Visa Information
(Extract from the site of Bulgarian Ministry of Foreighn Affairs)
Since 1 January 2007 the Republic of Bulgaria has been applying the European Union’s Common Visa Policy, subject to the terms of the Accession Treaty. According to Article 4 of the Act concerning the conditions of accession of the Republic of Bulgaria and Romania, the provisions of the Schengen acquis specified in Annex ІІ to that Act shall be binding on and applicable in the Republic of Bulgaria from the date of accession (1 January 2007), while the rest shall be applicable from the date of the Council’s decision on Bulgaria’s accession to the Schengen area. The Council’s decision shall be made after verification in accordance with the applicable procedures.
After Bulgaria’s accession to the European Union as a full member, one of our country’s main priorities is the accession to the Schengen area. By a resolution by the Council of Ministers, Bulgaria has declared that it would be ready to join the Schengen area in March 2011.
Joining the Schengen area requires full harmonisation of laws and adoption of the best Schengen practices concerning visa issuance.
Since the date of its accession to the EU, Bulgaria has strictly been applying Council Regulation (EC) No 539/2001 of 15 March 2001 listing the third countries whose nationals must be in possession of visas when crossing the external borders and those whose nationals are exempt from that requirement, having updated the lists of third countries whose nationals must be in possession of visas and those whose nationals are exempt from that requirement.
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Currently Bulgaria issues national visas only. Those visas do not give their holders the right to enter the Schengen area!
| Visa regime applicable to foreign citizens | ||||
| Key ■ visa required, □ no visa required | ||||
| State | Type of passport | |||
| Diplomatic | Service | Regular | ||
| 1 | Australia | ■ | ■ | □ up to 90 days |
| 2 | Austria | □ up to 180 day s | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days |
| 3 | Azerbaijan | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | ■ |
| 4 | Albania | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | ■ |
| 5 | Algeria | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 6 | Andorra | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days |
| 7 | Angola | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 8 | Antigua and Barbuda | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days |
| 9 | Argentina | □ up to 30 days | □ up to 30 days | □ up to 90 days |
| 10 | Armenia | □ up to 90 days | ■ | ■ |
| 11 | Afghanistan | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 12 | Bangladesh | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 13 | Barbados | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days |
| 14 | Bahamas | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days |
| 15 | Bahrain | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 16 | Belarus | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 17 | Belgium | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days |
| 18 | Belize | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 19 | Benin | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 20 | Bolivia | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 21 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | ■ |
| 22 | Botswana | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 23 | Brazil | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days |
| 24 | Brunei | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days |
| 25 | Burkina Faso | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 26 | Burundi | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 27 | Bhutan | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 28 | Vanuatu | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 29 | Vatican | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days |
| 30 | United Kingdom | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days |
| 31 | Venezuela | □ up to 30 days | □ up to 30 days | □ up to 90 days |
| 32 | Vietnam | □ up to 30 days | □ up to 30 days | ■ |
| 33 | Gabon | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 34 | Gambia | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 35 | Ghana | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 36 | Guatemala | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days |
| 37 | Equatorial Guinea | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 38 | Guyana | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 39 | Guinea-Bissau | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 40 | Guinea | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 41 | Germany | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days |
| 42 | Grenada | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 43 | Georgia | □ up to 90 days | ■ | ■ |
| 44 | Greece | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days |
| 45 | Denmark | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days |
| 46 | Djibouti | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 47 | Dominica | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 48 | Dominican Republic | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 49 | Egypt | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 50 | El Salvador | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days |
| 51 | Ecuador | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 52 | Eritrea | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 53 | Estonia | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days |
| 54 | Ethiopia | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 55 | Zambia | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 56 | Zimbabwe | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 57 | Israel | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days |
| 58 | India | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | ■ |
| 59 | Indonesia | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | ■ |
| 60 | Iran | □ up to 30 days | □ up to 30 days | ■ |
| 61 | Iraq | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 62 | Ireland | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days |
| 63 | Iceland | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days |
| 64 | Spain | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days |
| 65 | Italy | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days |
| 66 | Yemen | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 67 | Jordan | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 68 | Cape Verde | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 69 | Kazakhstan | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 70 | Cambodia | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 71 | Cameroon | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 72 | Canada | ■ | ■ | □ up to 90 days |
| 73 | Qatar | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 74 | Kenya | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 75 | Cyprus | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days |
