Schengen visa of Bulgaria is now available to apply in many countries. Though the new member of the Schengen Zone acquired membership on 31 March 2024, but has straightaway started to issue the famous Schengen visa from day one.
Travelers from around the world can now apply for the Schengen visa of Bulgaria to travel to possibly all 29 Schengen countries. The southeastern European country has already started from 1 April issuing Schengen visas around the world (service started in limited countries at the moment).
Bulgaria Country Information
Bulgaria is a country located in Southeastern Europe, in the Northeastern part of the Balkan Peninsula. It is a European, Balkan, Black Sea, and Danube, and Schengen zone member country. In the north, the country borders with Romania, in the east with the Black Sea, in the southeast with Turkey, in the south with Greece, and in the west with Serbia and Macedonia.
It is located at the crossroads between Europe, Asia and Africa. The country has great benefits from the Tourism industry. Most of the visitors travel to Bulgaria from Romania, Greece, Germany, Turkey, Macedonia and Serbia. Mostly visited cities in Bulgaria are (source, travel tourism info Bulgaria) :
- Sofia
- Plovdiv
- Varna
- Burgas
- ruse
- Asenovgrad
- Blagoevgrad
- Veliko Tarnovo
- Gabrovo
- Kazanlak
Which visa did Bulgaria use before Schengen Status?
Since January 1, 2007, the Republic of Bulgaria has applied the Common Visa Policy of the European Union under the terms of the Act of Accession. If someone is holding this short-term visit visa, they can still use it to travel to Cyprus, Romania, and Bulgaria.
However, this cannot be used to travel to other Schengen countries. On the other hand, holders of long-term residence visas issued by the Republic of Bulgaria still valid after 31 March 2024 will be able to travel freely within the Schengen area by Schengen rules (no more than 90 days within any 180 days) after 31 March 2024, regardless of internal land border controls.
Bulgaria Uniform Schengen Visa
From March 31, 2024, the Republic of Bulgaria started issuing uniform (Schengen) visas valid for the entire Schengen area. A Schengen visa issued by the Republic of Bulgaria after March 31, 2024, will allow its holder to travel throughout the Schengen area by Schengen rules (no more than 90 days within every 180 days), regardless of checks on internal land borders.
This means one can travel to countries like Germany, France, Norway, and Italy and complete 29 countries of the Schengen area. The same is true for other countries’ Schengen visas, holders of those who can travel to Bulgaria including the EU residence permit.
As of March 31, 2024, holders of a Schengen visa, the time they spend in the Republic of Bulgaria will be considered part of the permitted 90 days for a stay in the Schengen area for each 180-day period, regardless of the border (air, land or sea) that these citizens crossed to enter the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria and regardless of whether it concerns a short-term stay or transit.
Applying for Schengen Visa of Bulgaria
Do I need a visa for Bulgaria?
The nationals of the following countries if they want to travel to Bulgaria for a short stay not exceeding 90 days, must get first the “C” type Uniform Schengen Visa:
| Afghanistan | Gabon | Oman |
| Algeria | The Gambia | Pakistan |
| Angola | Ghana | Papua New Guinea |
| Armenia | Guinea | Palestinian Authority |
| Azerbaijan | Guinea-Bissau | Philippines |
| Bahrain | Guyana | Qatar |
| Bangladesh | Haiti | Russia |
| Belarus | India | Rwanda |
| Belize | Indonesia | Sao Tome And Principe |
| Benin | Iran | Saudi Arabia |
| Bhutan | Iraq | Senegal |
| Bolivia | Jamaica | Sierra Leone |
| Botswana | Jordan | Somalia |
| Burkina Faso | Kazakhstan | South Africa |
| Burma/Myanmar | Kenya | South Sudan |
| Burundi | Kosovo | Sri Lanka |
| Cambodia | Kuwait | Sudan |
| Cameroon | Kyrgyzstan | Suriname |
| Cape Verde | Laos | Swaziland |
| The central African Republic | Lebanon | Syria |
| Chad | Lesotho | Tajikistan |
| China | Liberia | Tanzania |
| Comoros | Libya | Thailand |
| Congo | Madagascar | Timor-Leste |
| Cote D’Ivoire | Malawi | Togo |
| Cuba | Maldives | Tonga |
| Dem. Rep. Of Congo | Mali | Tunisia |
| Djibouti | Mauritania | Turkey |
| Dominican Republic | Mongolia | Turkmenistan |
| Ecuador | Morocco | Uganda |
| Egypt | Mozambique | Uzbekistan |
| Equatorial Guinea | Namibia | Vietnam |
| Eritrea | Nepal | Yemen |
| Ethiopia | Niger | Zambia |
| Fiji | Nigeria | Zimbabwe |
| North Korea | Northern Marianas |
Types of Schengen visas in Bulgaria
In general, there are the following types of Schengen visas:
- Type A visa (for airport transit),
- Type C visa (for short-term transit or planned stay),
- Type D visa (for long-term stay).
The visa types in terms of entries are as follows:
- Single entry visa: A one-time entry is allowed on this visa with a total maximum duration of 90 days.
- Double entry visa: Two times entry is allowed with a total maximum duration of 90 days.
- Multiple entry visa: The multiple entry visa is granted for more than twice entry into a Schengen country. This could be of one, three, or five years in duration.
- Limited territorial validity visas (LTV): LTV is issued in rare cases such as for humanitarian reasons or under international obligation as an exception to the common USV system and in some emergency cases.
