San Marino: visa and entry rules

San Marino's borders: every crossing point

There is one land neighbour, Italy, which surrounds the republic completely.

There is no border control. The entry is marked by a road sign, and it is easy to miss.

The main roads come from Rimini — the nearest large city and transport hub.

The country has no sea access, though the Adriatic is about twenty kilometres away.

There is no airport, the nearest being Rimini and Bologna.

Driving to San Marino

You can only arrive from Italy.

The road to the historic centre is a series of hairpins — Monte Titano is steep, and the car parks are arranged in tiers with lifts up to the top.

A Green Card is required for foreign-registered vehicles.

Fuel is cheaper than in Italy, and that accounts for a noticeable share of the traffic coming here.

Check the procedure for bringing a car into San Marino before you set off. It differs from the neighbouring countries and changes from time to time.

Travelling to San Marino with a pet

EU rules apply, since the only way here is through European Union countries.

An ISO-standard microchip is compulsory, fitted BEFORE the rabies vaccination.

A rabies vaccination — plus a 21-day wait before entry.

A rabies antibody titre test is required only for pets from a country not on the EU's approved list. The US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the UK are on the list, so this does not apply to pets travelling from those countries; Russia is one of the countries it does apply to. A three-month wait then applies before entry.

An EU veterinary certificate is required.

Overstaying your visa in San Marino

San Marino keeps no separate record of your stay.

The Schengen allowance is what counts, and the consequences come on leaving the area.

The main consequence is a refusal of your next Schengen visa.

Days in San Marino go into the overall count of 90 days in 180.