Bulgarian passport

Bulgarian passport
Bulgarian passport
	The front cover of a contemporary Bulgarian biometric passport
	The data page of a contemporary Bulgarian biometric passport
Type	Passport
Issued by	Bulgaria
First issued	29 March 2010 (current biometric version)
Purpose	Identification
Eligibility	Bulgarian citizenship
Expiration	5 or 10 years after acquisition for adult. 5 years for children.
Cost	40BGN / €20 (adults aged 14–58); 20BGN / €10 (under 14 and 58-70); 10BGN / €5 (over 70);

Bulgarian passport is an international travel document issued to nationals of Bulgaria, and may also serve as proof of Bulgarian citizenship. Besides enabling the bearer to travel internationally and serving as indication of Bulgarian citizenship, the passport facilitates the process of securing assistance from Bulgarian consular officials abroad or other European Union member states in case a Bulgarian consular is absent, if needed.

As of 11 January 2022 Bulgarian citizens have visa-free or visa on arrival access to 173 countries and territories, ranking the Bulgarian passport 17th overall in terms of travel freedom according to the Henley & Partners Passport Index.^[3] Bulgarian citizens can live and work in any country within the EU as a result of the right of free movement and residence granted in Article 21 of the EU Treaty.^[4]

Every Bulgarian citizen is also a citizen of the European Union. The passport, along with the national identity card allows for free rights of movement and residence, establishment and employment in any of the states of the European Union and EFTA.

Application[]

The Ministry of Interior is responsible for the issuing and renewing of Bulgarian passports.

Use[]

For travel within the European Union, Schengen Area as well as to Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, North Cyprus,^[5] Serbia Bulgarian citizens are not required to carry a passport and only need a valid national identity cards.

A Bulgarian passport gives its bearer the right to assistance and protection by Bulgarian diplomatic missions and consular offices abroad (or to those of other EU member states when there is no Bulgarian diplomatic mission or consulate in the destination country or territory).

The passport remains the property of the Republic of Bulgaria.

Categories[]

Regular – available to all Bulgarian citizens and valid for five or ten years.^[6]
Service – issued to their staff on request by the respective government agency or directorate.
Diplomatic – issued to diplomats, high-ranking state officials and their immediate families.

Physical appearance[]

Bulgarian passports are of the common EU design, burgundy in colour, with the Bulgarian Coat of arms emblazoned in the centre of the front cover. The text "Европейски съюз" (Bulgarian) / "European Union" (English), the country's official long name "Република България" (Bulgarian) and the English form "Republic of Bulgaria" are inscribed in capital letters above the coat of arms, with the word "паспорт" (Bulgarian) / "passport" (English) underneath. It is issued for a period of five or ten years,^[7] and contains 32 or 48 pages.

Security features include holographic images, micro printing, UV-visible features, watermarks, etc. In addition, the passport holder's photograph is digitally printed directly onto the paper, in standard ink as well as a holographic image. All passports are machine-readable.

Biometric passports[]

Since 29 March 2010,^[8] all newly issued Bulgarian passports contain a chip with biometric data, and also feature the text "Европейски съюз" (Bulgarian) / "European Union" (English) above the country's official name, thus reflecting Bulgaria's EU membership. Additional design changes include the placement of pictures of famous Bulgarian landmarks and monuments on the inside pages of the passports. The new passport fees are 20 € (40 BGN).

Passport note[]

The passports contain a note from the issuing state that is addressed to the authorities of all other states, identifying the bearer as a citizen of that state and requesting that he or she be allowed to pass and be treated according to international norms. The note inside Bulgarian passports states:

The Government of the Republic of Bulgaria requests all Civil and Military Authorities to let through the holder of this passport without hindrance and, in case of need, to render him/her the necessary aid and assistance in accordance with the international law.

This passport is valid for all countries.

Languages[]

The data page/information page is printed in Bulgarian, English and French.

Visa requirements[]

Bulgaria

Freedom of movement

Visa not required

Visa on arrival

eVisa

Visa available both on arrival or online

Visa required prior to arrival

As of 6 July 2021 Bulgarian citizens have visa-free or visa on arrival access to 174 countries and territories, ranking the Bulgarian passport 16th overall in terms of travel freedom according to the Henley & Partners Passport Index.^[9]

Visitor statistics[]

According to the National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria, these were the top 10 destination countries for Bulgarians:^[10]

Rank	Destination	2014	2016
1	Turkey	1 106 913	1 218 842
2	Greece	866 609	1 200 576
3	Romania	321 546	423 396
4	Serbia	316 146	404 975
5	North Macedonia	327 033	360 422
6	Germany	239 310	344 713
7	Italy	126 313	178 287
8	Austria	110 085	163 979
9	United Kingdom	101 737	141 941
10	Spain	102 417	139 418

Gallery of historic images[]

1943 pages from a Bulgarian Diplomatic passport used for travelling to Switzerland
Kingdom of Bulgaria passport, circa 1944
Pre-EU
Bulgarian non-biometric passport (1999–2009)
The title pages
(1999–2009)