Romania and Bulgaria have become full members of the European Union’s border-free Schengen area after scrapping land border controls in the bloc. The expansion was officially introduced at midnight on Wednesday and was marked by celebrations at some of the countries’ border posts.

Romania and Bulgaria scrapped land border controls to become full members of the European Union's Schengen free-travel area on Wednesday, joining an expanded bloc of countries whose residents can travel without passport checks.

Bulgaria and Romania are holding ceremonies to mark their full membership in Europe’s Schengen area, the culmination of years of negotiations by the Eastern European countries to join the ID check-free travel zone.

Romania and Bulgaria became full members of the Schengen zone on Wednesday, expanding the borderless area to 29 members and ending a 13-year wait for the two eastern European countries.Romania and Bulgaria,

The Bulgarian border