Bulgaria speeds up visa issuance for tourists and workers

Bulgaria will strengthen its consular services in a number of countries in order to speed up the issuance of visas for tourists and seasonal workers ahead of the 2026 summer season. The measures were agreed upon between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Tourism.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is already preparing to increase staff at key consulates such as those in Istanbul, Edirne, Ankara, and Bursa in Turkey, as well as in Cairo, Delhi, Tashkent, and Hanoi.

In addition, during the summer, 53 employees will be temporarily assigned to consular offices in Madrid, Munich, Berlin, London, Beijing, Riyadh, Athens, Baku, Amman, Ankara, Edirne, Istanbul, Brussels, Delhi, Belgrade, Dubai, Jakarta, Tashkent, Hanoi, Cairo, and Algiers. For the current summer season, 16 local employees have already been hired on fixed-term contracts at Bulgarian consular offices in Minsk, Astana, Moscow, Tashkent, Frankfurt, and Valencia.

According to data from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bulgaria issued more than 180,000 visas last year, while consular services are currently operating with limited staffing resources. The goal is to provide faster service without compromising security, and to make access easier for tourists and workers from non-EU countries.

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Edited by Miglena Ivanova