Bulgaria promises to be one of the most interesting and popular travel destinations this year. We will tell you about how to apply for a visa to Bulgaria: what documents you need to prepare, the cost of a visa, terms, etc.
Bulgaria Schengen or not
We note right away that the process of the country's accession to the Schengen zone is still underway. That is why all those who wish to cross the state border must go through the procedure for obtaining a national type of visa. This type of documents provides a tourist with the opportunity to stay in the country, as well as visit neighboring countries. At the same time, the issuance of such a visa excludes the possibility of crossing the border of the country in order to enter the European territory, which is subject to the Schengen Agreement.
Bulgarian legislation provides for the possibility of issuing other types of entry permitting documents, among which it is worth highlighting three main types:
- "Single visa", the issuance of which is established by Article 2, Clause 3 of the Code regulating the issue of issuing passes, which allows one or more crossings of the state border
- long-term visa issued on the basis of the eighteenth article of the Schengen Agreement
- residence permit
With these documents, tourists have the full legal right to stay in Bulgaria for three months from the date of entry. And it does not matter which of the Schengen states issued such a document. The exceptions are those countries with which Bulgaria, for one reason or another, does not maintain foreign relations and does not negotiate.
It is worth knowing some more important nuances. In particular, the basis for legally crossing the border in both directions must be identical. For example, you cannot cross the border with a Schengen visa, but go back with a national one, issued in the prescribed manner. You also need to monitor the validity of your foreign passport. If its validity period is terminated or expires in the near future, then the visa issued to enter the country will also be automatically canceled.
Types of visas
Today, two types of visas are available for tourists - C or D. Let's try to find out what their fundamental difference is, and what type of document should be chosen by each citizen who plans to spend some time in Bulgaria.
Category C visa
Provides for the possibility of a single or multiple visits to the country. Taking into account its variety, the tourist is given the opportunity to freely cross the state border once, twice or several times. The longest stay in the country for a visit - cannot exceed 90 days. Accordingly, the validity period of such a document cannot exceed the five-year period from the date of its receipt.
Category D visa
An alternative type is the D visa. Suitable for those tourists who expect to stay in Bulgaria much longer than the first type of document allows. In particular, this permit allows you to stay in the republic longer than usual or even to issue the right of residence .. For this, of course, you will need to contact the appropriate divisions of the migration service (no later than three months before the visa expires) with an application for the grant of the right permanent or temporary residence in Bulgaria.
How much does a visa cost
Please note: since April 2016, payment for services for the registration and issuance of a document permitting entry and stay in the country through the embassy is carried out only in the European national currency (euro). The final cost of the service depends on the type of document that the tourist intends to receive. So, the following fees are charged for visa processing:
- type C - 60 euros
- type C visa for Russians, as well as citizens of some other countries - 35 euros
- urgent type C - 70 euros (can only be applied to citizens of Ukraine and the Russian Federation)
- type D, which is issued in conjunction with clause 1 of article 15 of the Bulgarian Law on Foreign Citizens - 100 euros
- type D, which is issued in conjunction with clause 2 of article 15 of the same law - 200 euros
Who doesn't need to pay for a visa
At the same time, certain categories of tourists are given the right to draw up documents under a preferential system. In particular, the following are exempt from mandatory payments for services rendered:
- citizens who are members of the family of European citizens and Bulgarians (the list includes spouses, children, parents and others)
- relatives of Russians of the first degree of kinship who legally reside in Bulgaria
- children aged 0-6 years
- service passport holders
- citizens who enter as part of official delegations
- individual officials who hold senior positions in government and courts
- schoolchildren and university students who travel to the country for educational purposes, their accompanying persons
- persons with disabilities and those who accompany them
- citizens who travel with a specific humanitarian purpose - treatment, funeral, etc.
- participants in exchange programs between twin cities, international and sports events
- participants of scientific and research expeditions
Separately, it is worth mentioning some points of obtaining visas for a free procedure. In accordance with Bulgarian law, all documents that confirm the right of a foreigner to obtain a preferential entry permit to enter the country must be certified by the competent authorities of the republic (universities, scientific departments, medical institutions, etc.).
Consideration of such applications takes 4 working days, excluding the day of submission of documents. If an urgent type of permit is issued, then the process takes no more than two working days.
Where to apply in Moscow
All residents of Moscow need to submit a package of documents for obtaining a permit to the Consulate of the country, which is located at the address: st. Mosfilmovskaya, 66. Acceptance of documents is possible on weekdays during working hours (9-12). You can clarify more detailed information by calling +7 499 143 62 30, by calling from 15 to 17 hours. You can also do this through the visa center at the address: Suschevsky Val, 31, building 2. Reception of documents on weekdays from 09.00 - 16.00.
Acceptance of applications and documents for the purpose of obtaining permits is carried out through 3-5 windows of the admission department. Questions about the legalization and certification of documents can be resolved through windows 1,6,7. Here you can apply for Bulgarian citizenship. And you can get a ready-made visa, as well as clarify all the information of interest about its use, by looking in the second window.
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Addresses of visa centers in other cities
You can find out where the nearest center for filing documents and issuing a pass is located by calling 709-92-81 (code - 8 (499), or by visiting bulgariavac.ru/contactus.aspx).
