Bulgaria 
Italy
Bulgaria citizens enjoy freedom of movement in Italy — no visa is needed and there is no fixed limit on the length of stay.
The EU's Your Europe portal says EU nationals have the right to travel freely in the 27 EU countries and in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland carrying either a valid passport or a national identity card.
“As an EU national, you have the right to travel freely in the 27 EU member countries as well as in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland (non-EU countries but members of the Schengen area) carrying either a valid passport or a national identity card (ID card).”
Source: Directive 2004/38/EC on the right of citizens of the Union and their family members to move and reside freely — EUR-Lex · checked 13 Oct 2026
Bulgaria citizens can enter Italy without a visa and live there under freedom of movement. You only need a valid Bulgaria passport at the border; immigration officers may still ask for a return or onward ticket, proof of accommodation and enough money for your stay.
Whatever your visa status, Italy applies the same entry conditions to every traveller:
Italy lets 93 passports in without a visa and requires an embassy visa from 105. Bulgaria citizens are treated the same way as Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Overall the Bulgaria passport ranks #29 in the world with 118 visa-free destinations.
Planning a longer trip in Europe? With a Bulgaria passport you can also visit 44 countries in the region without a visa, including Andorra, Albania, Armenia, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belgium, Belarus and Switzerland.
In the other direction, Italy citizens can visit Bulgaria visa-free.
Entry requirements for ItalyUnder the Schengen Borders Code (Article 6(1)(a)), a third-country national's travel document must be valid for at least three months after the intended date of departure from the Schengen Area (this may be waived in a justified case of emergency) and must have been issued within the previous 10 years.
Regulation (EU) 2016/399 (Schengen Borders Code), consolidated text 10 July 2024 — EUR-Lex✓ Checked 13 Oct 2026
Your passport needs at least 2 blank pages.
EUR-Lex — Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 (Visa Code), consolidated 11 June 2024✓ Checked 13 Oct 2026
Schengen visa applicants must prove they hold adequate and valid travel medical insurance, valid throughout the Schengen Area for the whole intended stay, with minimum coverage of €30,000. The UK government says British visitors may need to show proof of travel insurance at Italian border control.
Visa Code (Regulation (EC) No 810/2009), consolidated text — EUR-Lex✓ Checked 13 Oct 2026
Italy's State Police lists sufficient means of subsistence for the intended stay and for the return among the entry conditions, and says showing a return ticket is sufficient proof. The UK government says British visitors may need to show a return or onward ticket at Italian border control.
Polizia di Stato — Entering Italy✓ Checked 13 Oct 2026
For admission for business, medical treatment, sports competitions, religious reasons, study, transit, transport or tourism, the State Police table sets means of subsistence by length of stay: for one person, €269.60 in total for 1–5 days, €44.93 per day for 6–10 days, then a fixed amount plus a daily amount for longer stays (lower amounts per person for two or more).
Polizia di Stato — Table of means of subsistence required for admission to Italy✓ Checked 13 Oct 2026
On a first crossing since the EU Entry/Exit System started, passport control officers take a photo of your face and/or scan your fingerprints. The EU says this can be quicker if you register some data in advance using a self-service system at the border crossing point, where available, and/or a mobile application, if the country makes one available. The UK government's travel advice says there is no cost for EES registration.
UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office — Italy travel advice: entry requirements✓ Checked 13 Oct 2026
Italy is among the 30 European countries that will require visa-exempt travellers to have an ETIAS travel authorisation. ETIAS is currently not in operation and no applications are being collected; the EU will announce the start date several months before launch.
European Union — ETIAS: frequently asked questions✓ Checked 13 Oct 2026
On entry, or within eight days of entry when arriving from a Schengen country, a foreigner declares their presence to the border authority or to the questore of the province where they are. Failure to do so, unless the delay is due to force majeure, leads to expulsion. The Polizia di Stato says that for those staying in hotels or other accommodation, the registration form signed at check-in is the declaration of presence. Hotels and all other accommodation must send guests' details to the Questura through the Alloggiati service within 24 hours of arrival, or on arrival if the stay is shorter than 24 hours.
Normattiva — Law 68/2007 on short stays of foreigners for visits, business, tourism and study, art. 1✓ Checked 13 Oct 2026
Unless the act is a more serious crime, a foreigner who enters or remains in Italy in breach of the Consolidated Immigration Act or of art. 1 of Law 68/2007 is punished with a fine of 5,000 to 10,000 euros. The same sanction as for not declaring presence applies to a foreigner who declared their presence and stayed beyond three months, or beyond the shorter period set in the entry visa. The re-entry ban after expulsion lasts not less than three and not more than five years, set by taking into account all the circumstances of the case.
Normattiva (Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato) — Legislative Decree 286/1998 (Consolidated Immigration Act), art. 10-bis✓ Checked 13 Oct 2026
Cash of €10,000 or more (or its equivalent in other currencies) must be declared to customs when entering or leaving the EU.
Your Europe (EU) — travelling with cash✓ Checked 13 Oct 2026
Data: TravelRequirements.info — Entry Requirements Dataset, AXG Sp. z o.o. (CC BY 4.0). Entry rules can change — confirm with official sources before travel.
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