| 76 | Kiribati | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 77 | Kyrgyzstan | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 78 | People’s Republic of China (PRC) | □ up to 30 days | □ up to 30 days | ■ |
| 79 | China, Taipei | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 80 | PRC, Macao (Special Administrative Region of the PRC) | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days |
| 81 | PRC, Hong Kong (Special Administrative Region of the PRC) | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days |
| 82 | Colombia | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 83 | Comoros | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 84 | Congo-Brazzaville | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 85 | Congo, Democratic Republic of the | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 86 | Democratic People's Republic of Korea | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | ■ |
| 87 | Republic of Korea | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days |
| 88 | Costa Rica | ■ | ■ | □ up to 90 days |
| 89 | Kosovo | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 90 | Côte d'Ivoire | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 91 | Cuba | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 92 | Kuwait | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 93 | Laos | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 94 | Latvia | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days |
| 95 | Lesotho | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 96 | Liberia | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 97 | Libya | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 98 | Lebanon | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 99 | Lithuania | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days |
| 100 | Liechtenstein | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days |
| 101 | Luxembourg | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days |
| 102 | Mauritania | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 103 | Mauritius | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days |
| 104 | Madagascar | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 105 | Macedonia | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days* |
| 106 | Malawi | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 107 | Malaysia | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days |
| 108 | Maldives | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 109 | Mali | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 110 | Malta | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days |
| 111 | Morocco | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | ■ |
| 112 | Marshall Islands | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 113 | Mexico | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days |
| 114 | Myanmar | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 115 | Micronesia | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 116 | Mozambique | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 117 | Moldova | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | ■ |
| 118 | Monaco | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days |
| 119 | Mongolia | □ up to 30 days | □ up to 30 days | ■ |
| 120 | Namibia | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 121 | Nauru, Republic of | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 122 | Nepal | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 123 | Niger | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 124 | Nigeria | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 125 | Nicaragua | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days |
| 126 | New Zealand | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days |
| 127 | Norway | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days |
| 128 | UAE | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 129 | Oman | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 130 | Pakistan | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 131 | Palestinian Authority | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 132 | Palau | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 133 | Panama | □ up to 90 days | □up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days |
| 134 | Papua New Guinea | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 135 | Paraguay | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days |
| 136 | Peru | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | ■ |
| 137 | Poland | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days |
| 138 | Portugal | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days |
| 139 | Puerto Rico | ■ | ■ | □ up to 90 days |
| 140 | Rwanda | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 141 | Romania | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days |
| 142 | Russia | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | ■ |
| 143 | Samoa | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 144 | San Marino | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days |
| 145 | São Tomé and Príncipe | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 146 | Saudi Arabia | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 147 | USA | ■ | ■ | □ up to 90 days |
| 148 | Swaziland | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 149 | Saint Lucia | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 150 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 151 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days |
| 152 | Seychelles | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days |
| 153 | Senegal | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 154 | Sierra Leone | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 155 | Singapore | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days |
| 156 | Syria | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 157 | Slovakia | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days |
| 158 | Slovenia | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days | □ up to 90 days |
| 159 | Solomon Islands | ■ | ■ | ■ |
| 160 | Somalia | ■ | ■ | ■ |
Visa types and documents required - Short-stay visa (type C)
A short-stay visa is issued to a foreigner entering the country once, twice or many times, for a total period of residence of up to 90 days within any 6-month period, starting from the date of first entry. A multiple-entry short-stay visa may be valid for up to 12 months, or, as an exception, up to 5 years, subject to the following conditions:
1. a multiple-entry visa with a period of validity of up to one year may be issued to a foreigner, provided that in the past year he/she obtained a short-stay visa and that visa was used in accordance with the legal provisions regulating entry and residence in the Republic of Bulgaria, and further provided that there are grounds for applying for a multiple-entry visa;
2. a multiple-entry visa with a period of validity of no more than 5 years may be issued to a foreigner, provided that in the past two years he/she obtained and used a multiple-entry visa valid for one year in accordance with the legal provisions regulating entry and residence in the Republic of Bulgaria, and further provided that the grounds for applying for a multiple-entry visa are still valid.