There can be many purposes of traveling to Bulgaria through a Schengen visa, these could be as follows:
- Medical reasons,
- Business,
- Study purposes,
- Official visit,
- Visiting family and friends,
- Tourism,
- Airport Transit,
- Sports, Cultural, and Film crews.
Issuance of visas
Every foreigner who wishes to apply for a Bulgarian visa should possess a regular document for foreign travel that meets the following requirements:
- the validity period expires at least three months after the planned date of departure from the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria or in the case of multiple visits – after the last planned date of departure from the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria,
- contains at least two blank visa application pages,
- was issued within the previous 10 years.
Visas are issued by the diplomatic and consular missions of the Republic of Bulgaria. Currently, this service is available in 9 countries.
Applying for the visa
The Schengen visa application is submitted no earlier than 3 months before the date of the planned trip (for other Schengen countries, this time is 6 months in advance) in person or through an authorized representative, except in cases for humanitarian reasons. The application for issuing a visa to minors or persons placed under interdiction shall be submitted by their legal representatives or by a person expressly authorized by them.
Requirements for completing the visa application
All columns should be filled legibly in block letters. Names must be written in Latin letters (as written in the foreign passport). The rest of the information is filled in in English or Bulgarian.
The application must be signed in person by the applicant. Family members of European Union citizens fill in only those fields of the visa application that indicate their family relationship.
Required Documents
Following are the documents that must be attached to the Schengen visa application:
- a photocopy of the first page of the foreign travel document,
- photocopy of the latest Bulgarian and Schengen visas or UK and US visas, if any,
- color photo 3.5 cm x 4.5 cm on a light background (the same applies to a child entered in the passport) – the face in the photo should be clear, large and only in full face and occupy 70-80% of the photo; eyes should not be red; not accepted: photos with glasses with tinted lenses; photos taken non-professionally or photos cropped from amateur photos,
- medical insurance is valid for EU member states for the entire duration of the trip, covering all repatriation costs and for emergency medical care and emergency hospital treatment for the period of stay specified in the visa. The insured amount must be no less than 30,000 euros,
- tickets (original and copy) or confirmation of booking tickets or funds,
- Enough financial support to bear your expenses. It depends on your conditions such as: how long you will stay and if you will stay in a hotel, or with relatives or friends;
- You should be able to convince the immigration service officer that you will leave Bulgaria at the end of your trip;
For minors traveling without parents or guardians, the following applies additionally:
- a copy of the birth certificate,
- an original and a photocopy of a notarized power of attorney from both parents/guardians or from one parent/guardian authorizing the child to travel abroad if they are not accompanying the minor child.
The following are exempted from the obligation to provide proof of subsistence, accommodation and transport:
- The members of families or households of citizens of countries of the European Union, the European Economic Area, and the Swiss Confederation,
- Persons applying for the issuance of a long-term residence visa for family reunification, in connection with a granted refugee or asylum status in the Republic of Bulgaria – based on a written decision by the State Agency for Refugees under the Council of Ministers,
- Holders of diplomatic and service passports,
The following are exempted from the obligation to submit an insurance policy:
The members of families or households of citizens of countries of the European Union, the European Economic Area, and the Swiss Confederation,
- Holders of diplomatic and service passports,
- Seafarers who meet the criteria under Convention No. 108 of the International Labor Organization when applying for a short-stay visa for border transit,
- Persons for whom, given their social or professional position, it can be assumed that they are insured or that they can cover expenses incurred due to unforeseen circumstances.
Visa application processing fees are waived for the:
- Foreign citizens who are under the age of 6 at the date of submitting a visa application,
- Family members of Bulgarian citizens and EU citizens.
Steps to apply for the visa
After getting all the documents ready, book an appointment in the embassy or consulate of Bulgaria where you are applying. These can be found here. The application steps are as follows:
- Get the visa appointment to apply for the visa.
- You may be required to pay an extra fee if you have to apply through third-party services such as VFS or BLS (currently the visa applications are being processed in only 9 countries through VFS Global).
- You have to submit your biometric photo and fingerprints to the embassy or to the visa application center.
- At the embassy or the visa application center, you may have to go through the interview, which will be related to your visa application.
- After getting the visa, you can travel to Bulgaria.
Appeal to the visa refusal
The refusal to issue a visa can be appealed to the higher administrative body:
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria, 1113, Sofia, “Aleksander Zhendov” Street No. 2 (e-mail: priemna@mfa.bg), or
- Administrative Court of Sofia-city, 1301, Sofia, 17 “Georg Washington” St. (e-mail: registratura@sfg-adc.justice.bg).
Outsourced visa centers to apply for Schengen visa
To facilitate visa applicants, for better and faster visa service, the Bulgarian consular services have started accepting visa applications in stages through outsourced visa centers organized by the specialized visa service company VFS Global.
Bulgaria Schengen Visa Fee
Following are the Schengen Visa fee details of Bulgaria for 90 day “C” type visa:
| Schengen Visa Category | Fee |
| Adult applicant | 80€ |
| Children between 6-12 years of age | 40€ |
| Children younger than 6 years of age | Free |
| Holders of diplomatic, official, or service passports traveling for official purposes | Free |
| A family member of an EU/EEA national | Free |
| Pupils, students, and accompanying teachers during a school trip | Free |
| Researchers traveling to perform scientific research | Free |
| Nationals from Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia. | 35€ |