Israel to Bulgaria visa requirements

Israeli ordinary passport holders can visit Bulgaria visa-free for up to 90 days within any 180-day period. Bulgaria has been a full Schengen member since 1 January 2025, so the Schengen 90/180 rule applies across all member states combined. No visa and no ETIAS is required yet as of June 2026; ETIAS becomes mandatory only after its Q4 2026 launch. Israel is on the EU's visa-exempt (Annex II) list, so holders of an ordinary Israeli passport do not need a visa for short tourist stays anywhere in the Schengen Area, including Bulgaria. Bulgaria completed full Schengen accession on 1 January 2025 (air and sea internal border checks were lifted on 31 March 2024; land border checks were lifted on 1 January 2025). This means the Schengen short-stay rule governs the trip: a maximum of 90 days of stay within any rolling 180-day period across all Schengen states combined, not 90 days per country. As of today (2 June 2026), entry is on a straightforward visa-free basis: present a valid passport at the border, satisfy entry conditions (purpose of trip, means of subsistence, return/onward ticket, accommodation), and you are admitted. Looking ahead, the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) is scheduled to begin operations in the last quarter of 2026. Once live (after a transitional grace period), visa-exempt nationals including Israelis will need to hold an approved ETIAS authorisation before boarding. ETIAS is a pre-travel authorisation, not a visa: it costs EUR 7 for applicants aged 18-70, is valid for up to three years (or until the passport expires), and permits multiple entries subject to the same 90/180 limit. It is not yet required, so a traveller departing now needs only a valid passport. Travellers should keep a passport valid for at least three months beyond the planned departure date and issued within the previous ten years.