Bulgaria 
Portugal
Bulgaria citizens enjoy freedom of movement in Portugal — 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 member 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 Portugal 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, Portugal applies the same entry conditions to every traveller:
Portugal 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, Portugal citizens can visit Bulgaria visa-free.
Entry requirements for PortugalThe Schengen Borders Code says a third-country national's travel document must be valid for at least three months after the intended date of departure from the territory of the Member States (this may be waived in a justified case of emergency) and must have been issued within the previous 10 years.
Schengen Borders Code — Regulation (EU) 2016/399 (consolidated 10 July 2024)✓ Checked 13 Oct 2026
Your passport needs at least 2 blank pages.
EU Visa Code — Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 (consolidated)✓ Checked 13 Oct 2026
The Visa Code says applicants for a uniform visa must prove they hold adequate and valid travel medical insurance (for a multiple-entry visa, covering the first intended visit); it must be valid throughout the territory of the Member States, cover the entire intended stay or transit, and the minimum coverage is EUR 30,000. No official source we could read states an insurance requirement for visa-exempt visitors.
Visa Code (Regulation (EC) No 810/2009), consolidated text — EUR-Lex✓ Checked 13 Oct 2026
No official source we could read states that a return or onward ticket is required. The Schengen Borders Code lists a return or round-trip ticket among the documentary evidence that may be used to verify the fulfilment of entry conditions, and the UK Foreign Office tells British travellers that at Portuguese border control they may need to show an onward or return ticket.
Schengen Borders Code — Regulation (EU) 2016/399 (consolidated 10 July 2024)✓ Checked 13 Oct 2026
The Schengen Borders Code requires third-country nationals to have sufficient means of subsistence, both for the duration of the intended stay and for the return, or to be in a position to acquire such means lawfully. Portugal's visa portal says a Schengen visa holder should have or be able to legally obtain €75 for each entry and €40 for each day, or present a statement of responsibility signed by a national citizen or legal resident.
Portuguese MFA — Visa Portal: means of subsistence (short-stay visas)✓ Checked 13 Oct 2026
The EU's Travel to Europe website says that the first time you arrive at a border crossing point since the EES started, passport control officers will take a photo of your face and/or scan your fingerprints, and that this can be quicker if you register some of your data in advance, at a self-service system if available at your border crossing point or through a mobile application if the country makes one available. The UK Foreign Office says there is no cost for EES registration.
UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office — Portugal travel advice: entry requirements✓ Checked 13 Oct 2026
The EU's ETIAS website says 30 European countries, Portugal among them, require visa-exempt travellers to have an ETIAS travel authorisation, but ETIAS is not yet in operation and no applications are being collected; the EU will announce the start date several months before launch. The official ETIAS website is travel-europe.europa.eu.
ETIAS — Official EU website✓ Checked 13 Oct 2026
An accommodation bulletin is filled in and signed in person for every foreign guest, including nationals of other EU member states. Anyone providing paid accommodation to foreigners must send it to the GNR or PSP within three working days, and report the guest's departure within the same period. Foreigners who enter Portugal from another member state across a border without controls must declare their entry within three working days, unless right after entry they stay in a hotel or other accommodation covered by article 16(1). Failing to declare is fined EUR 60 to 160. Accommodation providers who fail to send the bulletins are fined according to the number of bulletins or guests.
Diário da República (diariodarepublica.pt) — Lei n.º 23/2007 (Aliens Act), consolidated text✓ Checked 13 Oct 2026
Staying in Portugal, or in other EU member states and states applying the Schengen Convention, beyond the authorised period is an administrative offence. The fine is EUR 80 to 160 for up to 30 days, EUR 160 to 320 for over 30 and up to 90 days, EUR 320 to 500 for over 90 and up to 180 days, and EUR 500 to 700 for over 180 days. The same fine applies when the overstay is detected on departure. A foreigner who enters or stays illegally is removed or judicially expelled. A person subject to a removal decision is barred from entering and staying for up to five years, or longer if they are a serious threat to public order, public security or national security. A person who left under article 139(1) or 160(1) is barred for up to three years.
Diário da República (diariodarepublica.pt) — Lei n.º 23/2007 (Aliens Act), consolidated text✓ Checked 13 Oct 2026
Cash of €10,000 or more (or equivalent) must be declared 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.
Portugal
Portugal visa for Cameroon citizensVisa required
Portugal visa for Canada citizensVisa-free · 90 days
Portugal visa for Cape Verde citizensVisa required
Portugal visa for Central African Republic citizensVisa required
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Portugal visa for China citizensVisa required
Portugal visa for Colombia citizensVisa-free · 90 days
Portugal visa for Costa Rica citizensVisa-free · 90 days
Portugal visa for Côte d'Ivoire citizensVisa required
Portugal visa for Cuba citizensVisa required
Portugal visa for Cyprus citizensFreedom of movement
Portugal visa for Czechia citizensFreedom of movement
Portugal visa for DR Congo citizensVisa required
Portugal visa for Ecuador citizensVisa required
Portugal visa for France citizensFreedom of movement
Portugal visa for Republic of the Congo citizensVisa required
Portugal visa for South Africa citizensVisa required
Portugal visa for Switzerland citizensFreedom of movement Bulgaria passport
