No visa needed

Do citizens of Bulgaria need a visa for Sao Tome and Principe?

Citizens of Bulgaria don’t need a visa for Sao Tome and Principe and can stay up to 15 days. You need a valid passport; border officers may ask for a return ticket and accommodation. For a longer stay you need a visa or an extension.

For citizens of Bulgaria: the passport opens 119 countries visa-free; Sofia — São Tomé: ≈ 4,990 km, about 6.5 hours of flying.

Checked by visa analyst Albert Brown, 13 years of experience · September 26, 2026

At a glance

No visa needed

Stay: 15 days

Can I travel to Sao Tome and Principe without a visa on a Bulgaria passport?

Yes, citizens of Bulgaria don’t need a visa for Sao Tome and Principe for up to 15 days. A valid passport is enough.

Sao Tome and Principe visa rules at a glance

With a Bulgaria passport you can visit 119 countries visa-free, 29 with a visa on arrival and 35 with an e-visa; 15 more require an embassy visa.
By the number of visa-free destinations, the Bulgaria passport ranks 21st of 199.
Bulgaria passport: visa-free access to 119 countries; Sao Tome and Principe passport: 28.
Citizens of Bulgaria and Sao Tome and Principe can travel together visa-free to 25 countries, for example: Kosovo, Palestine, Rwanda, Gambia, Angola, Seychelles, Zambia, South Africa, Dominica, Barbados, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Malaysia, Bahamas, Haiti, and Singapore.
Citizens of Sao Tome and Principe, in turn, need an embassy visa to travel to Bulgaria. Bulgaria visa for citizens of Sao Tome and Principe

Travelling to Sao Tome and Principe: good to know

Sofia — São Tomé: about 4,990 km in a straight line; a direct flight takes roughly 6.5 hours.
Time difference with your country’s capital: −3 hours.
Local time: Sofia 12:00 — São Tomé 09:00.
Local currency: São Tomé & Príncipe Dobra.
Languages: Portuguese.
Exchange rate: $1.00 ≈ STN 21.
Sao Tome and Principe is the 97th closest of 197 destinations open to citizens of Bulgaria.