Bulgaria
Tourist visa for Bulgaria: documents, fees and steps
Tourism (short stay) · 104 nationalities · residence in 219 countries · ordinary passport
Stay of up to 90 days · Verified on 7 October 2026
VisaGuideline helps you prepare your application. The decision belongs to the country’s authority: check the official page before paying or applying.
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Documents requested
Completed and signed visa application formConditions and details
The page requires that all fields be filled in legibly in typewritten characters, names in Latin letters as they appear in the passport and other information in English or Bulgarian. The form is signed personally by the applicant. The "Visa Application Forms" section of the ministry offers a harmonized application form.Travel document (ordinary passport) meeting the ministry's conditionsConditions and details
The travel document must remain valid for at least 3 months after the planned date of exit from Bulgarian territory (or, in the case of multiple visits, after the last planned date of exit), contain at least 2 blank pages reserved for visas and have been issued within the last 10 years.- Photocopy of the first page of the travel documentFirst item in the list of documents to be attached to the visa application.
Colour photograph in 3.5 cm × 4.5 cm format on a light backgroundConditions and details
Front-facing photo, face clear and sufficiently large, occupying 70 to 80% of the photo. The page rejects photos with dark glasses, non-professional photos and photos cut out from amateur photos.Medical insurance valid in the EU Member States, covering at least 30 000 eurosConditions and details
The insurance covers the entire duration of the trip, repatriation costs, urgent medical care and emergency hospitalisation during the period of stay indicated in the visa. The coverage amount may not be less than 30 000 euros. The page exempts in particular family members or household members of EU, EEA and Swiss citizens.- Tickets (original and copy), booking confirmation for the tickets or proof of financial meansThe page presents these three supporting documents as alternatives: one of them is attached to the application.
Depending on your situation
Photocopy of the latest Bulgarian and Schengen visas, or of British and American visas, if anyConditions and details
The page requests this copy only if the applicant has already obtained such visas. The questionnaire does not provide information on previous visas: the traveller checks for themselves whether the document concerns them.- Copy of the vehicle registration certificate (“technical passport”) of the vehicle used for the tripConcerns a trip made with a vehicle. The questionnaire does not include a field on the mode of transport: the traveller checks for themselves whether the document applies to them.
Official fees
- Processing fees for a short-stay visa application 90 €
Steps
- Check that the C visa (short stay for transit or an intended stay) corresponds to the planned journey.
- Identify the submission point: Bulgarian diplomatic or consular representation, or visa application centre cited by the ministry.
- Complete and sign the application form (typewritten characters, names in Latin letters, other information in English or Bulgarian).
- Submit the application at the earliest 3 months before the date of travel, in person or through an authorized representative, with the documents listed by the ministry.
- Pay the application processing fees at the time of submission.
Where to apply
- Diplomatic and consular representations of the Republic of Bulgaria, submission in person or through an authorized representative
- Outsourced visa application centres, operated by the service provider cited by the ministry, in 113 cities in 29 countries listed on the page
Good to know
Visa valid throughout the entire Schengen areaConditions and details
Since 31 March 2024, Bulgaria issues uniform (Schengen) visas valid throughout the entire Schengen area. The short stay is counted from entry into the Schengen area, including in Bulgaria. VisaGuideline does not calculate the 90-days-in-180 rule: previous stays are not checked.Residence permit or long-stay visa of a Schengen StateConditions and details
The Schengen Borders Code does not require a short-stay visa from a third-country national who holds a valid residence permit or a valid long-stay visa. Persons residing in another Schengen State are therefore not covered by this pathway.States that are part of the Schengen areaConditions and details
According to the EUR-Lex glossary, 30 European countries are part of Schengen: 26 of the 27 EU Member States (all except Ireland), as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Cyprus is a Schengen State, but controls at its borders have not yet been lifted.Competent consulate according to place of residenceConditions and details
The application is examined by the consulate of the competent Member State in whose consular district the applicant legally resides. A person who is legally present but not resident in the consular district must justify submitting the application at that consulate.Attendance for fingerprintsConditions and details
On a first application, the applicant appears in person for the taking of their photograph and their 10 fingerprints. Fingerprints recorded in the VIS less than 59 months ago are in principle reused.Decision period provided for by the visa codeConditions and details
The decision is taken within 15 calendar days following the submission of an admissible application. This period may be extended to a maximum of 45 calendar days in individual cases. The ministry's page does not indicate any period of its own.- Non-refundable feesThe fees collected are not refunded in the event of visa refusal.
Visa facilitation agreementsConditions and details
The ministry lists visa facilitation agreements between the EU and Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, North Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus and Cape Verde. The fees indicated apply unless otherwise provided by such an agreement: consult the text of the agreement that concerns you.Family members of EU, EEA or Swiss citizensConditions and details
The page exempts family or household members of EU, EEA and Swiss citizens from proof of subsistence, accommodation and transport as well as insurance. Family members of Bulgarian and EU citizens are exempt from processing fees. Family members of EU citizens only fill in the fields of the form that indicate their family relationship.Appeal in the event of refusalConditions and details
A visa refusal may be contested before the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria, the higher administrative authority, or before the Sofia City Administrative Court.- Harmonised formThe "Visa Application Forms" section of the ministry makes available a harmonised application form as well as Bulgarian visa forms in several languages.
Supporting documents provided for by the Visa CodeConditions and details
For a uniform visa, the Visa Code provides for documents on the purpose of the journey, on accommodation or the means to cover it, on the means of subsistence for the stay and the return, as well as information making it possible to assess the intention to leave the territory. The ministry's page does not detail these documents for a tourist stay.
Nationalities covered
This procedure applies to 104 nationalities.
- Afghanistan
- Algeria
- Angola
- Armenia
- Azerbaijan
- Bahrain
- Bangladesh
- Belarus
- Belize
- Benin
- Bhutan
- Bolivia
- Botswana
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cambodia
- Cameroon
- Cape Verde
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- China
- Comoros
- Congo
- Côte d'Ivoire
- Cuba
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Djibouti
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- Egypt
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Eswatini
- Ethiopia
- Fiji
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Guyana
- Haiti
- India
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Iraq
- Jamaica
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Kenya
- Kuwait
- Kyrgyzstan
- Laos
- Lebanon
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Libya
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Maldives
- Mali
- Mauritania
- Mongolia
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Myanmar
- Namibia
- Nepal
- Niger
- Nigeria
- North Korea
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Palestine
- Papua New Guinea
- Philippines
- Qatar
- Russia
- Rwanda
- São Tomé and Príncipe
- Saudi Arabia
- Senegal
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- South Africa
- South Sudan
- Sri Lanka
- Sudan
- Suriname
- Syria
- Tajikistan
- Tanzania
- Thailand
- Togo
- Tunisia
- Türkiye
- Turkmenistan
- Uganda
- Uzbekistan
- Vanuatu
- Vietnam
- Yemen
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Official links
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria (Министерство на външните работи) (new tab) www.mfa.bg
- EUR-Lex - 02016R0399-20251012 - EN - EUR-Lex (new tab) eur-lex.europa.eu
- Schengen Agreement and Convention - EUR-Lex (new tab) eur-lex.europa.eu
- EUR-Lex - 02009R0810-20240628 - EN - EUR-Lex (new tab) eur-lex.europa.eu
- Fees :: MFA (new tab) www.mfa.bg
- Visa Facilitation Agreements :: MFA (new tab) www.mfa.bg
- Visa Application Forms :: MFA (new tab) www.mfa.bg
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