Queues: Bulgaria–Türkiye border today

About the border: Bulgaria–Türkiye border

The Bulgarian-Turkish border is an external border of the European Union and, since 1 January 2025, when Bulgaria fully joined Schengen at its land borders, also an external border of the Schengen area. Turkey is not in the EU, so full passport and customs checks apply on both sides, and goods carried in luggage are checked on entry into the EU. It is one of the busiest land borders in Europe.

The page lists three crossings. Kapitan Andreevo–Kapıkule, near Svilengrad and Edirne, lies on the main route from Sofia and Plovdiv to Istanbul and takes the vast majority of car and truck traffic; our data shows the queues towards Bulgaria are the longest of the three here. Lesovo–Hamzabeyli, also near Edirne, plays an important role in freight. Malko Tarnovo–Dereköy, in the Strandzha mountains, links the Burgas area with Kırklareli and is usually the calmest, although it follows a winding mountain road.

The peak comes in summer, when the Turkish diaspora from Germany, Austria and other Western European countries drives to Turkey on holiday and then returns at the end of the season – queues towards Bulgaria can then be very long. Traffic also rises around religious holidays and long weekends in Turkey. At such times the queue can stretch a long way back from the crossing, so carry spare water and fuel and try to travel outside the busiest hours.

Before travelling, check Turkey's current entry requirements for your nationality, your passport's validity and whether your policy and green card cover Turkey. Bulgaria uses an electronic vignette, and Turkish motorways have their own toll system. Keep the customs allowances in mind when returning to the EU.

When to go

Border queues are usually shortest at night, roughly between 01:00 and 05:00, and longest in the evening and at weekends. In the holiday season the Balkan-route peak falls on Saturdays. Check the live figures above before setting off.