Calafat – Vidin — no border checks

Quick answer

There are no border checks at the “Calafat – Vidin” crossing. Romania and Bulgaria are both in the Schengen area and neither has reintroduced checks here, so you cross without stopping — which is why we give no waiting time.

Sources: traveller reports · nakordoni.eu · How we calculate waiting time

There are no border checks at this crossing

We deliberately show no number here. There is no queue to measure, so a calculated waiting time would be invented. Checks at internal Schengen borders are sometimes reintroduced temporarily — when that happens, waiting times will return to this page. Last verified: 2026-08-18.

Key facts: Calafat – Vidin

Key facts: Calafat – Vidin
Name on the Romania sideCalafat
Name on the Bulgaria sideVidin
Crossing typeRoad, international
Open forCars
Opening hours24/7
Coordinates44.00173° N, 22.88879° E

About Calafat – Vidin

Calafat in Romania's Dolj county and Vidin in north-western Bulgaria are linked by the New Europe Bridge, opened in 2013 as the second Danube bridge between the two countries. Like the older bridge at Giurgiu, it carries both road and rail. The crossing handles cars in both directions and lies on the route that runs from Craiova through Vidin, Montana and Sofia and on south to the Greek border. It is used by people from the region, transit trucks and tourists heading to Greece from western Romania.

Since 1 January 2025 the Romanian-Bulgarian border has been an internal Schengen border, with systematic document checks abolished. Either country may still reintroduce controls temporarily, so check the announcements before you go, and carry an ID card or passport. A toll is charged for the bridge, and the national roads require Romania's rovinieta and Bulgaria's electronic vignette.

Traffic on the bridge is usually lighter than at Giurgiu, but in summer, especially at weekends when many people drive to and from Greece, queues can grow. If you are going to the Black Sea coast or Varna, Giurgiu–Ruse or the Dobruja crossings are usually quicker. Locally, for the Oryahovo area, the Bechet ferry is an alternative. The live board shows the state of the crossing.

Border webcams: Calafat – Vidin

Cameras, charts and forecast on nakordoni.eu →

Fuel near Calafat – Vidin

Petrol stations within 50 km of the crossing — 70 in our database.

Which side is cheaper?

Romania2,037 € 8,97 złEuropean Commission — Weekly Oil Bulletin
Bulgaria1,890 € 8,32 złEuropean Commission — Weekly Oil Bulletin

converted at the ECB rate

Cheaper in Bulgaria — on a 60-litre tank you save about 39,00 zł.

Closest stations

  1. 1LUKOIL Лукойл0,7 kmGoogle MapsApple Maps
  2. 2Мега нефт1,3 kmGoogle MapsApple Maps
  3. 3Petrol Prom2,7 kmGoogle MapsApple Maps
  4. 4Petrol station3,0 kmGoogle MapsApple Maps
  5. 5Petrol Петрол4,6 kmGoogle MapsApple Maps

Cheapest diesel

  1. 1Petrom CalafatStr. Traian, Calafat4,9 km10,91 RONprice at the pumpGoogle MapsApple Maps
  2. 2Petrom CujmirDN56A, Cujmir24,1 km10,91 RONprice at the pumpGoogle MapsApple Maps
  3. 3PETROM BAILESTI - DEPOZITBăilești37,3 km10,91 RONprice at the pumpGoogle MapsApple Maps
  4. 4PETROM VANJU MAREVânju Mare47,4 km10,91 RONprice at the pumpGoogle MapsApple Maps
  5. 5LUKOIL România S.R.L. CalafatCalafat7,2 km10,92 RONprice at the pumpGoogle MapsApple Maps

Best value: price including the detour

The ranking adds the fuel burned driving there and back (about 8 l/100 km) to a 50-litre fill.

  1. 1Petrom CalafatStr. Traian, Calafat4,9 km10,91 RONprice at the pumpGoogle MapsApple Maps
  2. 2LUKOIL România S.R.L. CalafatCalafat7,2 km10,92 RONprice at the pumpGoogle MapsApple Maps
  3. 3MOL România Petroleum Products CalafatCalafat6,7 km10,97 RONprice at the pumpGoogle MapsApple Maps
  4. 4Petrom CujmirDN56A, Cujmir24,1 km10,91 RONprice at the pumpGoogle MapsApple Maps
  5. 5PETROM BAILESTI - DEPOZITBăilești37,3 km10,91 RONprice at the pumpGoogle MapsApple Maps

Sources: OpenStreetMap (ODbL)

Fuel prices at every border →

Parking and rest areas near Calafat – Vidin

Places to stop within 50 km of the crossing — 17 in our database.

Closest places to stop

  1. 1TIR Parking Дилижанс ДЖИ ЕЛMotorway services · toilet · lit1,0 kmGoogle MapsApple Maps
  2. 2TIR Parking ТИП 2Car park · toilet · lit1,4 kmGoogle MapsApple Maps
  3. 3TIR Parking СъниMotorway services · toilet · lit · paid3,1 kmGoogle MapsApple Maps
  4. 4БУФЕРЕН ПАРКИНГ ВИДИНCar park4,3 kmGoogle MapsApple Maps
  5. 5Parcare CalafatMotorway services6,7 kmGoogle MapsApple Maps

With a toilet

  1. 1TIR Parking ГТ Воден транспорт /бивше Фанти Г/ на път I-1Car park · toilet · lit8,8 kmGoogle MapsApple Maps

Sources: OpenStreetMap (ODbL)

What it costs to drive to Calafat – Vidin

Fuel, time and charges for the drive to Calafat – Vidin from the 5 nearest cities. Distance and time follow the real road, not a straight line.

Route Sofia → Calafat – Vidin
Route Sofia → Calafat – Vidin · 255 km · 3h 7min · 146 PLN
CityDistanceDriving timeFuelChargesTotalRoad
Sofia capital255 km3h 7min128 PLN18 PLN146 PLNmoderate
Bucharest capital330 km3h 24min192 PLN60 PLN incl. barrier tolls252 PLNeasy
Timișoara338 km4h 27min197 PLN60 PLN incl. barrier tolls257 PLNeasy
Plovdiv383 km4h 4min192 PLN18 PLN210 PLNeasy
Cluj-Napoca535 km6h 17min311 PLN60 PLN incl. barrier tolls371 PLNeasy

Calculated for a car at 7,0 L/100 km, petrol 95 at the country average on the day of calculation. Substitute your own consumption — the whole formula is here.

Vignettes required: 🇧🇬 Bulgaria — 1-Day E-Vignette 4,09 EUR · 🇷🇴 Romania — Rovinieta (1-Day) 3,50 EUR

A road charge is counted only where the route actually uses a toll road. A vignette is always counted, because in many countries it is required on ordinary roads too.

Where a drive uses a toll motorway, the barrier toll for that section is included in the figure, at the price the road operator publishes for it. A vignette is a flat national price.

Routes calculated 01.11.2026

Alternatives close by

Nearby crossings

Bechet – Oryakhovo

no checks

Zimnicea – Svishtov

no checks

Giurgiu – Ruse

no checks

Ostrov – Silistra

no checks

FAQ

Frequently asked questions about border queues

Are there border checks at Calafat – Vidin?

There are no border checks at the “Calafat – Vidin” crossing. Romania and Bulgaria are both in the Schengen area and neither has reintroduced checks here, so you cross without stopping — which is why we give no waiting time.