For example, such centers are located in St. Petersburg (B. Raznochinnaya street, 16a), Yekaterinburg (Kuibysheva street, 44), Novosibirsk (Chelyuskintsev street, 15), Rostov-on-Don (Trolleybusnaya street, 24 / 2v), Kazan (P. Kommuny street, 8), Samara (Michurin street, 78), Nizhny Novgorod (Osharskaya street, 16), Krasnodar (ak-ka Pavlova street, 64).
You can also apply for a visa in other cities of Russia, including:
- Krasnoyarsk (Maerchaka street, 16)
- Kaliningrad (street 1812, 126)
- Irkutsk (Karl Liebknekht street, 121, office 509)
- Ufa (Chernyshevsky street, 82)
- Khabarovsk (Istomin street, 22a)
- Vladivostok (Okeansky prospect, 17)
- Murmansk (Karl-Liebknekhta street, 13)
- Omsk (Frunze street, 1/4)
- Perm (Chernyshevsky street, 28)
- Pskov (Riga prospect, 60)
- Saratov (Vavilova street, 38/114)
The work schedules of the centers need to be clarified additionally.It should be clarified that documents are accepted only from Russian citizens and foreigners who are legally on its territory. Further, the visa centers send all applications with a package of documents to the consulate of Bulgaria. In addition, only those tourists who want to apply for a type C visa can apply through visa centers. But a long-term type D permit can be issued only after a direct appeal to the Consulate General.
But you can submit all the necessary documents both personally and through your representatives and even a travel agency. At the same time, it is necessary to observe the 90 days allotted for this procedure, which must precede the date of the desired trip.
Addresses of visa centers in Bulgaria on the map
Visa documents
To apply for a visa (unorganized tourism), the following documents are submitted:
- documentary confirmation of the reservation of a hotel or hotel room. It is best to make a scanned copy of the booking, which is made on the hotel's letterhead, or print a copy through the electronic booking system. Such confirmations must contain clear dates of stay and hotel details.
- a certificate that is issued at the place of work (mandatory on the letterhead of the organization), in which, in addition to the position held, contact contact numbers must be indicated, as well as the size of the salary. If pensioners go on the tour, it is enough to attach a certified photocopy of the pensioner's ID. Well, entrepreneurs need to attach documents on the registration of a company and a TIN certificate
- financial guarantees (at least 0.5 thousand euros for the entire period of the trip). These can be bank statements, receipts for the purchase of currency, etc.
- completed form
- passport, the residual period of validity of which is not less than three months on the day of application
- photo 3.5x4.5
- medical insurance
- transport tickets
- for children - a copy of a birth certificate and other documents confirming the right to travel (for example, parental permission certified by a notary)
Application form
First of all, try to fill in all fields in legible handwriting so that no mistakes are made at the consulate. The name and surname are written in the Latin alphabet similarly to the entry in the passport. Only black or blue ink pens are used for filling. All fields are filled in, except for the column for special marks (it is located on the right side of the sheet).
Do not neglect the help of consultants if something is not clear to you in the process of filling out the questionnaire. If you are asked to choose one of the answer options, please mark your choice with a cross or a tick. By the way, corrections in the questionnaire are allowed, and no one will force you to rewrite it if you cross out the wrongly entered data with a horizontal line and enter the correct ones.
Check your passport by filling out the fields in the questionnaire in full accordance with it. Dates are entered in the following order: day, month, and then year, and phone numbers must be specified with the country code. Do not forget about the need to affix all data with a personal signature. Children under the age of 0-14 are signed by their representatives - parents or persons who replace them. Children 14-17 years old can put their signature next to their parent.
Sponsorship letter
A sponsorship letter is provided in the event that the payment of the cost of the trip is not made by those who plan to travel. In this case, the letter is accompanied by identifying data (full name) of the sponsor, as well as the applicant (full name and passport number), the date of the proposed trip is indicated. The letter must be signed by the sponsor and the date of the document.
A documentary confirmation of the sponsor's solvency will also be required. For example, a bank statement, a check from an ATM about the balance of the account, traveler's checks and other documents.
Photo requirements
Separately, it is worth mentioning the existing requirements for submitted photographs. In particular, the size of the cards should be 35x45 mm, and the size of the head should be at least 30 mm. The photograph should be in color, not edged or retouched. Also, the date of photographing should not exceed 6 months before the day of contacting the consulate.
The photograph is taken face-to-face so that all facial features are clearly identified. In the correct shot, the head occupies 70-80% of the total space. There must be a white or other light background, without darkening and foreign objects. The ears should be visible and the color of the eyes determined effortlessly. It is prohibited to use glasses or other accessories during photography.
Interesting articles:
- What to see in Bulgaria: itinerary for 3 days
- Holidays in Bulgaria with children
- What to bring from Bulgaria
- Ski resorts in Bulgaria
How to track your passport
After submitting documents for obtaining a pass to Bulgaria, you can control the process of obtaining a visa through the website www.bulgariavac.ru. It is enough just to fill out the submitted forms by entering the last name, registration number, date of birth. Please note that you need to enter the last name in Latin letters, and when filling in the field for the registration number, pay attention to the traditional initial characters. For example, for Moscow it is "MOAC", for St. Petersburg - "PEAC", Rostov-on-Don - "ROAC", etc.
