Bulgaria entry requirements, by passport

How much money you need to show

€50 per day, with a minimum of €500 per stay, plus another €50 per day for accommodation

You do not need the €50 a day for accommodation if you have a prepaid hotel booking or an invitation from a Bulgarian person or company that covers your costs. You also need a ticket out or the money to buy one, plus another €100 if you enter driving your own vehicle.

Source: European Commission, Annex 25 to the Practical Handbook for Border Guards (reference amounts notified by each State), version of 8 June 2026. Checked on 1 November 2026.

What each Schengen country asks for →

Vaccinations

• No mandatory vaccines for entry. The international vaccination certificate is asked of nobody: not the yellow fever one, and not even of travellers arriving from a country with risk of transmission. That is what the country has declared in the International Health Regulations list.
• Recommended, not checked at the border: Bulgaria is going through a measles outbreak (441 cases reported over 12 months to mid-2026 according to ECDC, close to 18% of the EU/EEA total, concentrated in the Vratsa and Pleven provinces and mostly among children). Check before travelling that you have the complete MMR vaccine schedule (measles, mumps and rubella).

Customs limits

Cash

Declare to the Bulgarian Customs Agency (Агенция «Митници») if entering or leaving the EU with €10,000 or more in cash (or the equivalent in another currency), a threshold harmonised across the whole EU by Regulation (EU) 2018/1672. Bulgaria adopted the euro on 1 January 2026.

Alcohol

Arriving from outside the EU (age 17+): 1 litre of drinks over 22% alcohol, or 2 litres at 22% or under; plus 4 litres of still wine and 16 litres of beer: allowances published by the National Customs Agency, matching the floor limits of Directive 2007/74/EC.

Tobacco

Arriving from outside the EU (age 17+): 200 cigarettes (or 100 cigarillos, or 50 cigars, or 250g of smoking tobacco) if arriving by air; only 40 cigarettes (or 20 cigarillos, or 10 cigars, or 50g of tobacco) if arriving by land or sea: the National Customs Agency applies the reduced land-border limit allowed by Directive 2007/74/EC.

Overstay penalties

The Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria Act (art. 48) penalises anyone staying beyond the authorised period with a fine of 500 to 5,000 leva (the law states the amount in leva; ~€256 to €2,557 at the fixed conversion rate of 1.95583), rising to between 1,000 and 10,000 leva for a repeat offence. In addition, the person must leave the country at their own expense and a re-entry ban of up to 5 years, valid across the whole Schengen area, may be imposed. The amount could not be confirmed against the official text via, only against sources citing it.

Check whether you would go over the limit →

What happens if you stay past 90 days →

Grounds for refusal

Apply to: Visa-free

• Not presenting a valid travel document: valid for at least three months after the intended departure and issued within the previous ten years (Art. 6(1)(a)).
• Not justifying the purpose and conditions of the stay, or not showing sufficient means of subsistence for the stay and the return (Art. 6(1)(c)).
• Having already used up the 90 days within the current 180-day period (Art. 6(1)).
• Being the subject of a Schengen Information System (SIS) alert for the purpose of refusing entry (Art. 6(1)(d)).
• Being considered a threat to public policy, internal security, public health or the international relations of a Schengen State (Art. 6(1)(e)).

Source: Regulation (EU) 2016/399 (Schengen Borders Code) , Art. 6(1). A refusal is given in writing with its reasons and can be appealed (Art. 14).

Apply to: Visa required

• Producing a false or falsified travel document, or reasonable doubts arising about the authenticity of the supporting documents submitted or the truthfulness of their content (Regulation (EC) 810/2009, Art. 32(1)(a)(i) and 32(1)(b)).
• Failing to justify the purpose and conditions of the intended stay (Art. 32(1)(a)(ii); the same entry condition appears in Art. 6(1)(c) of Regulation (EU) 2016/399, so it is also checked at the border).
• Failing to provide proof of sufficient means of subsistence for the whole intended stay and for the return to the country of origin or residence, and not being in a position to acquire such means lawfully (Art. 32(1)(a)(iii)).
• Having already used up the 90 days of stay within the current 180-day period on the territory of the Member States (Art. 32(1)(a)(iv)).
• Being the subject of an alert in the Schengen Information System (SIS) for the purpose of refusing entry (Art. 32(1)(a)(v)).
• Being considered a threat to public policy, internal security, public health or the international relations of any Member State (Art. 32(1)(a)(vi)).
• Failing to provide proof of adequate and valid travel medical insurance, where applicable (Art. 32(1)(a)(vii)).
• Reasonable doubts arising about the reliability of the statements made or about the applicant’s intention to leave the territory of the Member States before the visa applied for expires (Art. 32(1)(b)).

What to do if you are refused entry →