Do German passport holders need a visa for Bulgaria?
Covers 11 passports and 80 destinations. Rules older than 30 days are flagged for re-check.
How this tool works
We read the official notice for each pair and record the date. Nothing here is generated; a pair with no written check is not shown.
How we checkNo visa. German citizens can enter Bulgaria with a passport or a national ID card.
Bulgaria is an EU and Schengen member, so German citizens cross without a visa and are not registered in the EES. The German Foreign Office lists a passport, a provisional passport, an ID card, a provisional ID card and a child passport as valid entry documents; for the ID card it says "Personalausweis: Ja". It adds that stays of more than 90 days need registration with the local immigration office.
Source: Auswärtiges Amt (German Federal Foreign Office). Checked Oct 4, 2026See the source
- Visa
- Not required
- Bulgaria is an EU and Schengen member.
- Documents
- Passport or national ID card
- The Foreign Office also lists the provisional passport and ID card and the child passport.
- Validity
- Valid at entry and exit
- The Foreign Office says expired documents can lead Bulgarian border police to refuse entry or exit.
- Stays over 90 days
- Register locally
- The Foreign Office says to register with the local immigration office and apply for a certificate of residence right.
- At the border
- No EES, no ETIAS
- Both apply to non-EU visitors only; the EES excludes nationals of the countries that use it.
Changes to this rule
- Jan 1, 2025Checks at the internal land borders between Bulgaria and Romania ended; Bulgaria now applies the Schengen rules in full.