BulgariaLevel 1/4

Level 1/4 — Exercise Normal Precautions, U.S. Department of State, retrieved on 16 October 2026.

• Is the whole country advised against? United States: no · France: no · United Kingdom: no · Switzerland: no (reading of 27 September 2026).
• Contractually, only an FDFA, FOPH or WHO advisory against the trip opens Module A (art. 18.1) — that is not the case today.
• Travel with international medical cover and the 24/7 number (+41 22 ••• •• ••) saved: here the risk is not the advisory, it is the hospital bill.
• We check these sources every morning and e-mail you the day one changes (Alerts button).

Sourcestravel.state.gov · updated 08.10 · read 16.10France Diplomatie · updated 15.09 · read 16.10DFAE · updated 25.08 · read 16.10207-country comparison

An area advised against does not rule out the country.

• Official answers: United States: no · France: no · United Kingdom: no · Switzerland: no.
• Keep your country of residence's advisory on booking day and on departure day: that is what your policy's clauses cite.

SourcesFrance Diplomatie · updated 15.09 · read 16.10Foreign Office · updated 11.08 · read 16.10State Department · updated 08.10 · read 16.10

The rules depend on the passport, not on the destination alone.

• French passport (France Diplomatie): European Union nationals need only a valid passport or national identity card to enter and stay in Bulgaria for up to three months without visa formalities. Entry to Bulgaria is systematically refused if your identity document was previously declared lost or stolen, as it is permanently invalidated electronically and cannot be used even if recovered. Passports and national identity cards that have expired are considered invalid and entry to Bulgaria will be refused.
• British passport (Foreign Office): British passport holders must have a date of issue less than 10 years before arrival and an expiry date at least 3 months after planned departure from the Schengen area. British citizens may stay visa-free in Bulgaria for up to 90 days in any 180-day period for tourism, visiting family, business meetings, or short-term studies. Overstaying the 90-day visa-free limit may result in a ban from entering Schengen countries for up to 3 years.
• American passport: the requirements are on the State Department country page (travel.state.gov).
• Swiss passport: the FDFA refers you to the destination's embassy in Switzerland.
• Pick your passport at the top of Before you go › Entry: the official text that concerns you comes first, with its “In brief” summary.

SourcesFrance Diplomatie · updated 15.09 · read 16.10Foreign Office · updated 11.08 · read 16.10State Department · updated 08.10 · read 16.10

For a Schengen visa, yes: at least €30,000 of travel medical insurance (Regulation (EC) No 810/2009, art. 15).

• Many other countries ask for it on entry or for a visa, case by case: check Before you go › Entry, with your passport.
• Subscribe: the named certificate arrives by e-mail on payment, with your name, dates and limits (EUR 1.5M medical expenses, unlimited evacuation and repatriation) — the ones consulates check.
• Attach it to the visa file; if in doubt about the format, write to us.

SourcesRegulation (EC) 810/2009, art. 15General conditions, policy 20 00 479

VIP Pack — €990 for twelve months, unlimited trips.

• EUR 1.5M emergency medical expenses, unlimited medical evacuation and repatriation, search and rescue EUR 50,000, cancellation or change EUR 5,000.
• One 24/7 number, +41 22 ••• •• ••: Maximum sends its direct payment guarantee to the hospital (art. 2.12).
• Network of 45,000 providers (art. 6.9); evacuation is decided, organised and paid by Maximum's medical team if the local facility is not enough (art. 6.2.2).
• Named certificate by e-mail on payment, no medical questionnaire.

SourcesGeneral conditions, policy 20 00 479OpenStreetMap · read 13.10

Six steps, in this order.

• 1. Call +41 22 ••• •• •• before paying anything, or have the front desk call: it is the condition for full cover (otherwise: reduced or refused benefits).
• 2. Ask for a hospital in the Maximum network (art. 6.9).
• 3. See a doctor the same day and leave with the certificate: without an on-the-spot finding, nothing is covered (art. 33).
• 4. Admitted for more than 24 h? The front desk calls Maximum: direct payment guarantee, no deposit (art. 2.12).
• 5. Book no ambulance or flight yourself (art. 6.2.2).
• 6. Once home, file within 30 days (art. 35.7).
• Local emergency services: single number 112.

