It is a travel document that passport-holders of certain countries need to have in order to enter Bulgaria for a certain period of time. It is NOT a Schengen visa which gives the holder freedom to travel within the Schengen zone (As for January 2019, Bulgaria is not part of the Schengen area).
There are 3 types of Visas for Bulgaria:
Airport Transfer (Type A) visa: For transiting Bulgaria towards your final destination. An air transit visa is issued to a foreigner who, is arriving by aircraft from a certain state and stays in the international transit zone of an airport on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria with the aim of continuing his/her travel with the first next flight to a different state.
Short-term Residence (Type C) visa: For stays not exceeding 90 days within a 6-month period. (eg: Tourism, Private Visit) The period of validity of the visa may not exceed 5 years.
Long-term Residence (Type D) visa: For stays that are up to 6 months long. and is issued to a foreigner who wishes to settle for an extended period or permanently in the Republic of Bulgaria (eg: Education, long-term business trip).
No transit visa is required for passage of citizens of third states when they produce any of the following documents:
– Schengen (single) visa, long-stay visa, permit for stay issued by any of the Schengen area states;
– national short-stay visas, long-stay visas and permits for stay issued by Romania and Cyprus;
– permits for stay issued by Lichtenstein.
Countries Whose Citizens, Holders Of Ordinary Passports, Require/Do Not Require Visas To Enter Bulgaria
Country Visa is required: Yes/No
1 Afghanistan Yes
2 Albania (3) No
3 Algeria Yes
4 Andorra No
5 Angola Yes
6 Antigua and Barbuda No
7 Argentina No
8 Armenia Yes
9 Australia No
10 Austria (1) No
11 Azerbaijan Yes
12 Bahamas No
13 Bahrain Yes
14 Bangladesh Yes
15 Barbados No
16 Belarus Yes
17 Belgium (1) No
18 Belize Yes
19 Benin Yes
20 Bhutan Yes
21 Bolivia Yes
22 Bosnia and Herzegovina (3) No
23 Botswana Yes
24 Brazil No
25 Brunei No
26 Burkina Faso Yes
27 Burundi Yes
28 Cambodia Yes
29 Cameroon Yes
30 Canada No
31 Cape Verde Yes
32 Central African Republic Yes
33 Chad Yes
34 Chile No
35 China, Peoples Republic of (PRC) Yes
36 China, Hong Kong (Special Administrative Region of the PRC) No
37 China, Macao (Special Administrative Region of the PRC) No
38 Columbia No
39 Comoros Yes
40 Congo, Democratic Republic of the Yes
41 Congo-Brazzaville Yes
42 Costa Rica No
43 Cote d’Ivoire Yes
44 Croatia No
45 Cube Yes
46 Cyprus (1) No
47 Czech Republic (1) No
48 Democratic Republic of Korea Yes
49 Denmark (1) No
50 Djibouti Yes
51 Dominica No
52 Dominican Republic Yes
53 Ecuador Yes
54 Egypt Yes
55 El Salvador No
56 Equatorial Guinea Yes
57 Eritrea Yes
58 Estonia (1) No
59 Ethiopia Yes
60 Fiji Yes
61 Finland (1) No
62 France (1) No
63 Gabon Yes
64 Gambia Yes
65 Georgia (3) No
66 Germany (1) No
67 Ghana Yes
68 Greece (1) No
69 Grenada No
70 Guatemala No
71 Guinea Yes
72 Guinea-Bissau Yes
73 Guyana Yes
74 Haiti Yes
75 Honduras No
76 Hungary (1) No
77 India Yes
78 Indonesia Yes
79 Iran Yes
80 Iraq Yes
81 Ireland (1) No
82 Island (1) No
83 Israel No
84 Italy (1) No
85 Jamaica Yes
86 Japan No
87 Jordan Yes
88 Kazakhstan Yes
89 Kenya Yes
90 Kiribati No
91 Kosovo Yes
92 Kuwait Yes
93 Kyrgyzstan Yes
94 Laos Yes
95 Latvia (1) No
96 Lebanon Yes
97 Lesotho Yes
98 Liberia Yes
99 Libya Yes
100 Lichtenstein (1) No
101 Lithuania (1) No
102 Luxemburg (1) No
103 Macedonia (3) No
104 Madagascar Yes
105 Malawi Yes
106 Malaysia No
107 Maldives Yes
108 Mali Yes
109 Malta (1) No
110 Marshal Islands No
111 Mauritania Yes
112 Mauritius No
113 Mexico No
114 Micronesia No
115 Moldova (3) No
116 Monaco No
117 Mongolia Yes
118 Montenegro (3) No
119 Morocco Yes
120 Mozambique Yes
121 Myanmar Yes
122 Namibia Yes
123 Nauru, Republic of Yes
124 Nepal Yes
125 Netherland (1) No
126 New Zealand No
127 Nicaragua No
128 Niger Yes
129 Nigeria Yes
130 Norway (1) No
131 Oman Yes
132 Pakistan Yes
133 Palau No
134 Palestinian Authority Yes
135 Panamas No
136 Papua New Guinea Yes
137 Paraguay No
138 Peru No
139 Philippines Yes
140 Poland (1) No
141 Portugal (1) No
142 Puerto Rico No
143 Qatar Yes
144 Republic of Korea No
145 Romania (1) No
146 Russia Yes
147 Rwanda Yes
148 Saint Kitts and Nevis No
149 Saint Lucia No
150 Saint Vincent and Grenadines No
151 Samoa No
152 San Marino No
153 Sao Tome and Principe Yes
154 Saudi Arabia Yes
155 Senegal Yes
156 Serbia (4) No
157 Seychelles No
158 Sierra Leone Yes
159 Singapore No
160 Slovakia (1) No
161 Slovenia (1) No
162 Solomon Islands No
