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