Turkish Drivers Block Border Crossings Over Schengen Limits
Lorry drivers at Turkish-Bulgarian crossings are protesting entry refusals tied to Schengen visa stay limits, causing waits of up to 97 hours.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Transportation
Since October 28, 2026, Turkish lorry drivers have switched off engines and intermittently blocked traffic at the Kapıkule and Hamzabeyli crossings, protesting refusals of entry linked to the length of stay permitted under Schengen visas. The protests spread to the İpsala crossing on the Greek border on October 29, and Turkey's Ministry of Trade announced a joint initiative with the Foreign and Transport Ministries to resolve the drivers' problems.
Why it matters
Turkish hauliers argue that permitted stay periods are incompatible with how often they make international journeys, and the 90-day limit applies to any 180-day period, including for holders of multiple-entry visas. Extended waits could disrupt cross-border freight and force manufacturers to reorganise production.
Waiting times reported on October 25, 2026 reached 97 hours at Kapıkule-Kapitan Andreevo and 30 hours at Hamzabeyli-Lesovo, with UNTRR reporting lorries stranded for more than 120 hours. The sources do not say how long the blockades will last or whether waiting times have since fallen.
The players
Turkey's Ministry of Trade
The Turkish government ministry that announced a joint initiative with the Foreign and Transport Ministries to address the drivers' problems.
Union of Turkish Road Transport Operators (UND)
The Turkish hauliers' association that reported the 97-hour and 30-hour waiting times at the border crossings.
UNTRR
A Turkish road transport industry body that reported lorries stranded for more than 120 hours at the border.
The details
Drivers at the Kapıkule and Hamzabeyli crossings switched off their engines and intermittently blocked lorry traffic in both directions, while Bulgaria has applied Schengen rules, including visa issuance, since March 31, 2024. Ankara mobilised three ministries and contacted Bulgarian authorities and the European Commission, and an electronic queuing system at Hamzabeyli-Lesovo had its available slots for Sunday November 1 fully booked in under a minute.
Timeline
- October 25, 2026: UND reports 97-hour waits at Kapıkule crossing
- October 28, 2026: Turkish lorry drivers begin blocking border crossings
- October 29, 2026: Protests spread to the İpsala crossing on the Greek border
- November 1, 2026: Electronic queue slots at Hamzabeyli-Lesovo fully booked within a minute
Roadmap
The dispute centres on the Schengen Borders Code's 90-days-in-any-180 short-stay rule, which applies to professional drivers making repeated trips rather than tourists. Bulgaria's accession to full Schengen application and the 2025 removal of internal land checks with Romania have made the rule a more frequent constraint on Turkish freight.
Drivers and freight operators crossing between Turkey and Bulgaria face possible multi-day waits and must plan trips around the 90-day-in-180 Schengen limit. Shippers should expect delivery delays while the blockades and queue backlogs persist.
The takeaway
Professional drivers and businesses relying on frequent cross-border freight should check how the 90-day-in-any-180 rule applies to repeated trips before scheduling journeys through Schengen crossings.
Further reading
For more on how cross-border freight rules shape the trade routes, see the Transportation section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by TrasportoEuropa.
