As early as 2011, the European Commission (EC) determined that both Eastern European countries were ready to become Shengen members. Despite this, neither succeeded immediately in joining the group. However, as of January 1, 2025, Romania and Bulgaria became full members of the Schengen area, which meant the abolition of land border controls between these countries and other Schengen members. This follows the earlier abolition of air and sea border controls on March 31, 2024.

The European Commission has welcomed this enlargement, highlighting the benefits for travel, trade and tourism within the internal market. From now on, and as soon as it launches ETIAS, Romania and Bulgaria will act in exactly the same way as all other countries requiring this soon-to-be-announced entry permit.

As published by the European authorities, ETIAS – SEIAV (p0r its acronym in Spanish) will be launched 6 months after EES is implemented. The system used for ETIAS – SEIAV is directly dependent on EES (Exit/Entry System) as both are designed to work together as part of the European Union’s border management system.

EES automatically records the entry and exit information of travelers crossing the EU’s external borders, including biometric data (fingerprints and facial recognition) and passport data. This provides a centralized database that ETIAS uses for security background checks and to confirm the travel history of applicants. If someone applies for an ETIAS authorization, the system can query the EES to check whether that person has exceeded the 90-day limit in the past or attempted to enter without complying with the rules.

Well, both Bulgaria and Romania will be fully integrated into both systems and ready to go live along with all other Schengen countries.