires. Under-18s and over-70s pay nothing. Applying online will take 10 to 20 minutes, with most approvals arriving within minutes of payment.

The official ETIAS application will open on the europa.eu portal once ETIAS launches. Source: European Commission.

انتظر الإطلاق. The portal is not live and the EU has not yet announced a launch date — see our دليل تاريخ الإطلاق. No genuine site accepts applications yet.
Ready your passport. A biometric passport valid for the trip, plus the documents you’ll need.
Fill in the form. Passport data, your first country of entry, and background and security questions (criminal record, conflict zones, past removal orders) (من يجب أن يتقدم، المفوضية الأوروبية, تم الوصول إليه في 8 يوليو 2026).
ادفع €20. The fee was fixed by the Commission in July 2025 (fee announcement). Children and older applicants are exempt.
راقب صندوق الوارد الخاص بك. الموافقة عادة فورية؛ قد تستغرق بعض الحالات ما يصل إلى 30 يوم. تتبع حالة بطيئة عبر الجدول الزمني للموافقة.

للأرقام بالتفصيل، راجع دليل التكاليف و طرق الدفع. هل تقلق من انتهاء صلاحية جواز سفرك في منتصف الفترة؟ دليل الصلاحية يغطيها.

نصائح عملية لرحلة إلى بلغاريا ورومانيا

رحلة مشتركة بين بلغاريا ورومانيا يسهل الجمع بينها الآن بعد فتح الحدود الداخلية. تقدم بطلب ETIAS مبكراً، احسب أيام شنغن من الدخول الأول، وتدبر التأمين على السفر بشكل منفصل، لأن التصريح لا يغطي الرعاية الصحية.

الحدود الداخلية بين رومانيا وبلغاريا خالية من الفحوصات الآن. المصدر: الشؤون الداخلية للاتحاد الأوروبي.

تصريح واحد، دولتان: أنت لا تحتاج إلى ETIAS منفصل لكل منهما. موافقة واحدة بقيمة 20 يورو تغطي صوفيا وبوخارست وما بعدها.
السفر البري: جسور الدانوب بين الاثنين خالية من الفحوصات الآن، لذا فإن حافلة من بوخارست إلى صوفيا لا تتوقف بعد الآن للتحقق من جوازات السفر.
فجوة التأمين: ETIAS ليست تغطية صحية. انظر إلى دليل التأمين قبل الحجز.
منعش المتطلبات: غير متأكد مما تحتاجه؟ ال دليل المتطلبات يسرد كل شرط.
موسم الذروة: شواطئ البحر الأسود في أغسطس وترانسيلفانيا في الخريف تجذب الحشود. تقدم بطلب UK ETIAS قبل أسبوع أو أسبوعين حتى لا تعطل الطلبات المرفوعة الرحلة المحجوزة.

نقطة أخرى لأي شخص سافر هنا قبل 2024: طوابع جواز السفر المنفصلة القديمة لم تعد موجودة. طابع الدخول الروماني لا يعود منفصلاً عن سجل شنغن، لذا فإن العد الواحد 90/180 هو الساعة الوحيدة التي تهم الآن. عد الأيام بشكل خاطئ هو أسهل خطأ يمكن ارتكابه في جولة إقليمية طويلة.

هل تفضل عدم ملء النموذج بنفسك؟ يمكننا مراجعة وتقديم طلبك، وهو ما يقول المسافرون الأكبر سنًا غالبًا أنه يزيل القلق حول أسئلة الأمان. نحن خدمة مساعدة مستقلة، وليس جهة حكومية — التقديم مباشرة عبر بوابة الاتحاد الأوروبي الرسمية هو دائمًا خيار متاح.

الأسئلة الشائعة

Do I need ETIAS for Bulgaria and Romania as a US citizen?

Yes. Once ETIAS launches (no official date yet), US citizens and other visa-exempt travellers need an ETIAS to visit Bulgaria or Romania. One €20 application covers both, lasts three years, and takes minutes online.

When did Bulgaria and Romania join Schengen?

They lifted air and sea checks on 31 March 2024 and land-border checks on 1 January 2025. That completed full Schengen membership, roughly 17 years after both joined the EU in 2007.

Does one ETIAS cover both countries?

Yes. A single ETIAS covers Bulgaria, Romania and every other country in the zone. You do not apply separately for each. One approval, valid up to three years, works for the whole area.

Do my days in Bulgaria count towards the Schengen 90-day limit?

Yes, now that both are full Schengen members. Time in Bulgaria and Romania draws from the same 90-days-in-180 allowance as the rest of the zone. Keep one running total.

هل يمكنني التقدم بطلب للحصول على ETIAS الآن؟

No. The portal has not opened. No launch date has been announced yet; the EU has dropped its earlier last-quarter-of-2026 target. Sites claiming to take applications today are not legitimate, so wait for the official europa.eu launch.

How much does ETIAS cost for children?

Nothing. Applicants under 18 and over 70 are exempt from the €20 fee. They still need their own approved ETIAS tied to a valid passport before crossing the border.

Is Croatia also covered by ETIAS?

نعم. انضمت كرواتيا إلى منطقة شنغن في يناير 2023 وتظهر أيضًا في قائمة UK ETIAS. إذا كانت رحلتك تجمع بين كرواتيا وبلغاريا أو رومانيا، فإن تصريحًا واحدًا يغطي الكل.

آنا راينهولت هي محررة وثائق السفر في europe-visa.eu وكتبت عن وثائق السفر الأوروبية منذ عام 2017. تم التحقق من هذا الدليل مقابل المصادر الرسمية للاتحاد الأوروبي قبل النشر.

آخر تحديث: 2026-07-08 — تم التحقق منه مقابل المصادر الرسمية للاتحاد الأوروبي.

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