Bulgaria is expected to meet the requirements for visa-free travel to the US in 2025

Bulgaria has made significant progress in meeting the criteria for inclusion in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program, caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivan Kondov said in a written response to MP Martin Dimitrov. Given the requirement to reduce the B-visa refusals rate below 3%, Bulgaria has the opportunity to successfully conclude negotiations after meeting this target for the 2025 financial year, Ivan Kondov added. In 2024, the visa refusal rate for Bulgaria was 6.02%, showing a significant decrease compared to 2023 when it was -11.61%.

On December 15, 2024, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs launched an information campaign under the slogan "You don’t need an Oscar to get a U.S. visa." The face of the campaign is the 2021 Oscar-nominee Maria Bakalova. The campaign aims to inform the Bulgarian public about the different types of U.S. travel visas and reduce B-visa refusals, Minister Kondov concluded.