What you need to enter Bulgaria with a Latvian passport
Latvian citizens have free movement in Bulgaria: they enter with a passport or national identity card, with no visa and no tourist stay limit.
- Processing time
- Not applicable: free movement of persons, no entry procedure.
- Entry cost
- Free
- Travel document
- Valid passport or national ID card
Last verified: 6 September 2026
Free movement: what you need
Which document you travel with
A passport or a national identity card, if your country issues one, is enough as long as it is valid. You cannot be asked for a visa or any other entry condition, which rules out a return ticket, proof of funds or travel insurance.
How long you can stay
There is no tourist stay limit and the 90-days-in-180 rule does not apply to you. If you stay longer than three months, Bulgaria may require you to register with its authorities.
Source: Directive 2004/38/EC, Arts. 5, 6 and 8.
More Bulgaria rules
They don't depend on your passport, so they are on the Bulgaria page:
Official portal: https://www.mvr.bg/migration. Destination data verified on 6 September 2026. Sources: mvr.bg/migration (Migration Directorate of the Ministry of the Interior); European Commission statement on Bulgaria and Romania's full Schengen accession (ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner, 1 Jan 2025); Council of the EU (consilium.europa.eu) on Bulgaria adopting the euro on 1 Jan 2026; customs.bg (National Customs Agency: traveller tobacco/ alcohol allowances and cash declaration to the "Important notice for travelers" section); EUR-Lex, Directive 2007/74/EC and Regulation (EU) 2018/1672; Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria Act, art. 48 (fine for irregular stay, via secondary sources citing the text); ECDC (monthly measles/rubella report, cases in Bulgaria); exteriores.gob.es (Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs travel advice for Bulgaria: seismic risk, road safety) (checked 6 September 2026).
Things to see and do in Bulgaria
Tours, skip-the-line tickets and day trips, most with free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
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This pair in context
In the other direction, citizens of Bulgaria enter Latvia under free movement, with no visa. See the Bulgaria → Latvia page.
All 10 passports from Northern Europe that VisaRadar tracks can enter Bulgaria visa-free. Same result as Latvia: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Ireland and Lithuania.
With a passport from Latvia, in the rest of Eastern Europe you can enter Belarus, Czech Republic, Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Ukraine visa-free; you need a prior authorisation or a visa on arrival for Russia.
A passport from Latvia ranks 24 of 199 in the VisaRadar passport ranking and reaches 158 of 198 destinations without applying for a visa in advance.
Counts from the same requirements matrix behind this page's verdict, using the UN M49 subregions.
Frequently asked questions
Do Latvian citizens need a visa for Bulgaria?
No. As an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen you have the right of free movement: you enter Bulgaria with your passport or national identity card, with no visa and no tourist stay limit.
How long can I stay in Bulgaria?
There is no stay limit for tourism. For the first three months all you need is a valid passport or national identity card; for longer stays, the country may require you to register with its authorities (Directive 2004/38/EC, Arts. 6 and 8).
What minimum passport validity is required?
No minimum validity is required: your passport or national identity card only has to be valid for the duration of the trip (Directive 2004/38/EC, Art. 5).
Is free movement the same as being visa-exempt?
No. Visa exemption is an authorisation the EU grants to third countries, which can change. Free movement is a right tied to EU/EEA/Switzerland citizenship, with stronger guarantees: it includes the right to live and work, not just visit.
Related pages
See Bulgaria requirements for other passports →
Informational only. Always verify requirements with the official embassy or consulate before you travel.