Bulgaria joined the Schengen area in full on 1 January 2025, adopted the euro on 1 January 2026 and now sits inside the EU's new biometric border system. None of that means a visa for most of our travellers, but the details matter, especially if you are combining a ski week in Bansko with other European countries. This guide was checked against the UK Foreign Office advice and the EU's official travel portal in September 2026.
Visa-free entry: citizens of the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand can visit Bulgaria, and the rest of the Schengen area, for up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens need only a valid passport or national ID card and face no time limit as tourists.
Schengen counts as one place: Bulgaria has been a full Schengen member since 1 January 2025, so days spent in Greece, Italy, Spain or any other Schengen country in the 180 days before your trip count towards the same 90. Overstay and you can be banned from the whole area for up to three years.
The Entry/Exit System (EES): since 12 October 2025, and fully in force from 10 April 2026, non-EU visitors are registered with a photo and fingerprints at the border instead of a passport stamp. It is free and needs no advance action, but allow extra time at the airport on your first entry. Your record lasts three years.
ETIAS is not running yet: the EU's online pre-travel authorisation for visa-free visitors was due to start in late 2026, but that date was withdrawn in July 2026 and no new one has been set. There is nothing to apply for today. We will update this page when it launches.
If your passport is not visa-exempt you need a Schengen short-stay visa from the Bulgarian embassy or visa centre responsible for where you live. It covers Bulgaria and the rest of the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180.
The quickest way to see the exact rules for your passport is to check your requirements with Sherpa, which keeps track of the latest entry changes for you.
Here is the 1 trip we run in Bulgaria.
Inside Bulgaria there is nothing to register or apply for, and as a Schengen member there are no routine checks when you cross into Greece or Romania, though border guards can still ask for your passport on land crossings, so carry it. Our Backpacking Bulgaria: Ski & Apres week runs from Sofia to Bansko with five days on the slopes, gear fitting, hostel stays and a tour leader, and our Bulgaria weather guide covers the snow season and the summer coast.
Check the latest visa requirements:
No. British passport holders can stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the Schengen area, Bulgaria included. Check that your passport was issued less than ten years ago and has three months left after your departure date.
Yes, fully, since 1 January 2025 (air and sea borders since March 2024). Days in Bulgaria count against the same 90-in-180 limit as the rest of Schengen.
Not yet. ETIAS has not launched; the EU withdrew its late-2026 start date in July 2026 and has not set a new one. When it does start it will be an online authorisation costing about 20 euros and valid for three years, not a visa.
EES replaced passport stamping across Schengen from October 2025 and has been fully live since 10 April 2026. On your first entry you give a photo and fingerprints at the border. It is free, needs nothing in advance, and your record lasts three years. Allow extra time at the airport.
The euro, since 1 January 2026. The old lev is no longer accepted in shops. Cards are widely accepted in Sofia and Bansko; carry a little cash for mountain huts and small cafes.
Not as a visa-free tourist. Longer stays need a long-stay visa or residence permit arranged through the Bulgarian embassy before you travel, and time spent on those does not count towards the 90 days.
Whether it is powder in Bansko or the Black Sea in July, Bulgaria is a stamp-free arrival for almost everyone reading this, with only a photo and fingerprints between you and the mountains. Check out our Bulgaria backpacking tours.
We run one trip in Bulgaria, and 31 more countries besides. Your next adventure is waiting.
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