Travelling across Europe on a single continent-wide visa is a seamless way for tourists to hop from one destination to the next without the hassle of multiple visas. Now, visitors to the continent can double their joy with the announcement that two more countries have joined the Schengen area.

Romania and Bulgaria will begin issuing Schengen C visas to foreign travellers from April 1, 2024. Their addition to the Schengen area takes the total number of countries that have a common visa policy for international travellers to 29.

The eastern European countries will allow travellers to stay in their nations for up to 90 days within 180 days. Visas issued prior to April 1 do not allow travellers to access the rest of the Schengen area. People from non-Schengen countries are still required to undergo passport checks when travelling to different Schengen countries.

The full list of the Schengen area countries includes Austria, Bulgaria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.