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General Information
The Bulgarian visas are issued by the Bulgarian embassies and
consulates abroad, not at the airports or the land and sea passport
control points in Bulgaria.
By applying for a Bulgarian visa, the applicant agrees that his/her
personal data appearing on the application form would be
electronically stored and processed, and if necessary, passed over
to the appropriate authorities of other countries in execution of
Bulgaria's international obligations.
A visa is issued only to holders of passports or travel documents
that are valid for Bulgaria for at least 3 months after the end of
the intended stay and that contain a blank page for affixing of visa
vignettes.
With effect from 1 January 2006, all children entering Bulgaria will
need to have their own passport. Children included in their parents'
passports will only be allowed in if the passport also contains
their photograph.
Upon entry into Bulgaria, foreigners should declare in writing the
purpose of their stay and the address at which they will reside. To
this end they should fill in a registration form. Exempt of that are
the citizens of the European Union member-states and the citizens of
the countries in the Economic European Area.
The Bulgarian Foreign Nationals Act provides for three main visa
categories: transit visa, short-stay visa and long-stay visa.
A transit visa is required for travel through Bulgaria to
another country within 24 hours.
A short-stay visa allows a Foreign citizen single or multiple
entries into Bulgaria for up to 90 days within a period of six
months.
A long-stay visa allows a Foreign citizen to enter into
Bulgaria and later to apply for a long-term or permanent residence
permit. The validity of the long-stay visa is 6 (six) months and it
allows its holder of stay up to 90 days.
Pursuant to a draft Act for amendments of the Foreign Nationals Act
there will be an option the validity of the long-stay visa to be up
to 1 (one) year for certain categories of Foreign citizens. The
calculation of the period commences on the day of first arrival into
Bulgaria as indicated in the Foreign citizen's international
passport. All visa applications should be submitted to the
respective Bulgarian diplomatic missions and consular departments
around the world. In exceptional cases (e.g. the state's interest,
extraordinary circumstances or humanitarian reasons) border control
officers, after coordination with the Foreign Nationals
Administrative Control Office, can issue transit visas or short-term
visas for up to 10 days.
List of countries whose citizens do not require visa to enter
Bulgaria
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