The Balkans pack an unusual amount of border complexity into a small area: EU members, Schengen members, EU candidates and countries with none of the above, often sharing a short bus ride between them. Recent changes — Croatia joining Schengen, Bulgaria and Romania joining in stages — have simplified some crossings while leaving others exactly as fiddly as before. Here is how to make sense of it before an overland trip.
Who is in what club
It helps to separate three overlapping questions: is a country in the EU, is it in Schengen, and does it use the euro? In the Balkans these three do not line up neatly.
- Slovenia and Croatia are EU and Schengen members, and both use the euro.
- Bulgaria and Romania are EU members and joined Schengen in stages from 2024, with land border checks phased out after initial air and sea entry; neither uses the euro.
- Greece is EU, Schengen and eurozone, and sits geographically among non-EU Balkan neighbours.
- Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania and Kosovo are outside the EU and Schengen, each with its own visa rules, though most extend visa-free short stays to the same broad group of nationalities (UK, US, Canada, Australia, EU citizens and others).
For details on the wider Schengen system itself, see the Schengen Area explained and Schengen vs EU vs eurozone.
The 2024/25 Schengen changes
Croatia completed its Schengen entry in 2023, removing checks at its land borders with Slovenia and Hungary. Bulgaria and Romania joined in a staged process: air and sea borders opened first, with land border checks between the two countries and their Schengen neighbours removed in a later phase. Practically, this means crossings that once involved a passport check and a queue of coaches at the roadside now often pass without stopping — but always verify current status before relying on a fast land crossing, since implementation has happened gradually rather than all at once.
Land border procedures in Bulgaria and Romania have changed in stages since 2024. If your route depends on a fast, checkpoint-free crossing, confirm the current status with the European Commission before you travel — do not assume every land border is fully open yet.
Non-EU Balkans: what actually happens at the border
Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania and Kosovo each run their own border control, separate from Schengen. For most Western passport holders this means a straightforward passport stamp and a visa-free stay of up to 90 days, but the countries are not one another's Schengen — crossing from, say, Montenegro into Croatia is a full EU external border with document checks, even though both are popular stops on the same coastal route. Budget more time than you might expect for these crossings, especially by coach in peak summer, when queues at Croatia–Bosnia and Serbia–Croatia crossings can run long.
Kosovo's particular situation
Kosovo's independence is not recognised by every country, including some EU and Balkan neighbours, and this occasionally affects overland travel. Most notably, travellers who enter Serbia directly from Kosovo have sometimes faced complications at Serbian border control, since Serbia does not recognise Kosovo as a separate international boundary. The common workaround is to route via North Macedonia or Montenegro rather than crossing directly between Kosovo and Serbia. Check current advice before planning that specific leg.
Currency and the euro question
Only Slovenia, Croatia and Greece use the euro among the countries covered here. Serbia uses the dinar, Bosnia and Herzegovina the convertible mark, North Macedonia the denar, Albania the lek, and Montenegro and Kosovo have both adopted the euro unilaterally despite not being EU or Schengen members — a reminder that currency union and border union are genuinely separate questions in this region.
How this affects an overland route
A classic Balkans overland loop — Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Albania, North Macedonia, Serbia and back — crosses in and out of Schengen and the EU repeatedly, sometimes several times in a single day near the coast. None of this affects your Schengen 90/180-day count while you are in a non-Schengen country, which can actually work in your favour if you are trying to stretch a longer European trip: time spent in Serbia or Albania does not use up your Schengen allowance. See the Schengen 90/180-day rule for how that count works.
EU candidate status and what it does (and doesn't) change
Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Albania are all official EU candidate countries, at various stages of accession talks, and Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo hold varying degrees of candidate or potential-candidate status. Candidacy is a slow, political process and does not itself change entry requirements — a country can spend years or decades as a candidate before joining, if it joins at all, and border rules stay exactly as they are until accession actually happens. Treat any "coming soon" headlines about a Balkan country joining the EU or Schengen with some caution and check current status rather than assuming a change has already taken effect.
What to actually carry at these borders
For the non-Schengen Balkan countries, carry your passport rather than a national ID card even if EU rules would normally allow the latter, since these borders check full passports as a matter of course. Vehicle documents matter more here than in Schengen-only travel: driving a hire car across borders such as Croatia–Bosnia or Serbia–North Macedonia often requires proof of insurance valid in the country you are entering, and rental companies can require advance notice before you take a car across a non-EU border at all. Check this with the rental company before setting off, not at the border itself.
Frequently asked questions
Is Serbia in the EU or Schengen?
No. Serbia is outside both, though it grants visa-free entry to most Western nationalities for short stays, and border checks apply when crossing to and from EU or Schengen neighbours.
Has Bulgaria and Romania joining Schengen removed all land border checks?
Implementation happened in stages from 2024, with air and sea borders opening first. Confirm the current status of land crossings before relying on a fast border crossing for a specific route.
Does time in non-EU Balkan countries count toward my Schengen 90 days?
No. Only days physically inside the Schengen Area count. Time in Serbia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Albania, North Macedonia or Kosovo does not use up your Schengen allowance.
Can I cross directly between Kosovo and Serbia?
It is possible but has caused complications for some travellers due to Serbia's non-recognition of Kosovo's borders as an international boundary. Many overlanders route via North Macedonia or Montenegro instead — check current advice before planning this leg.
Sources and further reading:
- Schengen system details: European Commission, and the Schengen Area explained.
- Overland route planning: the Balkans overland and coaches in the Balkans.
- Always confirm current border status and visa requirements with the European Commission and your own government's travel advice before travelling.