Schengen Air is all that the Government obtained from Austria, in the negotiations for the accession to the free movement area. From March 31, Romania enters Schengen from March 31 with air and sea borders.
Starting from Sunday, Romanians traveling to and from Schengen states will no longer go through border control. The Ministry of Internal Affairs has developed new procedures at the 17 airports and ports.
Schengen Air for Romanians
Austria maintains its right of veto, for Romania, for the accession with land borders to the European area of free movement. The concession that the officials in Vienna made was for our country and Bulgaria to be accepted in Schengen with air and sea borders only. Starting from Sunday, March 31, new rules will come into force at airports for those traveling abroad.
The Secretary of State in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Bogdan Despescu, announced that the personnel working in the area of airports and seaports will be supplemented. The new workers will be there to guide and inform passengers. At the same time, he specified that canine crews specialized in drug detection will also operate in these areas.
“Starting with March 31, 2024, people traveling to or from destinations in the Schengen member states will no longer have to go through border control. What we present to you today will be applied starting from March 31 in the other 16 airports and 4 seaports, those located in Constanţa county”, said Bogdan Despescu.
Bogdan Despescu Photo source: Razvan Valcaneantu EEC
How will the procedure proceed at the airports
The MAI official explained that Romanians traveling to the Schengen states will follow a new procedure at the airports. After passing the security control, they will no longer be subject to document verification at the border crossing points. Passengers will go directly to the boarding gates.
“Specifically, the people who enter the terminal, after going through the security control procedure, activity that is only carried out by the structures of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and activity that is current in all airports in the Schengen Area and, of course, other international airports. The persons in question will not be subject to border control as it is today, at the bells and whistles that we all know. Passengers will go directly to the boarding gates”, explained Bogdan Despescu.
The Secretary of State also said that all along the route, until boarding the planes, travelers could be checked by the Border Police or crews of police and gendarmes.
“Throughout this route, they will be able to be checked by the Border Police, the mixed crews of the Romanian Police, the Romanian Gendarmerie and the General Inspectorate for Immigration. I make it clear that these counters, which today are for both Schengen and non-Schengen, will operate, starting from Sunday, only on the non-Schengen flow”, said Bogdan Despescu.
Schengen Air with random checks
The secretary of state in the MAI also said that there will be random checks to detect those who travel with false documents, those who are followed or those who are banned from leaving the country. If problems are found, the person concerned will be taken for further checks.
“Police and Gendarmerie teams will carry out random checks. These checks are for the purpose of detecting those who have false travel documents, those who are prohibited from leaving the country, to detect the wanted persons, compliance with the rules regarding the accompaniment of minors, a very important aspect, combating migration and human trafficking.
If no problems are detected during the control procedures of the Police and Gendarmerie teams, the passengers will continue their journey without any problem, and if certain problems are identified, the person or persons in question will be led into the line the second verification, where, based on the additional activities, their situation will be clarified”, the state secretary said.
Bogdan Despescu also explained that even travelers coming from the Schengen Area will no longer be checked upon disembarking. Randomly, however, their documents will be checked by Romanian police patrols. The Ministry of Internal Affairs has improved the control mechanism by equipping our staff with scanning systems, document verification in a digital form and systems that can be used on the move, mobile.
patrol dog. source: Twitter: Patricia McGurk-Daniel
MAI staff will be supplemented at airports and ports
The Secretary of State also stated that from March 31, the personnel working at airports and seaports will be supplemented. MAI workers will guide and inform passengers about Schengen rules. At the same time, there will be patrols accompanied by dogs to detect drug traffickers.
“Returning to the measures ordered at the level of airports and seaports, I mention the fact that, starting from March 31, compared to the personnel currently operating in these areas today, we will supplement the forces. The purpose of this additional force is to inform, guide, support passengers as well as detect those who want to take advantage of this facility to leave Romania illegally.
At the same time, canine teams specialized in drug detection will act based on analysis activities or based on signals that we still have today”, Bogdan Despescu also declared.