163 Somalia Yes
164 South Africa Yes
165 Spain (1) No
166 Sri Lanka Yes
167 Sudan Yes
168 Surinam Yes
169 Swaziland Yes
170 Sweden (1) No
171 Switzerland (1) No
172 Syria Yes
173 Taiwan No
174 Tajikistan Yes
175 Tanzania Yes
176 Thailand Yes
177 Timor-Leste No
178 Togo Yes
179 Tonga No
180 Trinidad and Tobago No
181 Tunisia Yes
182 Turkey (2) Yes
183 Turkmenistan Yes
184 Tuvalu No
185 Uganda Yes
186 Ukraine (3) No
187 United Arab Emirates No
188 United Kingdom (1) No
189 Uruguay No
190 USA No
191 Uzbekistan Yes
192 Vanuatu No
193 Vatican City State No
194 Venezuela No
195 Vietnam Yes
196 Yemen Yes
197 Zambia Yes
198 Zimbabwe Yes
(1) Citizens of the EU, EEC (Norway, Iceland and Lichtenstein) and Switzerland are exempted from the requirement to have a long-term visa and from the requirement to have “work permit” when staying in Bulgaria for the period of more than 90 days.
(2) Citizens of the Republic of Turkey holding valid regular passports and visas issued by the Member States of the Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement or of the European Union, or residence permits issued by the Member States of the Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement or of the European Union, Switzerland or Liechtenstein, may enter the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria and transit therethrough without visas for up to 5 (five) days, where their transit is from the Republic of Turkey to the state which issued the visa or residence permit, as well as in case of transit from such state to the Republic of Turkey. Nationals of Turkey, holders of special passports are not visa exempt.
(3) Only holders of biometric passports are exempt from the visa obligation. Holders of non-biometric passports still require a visa in which case the visa facilitation agreements apply.
(4) Only holders of biometric passports are exempt from the visa obligation. Holders of non-biometric passports and holders of passports issued by the Serbian Coordination Directorate (in Serbian: Koordinaciona uprava) still require a visa in which case the visa facilitation agreements apply.
Where to apply for a Bulgarian visa?
Bulgarian Visa
You should apply to the Bulgarian Embassy in your country of residence or in the concurrent Bulgarian embassy in case that there is not Bulgarian embassy in your country.
How to apply for a Bulgarian C visa?
The following documents shall be submitted on applying for a C visa (as a tourist or private visit):
1. A regular foreign travel document: Valid passport (should expire at least 3 months after the intended date of departure from Bulgaria, must have at least 2 blank pages, and has been issued within the last 10 years)
2. A photocopy of the pages of the foreign travel document with the personal information and with the visas laid and/or a photocopy of the held permits for a stay in the next states along the route as well as for the end destination state if required;
3. A filled in application form with one passport size color photograph (3,5 х 4,5)
4. Proof of ensured transport for transit passage and a copy of these documents and/or proof of financial resources possessed to continue the journey
5. Proof of the required financial resources possessed for the sustention of each transit passage amounting to a minimum of EUR 50 (per day of stay) or their equivalent in another convertible foreign currency, and in case of transit by road with a vehicle driven by the person – additional funds amounting to a minimum of EUR 200 or their equivalent in any convertible foreign currency
6. A valid insurance policy and a copy thereof issued by an insurance company licensed to operate on the territory of the European Union with a minimum amount of coverage of EUR 30 000. The policy should cover repatriation costs as well as emergency medical aid and treatment costs for each of the transit journeys.
In case that you come to visit a friend or relative in Bulgaria you will need to provide a Declaration by host person for accommodation and financial support during the visit, a letter signed by the host which states that will shoulder the accommodation and the posible extra expenses during the stay in Bulgaria.
Then as you had read to get a Visa C to visit Bulgaria isn’t that easy, you have to start preparing your documents and the information need it well in advance, we also recommended you to give a call to the Embassy and ask if you need to do an appointment before to go, and get as much information as possible at the beginning of the application process
Good Luck!
Source: www.foreigner.bg