A multiple-entry short-stay visa may be issued to a foreigner who:
1. maintains long-term business relations with Bulgarian individuals or legal entities pursuing commercial activities within the meaning of the Commerce Act;
2. maintains long-term business relations with Bulgarian legal entities pursuing activities within the meaning of the Non-Profit Legal Entities Act;
3. maintains long-term business relations with representative offices of foreign legal entities registered under Article 24 of the Investment Promotion Act;
4. has a significant contribution to the development of bilateral relations with the Republic of Bulgaria;
5. is a member of the family of a Bulgarian citizen within the meaning of the Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria Act;
6. is a member of the family of a citizen of the European Union, of the European Economic Area or of the Swiss Confederation residing in the Republic of Bulgaria on a long-term basis;
7. is a member of the family of a foreigner residing in the Republic of Bulgaria on a long-term basis while keeping his/her usual place of residence abroad;
8. is an international road transport driver or a passenger/freight railroad transport crew member.
To submit a short-stay visa application, the applicant shall present:
1. a valid international travel document;
2. a photocopy of those pages of the international travel document which contain the personal data and the visas affixed and/or a photocopy of the residence permits held;
3. a recent passport-size colour photograph;
4. documents substantiating the visa request and copies thereof;
5. proof of availability of the necessary means of subsistence, amounting to a minimum of EUR 50 for each day of the duration of residence applied for in the visa application or an equivalent amount in another freely convertible currency, but no less than EUR 500 or an equivalent amount in another freely convertible currency, or a document evidencing prepaid tourist services;
6. proof of availability of the necessary funds for accommodation, amounting to at least EUR 50 for each day of the duration of residence applied for in the visa application or an equivalent amount in another freely convertible currency, or a document evidencing prepaid accommodation at a tourist accommodation facility, or a declaration of invitation from a Bulgarian natural or legal person, whereby that person undertakes to cover all expenses for the period of residence of the foreigner in the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria ;
7. proof of availability of the funds necessary for leaving the country, or a ticket, or in case of entry by a vehicle driven by the foreigner – funds amounting to at least EUR 100 or an equivalent amount in another freely convertible currency;
8. an original and a copy of an insurance policy issued by an insurance company licensed to pursue insurance activities in the territory of the European Union, with a minimum coverage amounting to EUR 30,000, to cover any repatriation, emergency medical aid and emergency hospital treatment costs for the duration of residence. Applicants for a multiple-entry short-stay visa need to present an insurance policy only for the duration of the first visit planned.
The declaration of invitation to be drawn up by a legal entity registered under the Non-Profit Legal Entities Act for the purpose of issuance of a short-stay visa for business shall be drafted in accordance with a standard form, signed and stamped by the inviter, notarised, and then certified by the foreigners administrative control authorities, subject to the following documents being presented:
1. a certificate of good standing of the legal entity concerned issued by the relevant regional court (valid for 3 months);
2. a copy of a certificate of registration with the relevant Territorial Directorate of the National Revenue Agency operating at the location of the legal entity’s seat.
Download visa application form here.
To get a contact to the Bulgarian diplomatic mission in your country click here.