SourcesSpecial conditions 01.26General conditions, policy 20 00 479

Local emergency services: single number 112

• Maximum, 24/7, before any payment: +41 22 ••• •• ••.
• France — Résidence Ambassade de France (1.4 km) · +359 2 965 11 00
• Switzerland — Ambassade de Suisse (1.6 km) · +359 2 942 0100
• United Kingdom — Ambassade du Royaume-Uni (0.3 km) · +359 2 933 9222
• United States — Ambassade des États-Unis (3.5 km) · +359 2 937 5100
• Save these numbers before leaving; in immediate danger, call local emergency services first, then Maximum.

SourcesEmergencyNumberAPI · Wikidata · read 08.10OpenStreetMap · read 13.10

At today's level 1/4, card by card:

• Amex Platinum — No area exclusion at this level — but three written limits: deductible and prior approval, 90-day cap, advance under conditions.
• Visa — No express area exclusion — but a €156,000 cap, 90 days, and the war/instability exclusion in the background.
• Mastercard — No exclusion in play at this level — but a €155,000 cap and 90 covered days.
• Three lines to read in your notice: the duration (often 90 days per trip), the settlement (reimbursement afterwards or direct payment of the hospital) and the area exclusion at level 4/4.

SourcesAmex Platinum France T&Cs, 01.2025 — general exclusion n° 11BNP Paribas Visa Infinite notice (policy PT7), 04.2025 — comFortuneo World Elite Mastercard notice, 01.2026 — art. 5.5 '

A health plan reimburses at home; here, the hospital asks for a payment guarantee before admission.

• Health plan — A health plan treats you at home. Here the hospital asks for a guarantee before admission — not a later reimbursement.
• Travel policy — No area exclusion at this level — compare cap, deductible and covered duration.
• A travel policy often has a territorial clause at level 4/4 and a 90-day limit per trip.
• Have your IPID number or the PDF of the terms and ask an expert to call you back: the answer is in the document, not in the brochure.

SourcesGeneral conditions, policy 20 00 479

The page reads hospitals, pharmacies and doctors from OpenStreetMap, around the point you choose.

• Type your city, hotel or beach: the map re-centres, 24/7 emergency rooms come first.
• Each row gives the phone when the source publishes it, the nearest street, directions and the Google Maps listing.
• The PDF briefing repeats the same places, numbered on a printable map.
• No customer reviews: OpenStreetMap has none, and we invent none.

SourcesOpenStreetMap (ODbL) · read 13.10

The sourced detail is under Medical network › Health: vaccines, diseases present, altitude, outbreaks.

• CDC (Travelers' Health), depending on the trip: Routine vaccines, COVID-19, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Measles, Monkeypox, Rabies.
• See a doctor or a travel clinic 8 weeks before departure (Foreign Office).
• Carry your medicines in their packaging, with a prescription using international non-proprietary names (France Diplomatie).

SourcesCDC Travelers' Health · read 10.10France Diplomatie · updated 15.09 · read 16.10OMS · read 16.10Foreign Office · updated 11.08 · read 16.10

4.3 physicians per 1,000 people (2022) versus 4.5 in Switzerland.

• 8.2 hospital beds per 1,000 people versus 4.4 in Switzerland (World Bank).
• Medical density comparable to Switzerland: the local network handles most cases; repatriation remains a question of convalescence and cost. Health spending of 1,258 USD per person (Switzerland: 11,784) goes with private hospitals that bill foreigners in hard currency and ask for a guarantee before admission: the direct payment guarantee is what avoids the deposit.
• When the local facility is not enough, Maximum's medical team decides the evacuation to a suitable centre, and pays for it (art. 6.2.2).

SourcesWorld Bank · read 10.10General conditions, policy 20 00 479

1.1 homicides per 100,000 people (2023) versus 0.6 in Switzerland and 1.3 in France.

• 9.2 road deaths per 100,000 people versus 2.2 in Switzerland (World Bank, WHO).
• The homicide rate is above Switzerland's, without being out of range. On the road, 4 times more deaths than in Switzerland: road crashes are the leading cause of death of healthy travellers (CDC) — seat belt, no night driving, a driver or a taxi from a rank.

