Schengen zone and the passport validity new rules

A new requirement has been introduced by all countries that are member states of the Schengen Area. According to that requirement, people that are coming from countries outside this European passport-free zone should have a passport that is valid for at least three months beyond the date of their departure. This new rule entered into force on 19th July. The new change is officially known as regulation EU 610/2013 and it covers the countries from the Schengen zone and also Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia. Romania, Croatia and Bulgaria are not part of the borderless Schengen free-travel agreement zone yet. In order to become members of the Schengen zone, the three countries need to cover certain criteria. There is yet another requirement – the passports should be issued within the last ten years.

The Schengen zone aims to abolish the checks that are placed alongside the internal borders of the European Union, however at the same time it needs to tighten the control at the external borders, following a set of strict rules. The rules cover several areas like rules for people crossing the external borders of the European Union, same rules on short-stay visas, police cooperation and usage of the Schengen Information System.