| Hungary–Romania border | |
|---|---|
 Border marker between Hungary and Romania atCsenger | |
| Characteristics | |
| Entities |  Hungary Romania |
| Length | 448 km (278 mi) |
| History | |
| Established | 1920 Signing of theTreaty of Trianon at the end of theWorld War I |
| Current shape | 1947 Paris Peace Treaties |
| Treaties | Treaty of Trianon (1920) Second Vienna Award (1940) Paris Peace Treaties (1947) |
TheHungary–Romania border (Hungarian:Magyar–Román Államhatár;Romanian:Frontiera între Ungaria și România) refers to the state border betweenHungary andRomania. It was established in 1920 by an international commission, the "Lord Commission", presided over by geographers includingEmmanuel de Martonne and Robert Ficheux, and historiansRobert William Seton-Watson andErnest Denis. The border was set by theTreaty of Trianon which was signed on 4 June 1920.[1][2]
The border has been stable since the end of theSecond World War, when it received its current shape, and is no longer officially in dispute between the countries. In the current form, the border is about 448 kilometers long, or about 278 miles. It is demarcated by pillars, and about 20 kilometers of the border are marked by theMureș River ("Maros" in Hungarian).[3]
At the moment, the border is an internal border of theEuropean Union, having once been an external border untilHungary's accession to the alliance on 1 May 2004. Romania followed suit, andbecame a member state of the European Union on 1 January 2007. Both countries later joined theSchengen Area (Hungary on 21 December 2007 and Romania on 1 January 2025), easing travel between the two.[4]
Prior toWorld War I, the eastern and southernCarpathian Mountains formed a natural border between theAustro-Hungarian Empire and Romania.[5]
Hungary and Romania became belligerents in World War I as Romania entered the war in 1916 on the side of theAllies. During that war the part of Transylvania south of theMaros (Mureș) and east of theSzamos (Someș) had been occupied by Romania forces at the time of thecease-fire agreement of Belgrade signed on 13 November 1918.[6] On 1 December 1918, theGreat National Assembly of Alba Iulia declared union with the Kingdom of Romania. Subsequently, the Romanian forces moved further into Hungary and occupied Budapest from August to mid-November 1919.[7]
The Treaty of Trianon finalized the armistice between the Allies and Hungary.[8] In the treaty Romania recovered all of Transylvania (including parts ofMaramureș,Banat andCrișana),[9][10]
Briefly during World War II,Northern Transylvania (including part ofMaramureș andCrișana) was returned to Hungary under theSecond Vienna Award in 1940.[11][12] In 1944 as World War II drew to a close and Romania joined the war against Germany, theAllies agreedde facto to the Trianon boundaries, and this was confirmed at theParis Peace Conference in 1946, and by the subsequent peace treaties formalized in 1947.[12][13]
The Hungarian–Romanian border begins at atripoint located in the historical region of theBanat, 15 km (9.3 mi) south-east of the Hungarian town ofSzeged, where the border between Hungary and Serbia intersects the land border between Romania and Serbia. It generally runs south-south-westwards/north-north-eastwards across thePannonian Basin to another tripoint located on theTur river, 16 km (9.9 mi) north of the Romanian town ofSatu Mare, where theHungarian-Ukrainian border intersects theland border between Romania and Ukraine.
Both countries usecounties as the second form of administrative division.Four Hungarian and fourRomanian counties sit along the border.
From north to south, the Hungarian counties bordering Romania are:
From north to south, the Romanian counties bordering Hungary are:
| Hungary checkpoint | Romanian checkpoint | Opened | Type of road | Route in Hungary | Route in Romania | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garbolc | Bercu | October 2013 | local road | 41134 | Dj194 | Planned after Romania joining theSchengen Area |
| Zajta | Peleș | 41135 | DC63 | Temporary crossing | ||
| Csengersima | Dorolț (Petea) | main road |  49 |  DN19A | ||
| Csenger | Oar | planned | highway |  M49 |  A 14 | planned highway |
| Vállaj | Urziceni | local/main road | 4915 |  DN1F | ||
| Ömböly | Horea | 49133 | Dj196C | Planned after Romania joining theSchengen Area | ||
| Nyírábrány | Valea lui Mihai | main road |  48 |  DN19C | ||
| Bagamér | Șimian (Voivozi) | DC7 | Temporary crossing | |||
| Létavértes | Săcuieni | local/main road | 4814 |  DN19D | ||
| Pocsaj | Roșiori | DC19 | Temporary crossing | |||
| Nagykereki | Borș II | 4 September 2020[14] | highway |  M4 |  A 3 | Part of  E60 /E79 |
| Ártánd | Borș | main road |  42 |  DN1 | ||
| Körösnagyharsány | Cheresig | 42156 | Dj797 | Planned after Romania joining theSchengen Area | ||
| Méhkerék | Salonta | local/main road | 4252 |  DN79B | ||
| Gyula (Dénesmajor) | Iermata Neagră | local road | 42146 | DC119 | Temporary crossing | |
| Gyula | Vărșand | main road |  44 |  DN79A | ||
| Elek | Grăniceri | local road | 4435 | Dj709B | Temporary crossing | |
| Dombegyház | Variașu Mic | 11 December 2013 | local road | 4439 | Dj709C | Planned after Romania joining theSchengen Area |
| Battonya | Pecica (Turnu) | local/main road | 4455 |  DN7B | ||
| Csanádpalota | Nădlac II | 13 July 2015[15] | highway |  M43 |  A 1 | Part of E68 |
| Nagylak | Nădlac | main road |  43 |  DN7 | ||
| Kiszombor | Cenad | main road |  431 |  DN6 | vehicle only <7,5t |
All railway crossings are standard gauge. As of June 2019, all railway crossings have passenger traffic.[citation needed]