SourcesWorld Bank (UNODC, WHO) · read 10.10UCDP

The nearest representations, by passport (OpenStreetMap):

• France — Résidence Ambassade de France (1.4 km) · +359 2 965 11 00
• Switzerland — Ambassade de Suisse (1.6 km) · +359 2 942 0100
• United Kingdom — Ambassade du Royaume-Uni (0.3 km) · +359 2 933 9222
• United States — Ambassade des États-Unis (3.5 km) · +359 2 937 5100
• Register before leaving: France: Ariane · Switzerland: Travel Admin · United Kingdom: Foreign Office alerts · United States: STEP.
• Two minutes, and in a crisis your country's authorities can reach you and count you in an evacuation.
• Pick your passport at the top of Contacts: your embassy comes first.

SourcesOpenStreetMap · read 13.10DFAE · updated 25.08 · read 16.10

No region is advised against by the official readings checked (Global Affairs Canada, Foreign Office and France Diplomatie): the national advice applies everywhere.

• Your point (Sofia): country-wide vigilance.
• Maximum does not exclude these areas: the VIP Pack covers care and repatriation there (sanctions, embargoes and a country already at war at departure remain enforceable).

SourcesGlobal Affairs Canada · updated 14.10 · read 16.10Foreign Office · updated 11.08 · read 16.10France Diplomatie · updated 15.09 · read 16.10

Local laws apply to every traveller; here is what the official texts say.

• Always carry photo identification, such as a passport, and keep a photocopy in a safe location.
• Penalties for drug possession, use, or trafficking are severe, potentially leading to jail sentences and heavy fines.
• It is illegal to wear clothing or masks that partially or completely cover your face in public places, with potential arrest and fines for non-compliance.
• You can drive with a Canadian driver’s licence for up to 90 days; an international driving permit is required for longer stays.
• You must possess a vignette or highway permit to travel on Bulgarian roads and always drive with headlights on.

SourcesGlobal Affairs Canada · updated 14.10 · read 16.10Foreign Office · updated 11.08 · read 16.10

Every foreign ministry runs a 24/7 emergency line for its nationals.

• France — Crisis and Support Centre — French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs: +33 1 53 59 11 00. 24/7 emergency line, standard rate. First contact abroad: the French embassy or consulate.
• Switzerland — FDFA Helpline: +41 58 465 33 33 · +41 800 24 7 365. 24/7, 365 days a year — helpline@eda.admin.ch. Beware of scam calls spoofing these numbers.
• United Kingdom — Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office: +44 20 7008 5000. 24 hours, for British nationals.
• United States — Overseas Citizens Services — U.S. Department of State: +1 202 501 4444 · +1 888 407 4747. From abroad; the second number from the U.S. and Canada.
• On site, Résidence Ambassade de France: +359 2 965 11 00.

Sourcesdiplomatie.gouv.fr · updated 15.09 · read 16.10eda.admin.ch · updated 25.08 · read 16.10

Emergency phrases, to show if pronunciation fails:

• Help! → Помощ! (Pomosht!)
• Call an ambulance! → Извикайте линейка! (Izvikayte lineyka!)
• I need a doctor. → Трябва ми лекар. (Tryabva mi lekar.)
• Where is the nearest hospital? → Къде е най-близката болница? (Kade e nay-blizkata bolnitsa?)
• Call the police! → Извикайте полиция! (Izvikayte politsiya!)

SourcesMaximum Insurance

Keep the entry stamp, the invoices, the prescriptions and the medical report.

• File within 30 days (art. 35.7) from your client area, with the documents; the official forms are pre-filled.
• Costs advanced on site are reimbursed against receipts.
• Fever, persistent diarrhoea or a rash in the following weeks? See a doctor and say where you have been.

SourcesGeneral conditions, policy 20 00 479

Cancellation or change up to EUR 20,000, special risk EUR 5,000 per person, crisis management and security, optional Kidnap & Ransom.

• Special risk (Module A): political event, attack, epidemic, natural disaster — opens when the FDFA, the FOPH or WHO advise against the trip (art. 18.1).
• Epidemic: assistance must be requested within 7 days of the WHO or FDFA qualification (art. 36.2).
• Crisis management and security: trip registration, monitoring, extraction, evacuation in case of riot, war, terrorism or disaster; Kidnap & Ransom subject to eligibility (art. 18.4).
• €2,290 a year, unlimited trips.

SourcesGeneral conditions, policy 20 00 479