Dogana, the customs post where nobody checks your papers

Dogana is Italian for customs, which is exactly what you won’t find. It’s the first part of San Marino you pass through coming from Rimini, the point where the country really begins on the road, and the clearest proof that this border is unlike any other you’ve crossed.

The gateway from Rimini

The government puts it plainly, Dogana stands on the main border between Italy and San Marino, along the dual carriageway that runs from Rimini to the Republic. It isn’t a castello in its own right. It belongs to Serravalle, as does Falciano, and according to Italian Wikipedia it’s the most populated settlement in the whole country, which surprises anyone who thinks San Marino is just the town on the hill.

The photo above shows the only thing that marks the crossing, the welcome arch over the road with its motto «Benvenuti nell’antica terra della libertà», welcome to the ancient land of liberty. The number plates and road signs change, and that’s about it. There’s a community centre with a library and, within Dogana itself, Parco Ausa, around 40,000 m², which the government plans to join to Serravalle’s Parco Laiala as a single park.

Why is there no check if it’s another country?

It’s the obvious question. San Marino isn’t in the EU and in legal terms is a third country, yet it keeps with Italy what its Foreign Ministry calls a centuries-old absence of border controls. On top of that there’s the customs union with the European Union, signed in 1991 and in force since 2002, so there are no goods checks either, despite what the place name suggests.

That doesn’t mean you can travel without documents. San Marino’s Foreign Ministry points out that reaching the country means crossing the Schengen area, and that visitors from outside it need whatever authorisation Schengen requires to enter and transit. For British travellers that means Schengen rules apply on the way in through Italy, and I’d check the UK government’s travel advice for current passport requirements before flying. There’s also a change on the horizon. Since 17 September 2024 San Marino has been negotiating a border management agreement with the EU, designed with the EES and ETIAS in mind. The rest of what San Marino is and isn’t is covered in is San Marino a country?.

What you do notice when you cross

What you notice most at Dogana isn’t on the road, it’s in your pocket. The EU roaming regulation doesn’t cover San Marino, and since Brexit UK networks have priced European roaming their own way in any case. I wouldn’t assume San Marino is treated like Italy on your plan; I’d check before leaving Rimini, because it’s the practical warning almost nobody thinks about. There’s a fuller explanation in using your phone and roaming in San Marino.

The other change is money, and there’s no surprise there. San Marino uses the euro under an agreement with the EU and mints its own coins, which work like any other euro.

Dogana on the Rimini bus

On Bonelli’s shuttle, Dogana has two stops. The first is San Marino Outlet, at 08:26 on the 08:00 departure from Rimini station, and the second is Dogana Confine, at 08:33. From there it’s about twenty minutes to the last stop in the capital. The fare from Rimini station to Dogana is €4.50, and all the way up it’s €7. Bonelli recommends booking, because a ticket is valid for one specific day, time and journey. Times and alternatives are in Rimini to San Marino.

A through ticket to the capital also lets you break the journey at the outlet; its Info Point gives you a voucher to carry on free. It’s the easiest way to combine shopping and sightseeing on the same day, and non-EU residents get 15% tax free off larger purchases.

Driving in, what to know

From the A14, leave at Rimini Sud and take the SS72, the dual carriageway that ends up running through Dogana. The Italian motorway is tolled up to that exit; the SS72 is a state road, although I haven’t found an official source saying outright that it’s free. Dogana is also home to the WTC San Marino, at via Consiglio dei Sessanta 99, where Rallylegend tickets bought online are collected.

My advice is not to linger here if you’ve come to see San Marino. The good bit is up top, in the City of San Marino and its old town, about twenty minutes away by bus or car.