Bulgaria: a Schengen or national visa is required for the trip, permanent residence - under special conditions

A trip to Bulgaria is not only a vacation on the Black Sea coast and treatment at balneological resorts, but also the opportunity to ski on snow-covered slopes in the mountains. Russians who want to relax in Bulgaria in 2019 need a national visa. The country is a member of the European Union, but is not a member of the Schengen Agreement. That's why you can enter Bulgaria with a Schengen visa, but you will not be able to visit European countries with a Bulgarian visa.

Simplified entry

Holders of Schengen visas of categories "C" and "D", issued by other Schengen states, can freely enter the country without first obtaining a Bulgarian visa. Moreover, the time spent in Bulgaria on this visa is not taken into account when calculating the time spent in the Schengen area. Russians who have visas or residence permits for Cyprus, Croatia, Romania can also visit Bulgaria without issuing an entry document. In all other cases, Russians receive a national visa to Bulgaria. This can be done both at the visa centers and in person at the consulate of the country.

Bulgarian visas are short-term(category "C") and long-term (category "D"). The former are issued for tourism, doing business, visiting friends and transiting the country. Long term visas are obtained by applicants for long-term residence in the state with the subsequent receipt of a residence permit.

Short stay visa

The simplest type of visa issued for a tourist trip, a visit to friends or relatives.

You will need a minimum (let's call it basic) package of documents:

Visa centers act as intermediaries that provide services for a fee: they check the correctness of filling out the application, the availability of all necessary papers, certificates, copies and transfer the documentation package to the consulate. In such organizations, as a rule, some useful services are provided:

• Filling out the questionnaire;
• Photographing;
• copy;
• Courier delivery;
• Registration of insurance;
• Order SMS-notifications about the readiness of documents.

The procedure for obtaining a Bulgarian visa

A visa can be opened both with a personal appeal to the consulate of the republic, and with the assistance of visa centers located in the largest cities of Russia. Sends documents:

1. the applicant himself;
2. Close relatives of the applicant;
3. Employee of the organization (business trip, business visit) by proxy;
4. Representative of an accredited travel agency;
5. Third party by proxy.

Embassy of Bulgaria in Moscow

When applying to the consulate, the documents are folded in a certain sequence:

• Passport and its copy.
• Questionnaire.
• Paid hotel reservation or other confirmation of the purpose of the trip.
• Insurance.
• Booking tickets.
• Help from work.
• Confirmation of financial security.
• Documentation for children.

When applying to the consulate, the applicant must have a Russian passport with him.

Visa cost

The consular fee for a visa type "C" is 35 euros for regular registration and 70 euros for urgent opening. To obtain an entry document type "D" you will have to pay 100 euros. Foreigners who have their own business in Bulgaria pay 200 euros.

The fee is not charged to the following categories of persons:

1. Children under 6 years old.
2. Disabled people.
3. Close relatives of citizens of Bulgaria and the European Union.
4. Students and teachers who accompany them if the trip is educational.
5. Persons visiting the country for humanitarian reasons, for the purpose of emergency treatment or the need to attend the funeral of a relative.

If a foreigner applies for a free visa, then he must provide supporting documents certified by the state authorities of Bulgaria.

When applying to the visa centers, an additional service fee is paid. Its size is 1368 rubles, regardless of the category of the entry document.

You will also need to pay for insurance. Its cost is about 1 euro for each day of residence in the country. Among other expenses - payment for photography, copying and translation of documents (if necessary).

Dates of issuance

The visa application is considered within 4 days. In some cases, the embassy may extend the processing time of the application up to 30 days. If an urgent visa is issued, then this time is reduced to 2 days, but you will need documents confirming the need for an emergency opening of a visa (death of a relative, urgent treatment, solving important business issues).

Visa Readiness

You can find out at what stage the application is being considered on the website of the visa centers: bulgariavac.ru/track.aspx. To verify the information, you will need a registration number, surname or date of birth. You can pre-order the SMS notification service.

If the documents were submitted to the embassy, ​​then you can check their status at the link bolgaria.ru/visa. In the window that opens, indicate the last name, first name or passport number.

If ready, a passport with a pasted visa can be obtained at the place of application. You should take a Russian passport with you. Residents of the capital and a number of other cities have access to courier delivery of documents (about 1,000 rubles).

Refusal to issue a visa

Bulgaria is very loyal to Russian tourists, so the number of refusals is minimal, especially if the applicant has purchased a tourist package.

Main reasons for refusal:

• Mistakes in paperwork.
• Financial disadvantage of the applicant: low salary, insufficient amount of money in the bank account.
• Previous trips were made in violation of the visa regime, there are unpaid fines.
• The application is submitted for a visa category that does not correspond to the purpose of the trip.
• Providing an incomplete list of documents.
• The statement contains conflicting information.
• During the verification process, the information provided was not confirmed (for example, the contact phone number of the inviting party changed and the consular officer could not reach her).
• Providing information that is not true.

The refusal is affixed to the passport in the form of a stamp, the applicant is sent a notification of the reasons for the refusal. If the applicant does not agree with the refusal, he can appeal by providing the necessary supporting documents.

How to avoid rejection?

As in other countries, the consular officer initially “suspects” each applicant of immigration intentions, that is, of the desire to enter Bulgaria, for example, for the purpose of tourism and stay in the country forever illegally. Therefore, it is important to provide documents that accurately indicate the purpose of the trip and guarantee return to your home country. These can be canceled passports with Bulgarian or Schengen visas, copies of property rights to an apartment, garage, cottage, marriage or birth certificates of children (even if they remain in Russia).