A visit to the Bulgarian territory is interesting not only for those seeking to be on its Black Sea shores as part of the purchase of a tour for a standard two weeks. Attractions in other places, and business (work) trips for longer periods will also be attractive. It is very important to settle the topic with the documents in advance.
In this material, we will consider the issue of obtaining a visa to Bulgaria for Russians, what documents will be required for registration, what you need to know in advance when submitting questionnaires and applications, what nuances await you when traveling with children. For those who like not to leave their homes and do everything online, at the end of the publication you will find a link to registration via the Internet.
Visa to Bulgaria for Russians in 2021
Do Russians need a visa to Bulgaria in 2021? The answer to the question will be positive... Visa centers and relevant diplomatic units are in charge of issuing entry permits.
What visas can you enter the country with?
The question is often asked - do you need a visa to Bulgaria if you have a Schengen visa. The answer to it will be affirmative only for tolerances of categories C, D. The longest period of their stay on Bulgarian land is 90 days in six months. Important: the time spent there is not taken into account when traveling to countries participating in the Schengen agreement.
Visa to Bulgaria
Contrary to rumors circulating recently and even in the media, Bulgarian visas are issued in 2021 in the same manner as before. Transferring them directly at the time of arrival in the country would be contrary to EU migration legislation.
List of documents:
Mandatory for every applicant, regardless of the purpose of the application and the length of stay, the list of materials begins with a 100% completed and personally signed questionnaire.
The residual validity time of a foreign passport must be 90 calendar days after the end of the planned trip. Additionally, a copy of page 1 is sent.
Important: passports that are not signed by the owners are not accepted for consideration.
You also need to provide:
- color photograph 3.5x4.5 cm, taken against a light background (and the same for each of the children included in the passport);
- health insurance policy, which will be valid in the EU without withdrawal until the end of the trip with coverage from 30,000 euros;
- tickets for aircraft, or justification of the fact of booking tickets, or a set of documents of the car owner (a trip to Bulgaria in his car).
But then the differences begin. So, tourists will additionally need to prove the fact of booking hotel rooms in Bulgaria. The document is required to reflect the personal composition of visitors, the expected life time and the main details of the hotel. It is necessary that the invitation also proves the payment for the check-in at the hotel for the entire declared time.
You will need to provide a certificate from the organization where the tourist works, and on the organization's letterhead, with information about both income and the exact address, work phone number and official position. Retired people may limit themselves to providing a certificate. You also need to prove that you have at least 500 euros on hand for the entire trip per person, and at the same time at least 50 euros for 1 day.
Easier for those traveling on a private visit. They will have to present an invitation from Bulgarian citizens in the original and in a copy, or proof of the fact of kinship with someone from the Bulgarians. Transit travelers are expected to provide a copy of their visa to their destination or proof of travel to a destination where a visa is not required.
A commercial exit will require:
- the original version and a copy of the invitation from the organization according to the established template;
- letters of recommendation from a national or joint chamber of commerce;
- as an option, instead of a letter - a duplicate of the contract with confirmation of intentions;
- a certificate confirming belonging to a Russian commercial structure and a position in it.
How long is the visa issued for?
A one-time admission to the territory of Bulgaria is issued for a single arrival and for staying within the country for a maximum of 90 days within 6 months after arrival. More precise information is given on the sticker. A double permit differs only in that you can come twice and be in the country for 90 days from the moment of the first arrival.
Important: You cannot enter twice through 1 border crossing with this visa.
There are also multiple-entry visas - for 3, for 6, for 12 months, you can come with them many times, but the total time of presence is no more than 90 days. With any transit visa, even a single one, you can stay in Bulgaria for up to 5 days. The difference concerns only the number of arrivals.
Cost of paperwork
The prices for obtaining a visa to Bulgaria are calculated as follows: a service fee is added to the consular fee of 35 euros - another 19 euros. Therefore, there are no special savings in comparison with the Schengen admission. The contribution is made in Russian currency.
If a visa is required urgently (48 hours excluding the day of submission of documents), the consulate will already require 70 euros, the additional service does not rise in price (19 euros). Children under the age of 6, spouses, children and other immediate relatives of Russian citizens officially living in Bulgaria are free from a contribution to the consulate.
Also, the privilege applies to disabled people arriving for help, to funerals, to students, to participants in cultural and other exchange programs, to civil servants arriving on a business trip in the interests of state bodies of the Russian Federation or the Republic of Belarus of any level. Summing up, we can say that the cost of a visa to Bulgaria is quite acceptable for Russians, and for many categories of people it is zero.
Terms of consideration of a package of documents
Short and transit permits are prepared in 4-6 working days (it also depends on the method of submission), and all urgent visas will be ready in 48 hours. There is no need to obtain a visa for Americans, EU residents, Australians, Israelis.
Visa to Bulgaria for children
All children are admitted only upon presentation of a questionnaire, a duplicate of a birth certificate (it is worth taking the original for the trip). Parents or legal representatives remaining in Russia must give written consent.
Alternatively, it is necessary to show deprivation of rights, recognition as deceased or missing. Everyone after 14 years old is required to have a personal passport. In the photo, the face should be shown clearly and large, at 70% of the photo. Red-eye effect, photographing with dark glasses, as well as taking photographs on household cameras or cutting them out of amateur photographs are not allowed.
What other types of visas are there for entering the country?
In addition to tourists, a short-term entry visa to Bulgaria for Russians in 2021 is awarded to those visiting relatives and friends. Group admission is granted to a group of citizens of one state issued before filing. If such a group arrives for tourism purposes, it can stay in the country for a maximum of 30 days. Transit permits are divided into one-time and double-valid. Important: it is not allowed to change either the number of group members or their personal composition from the moment of arrival to departure.
Transit is considered to be travel through Bulgaria to third countries for 1 day. Those who have received a permit have the right to leave the airport and remain outside the airport all the time until the expiration of the allowed period. Representatives of the Russian Federation can get by with a foreign passport if only an intermediate landing on another vehicle or on another flight is planned without leaving the international line of the terminal.Immigration permission is granted to those who are going to soon receive a residence permit in the country (within 1 year or permanently).
And one more important question - how to arrange everything yourself. When contacting specialized organizations, they can take over all the work, but acting autonomously, you will have to take into account every nuance, not counting on the advice of consular officers. The questionnaires should be filled in in black or blue ink in Cyrillic characters (except for the surname and first name. A Russian passport is described by a 9-digit number without a single space).
