Updated at 17:53,27-03-2024

Bulgaria to facilitate tourist visa procedures for citizens of Belarus

By Tanya Korovenkova, BelaPAN

Bulgaria is expected to facilitate its tourist visa procedures for citizens of Belarus, Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Ukraine.

A decision to ease the visa process was made by Bulgarian Foreign Minister Daniel Mitov and Tourism Minister Nikolina Angelkova, the press office of the Bulgarian foreign ministry reported on Friday.

“This step is part of the measures to counteract the negative trend of decline in early bookings from these countries for summer season 2015,” the press office said. “According to recent data, there is a three-percent decline in the number of Russian tourists and an eight-[percent decline in the number] of Ukrainian [tourists] compared to the period January-November 2014.”

In particular, Bulgaria will start issuing one-year short-term multiple-entry visas for “organized tourism” to individuals who held Bulgarian visas in the past, the press office said.

First-time visitors will be entitled to short-term multiple-entry visas valid for up to one year for private visits, while individuals who previously held Bulgarian visas will be eligible for visas valid for up to three years for private visits.

Legal minors wishing to visit Bulgaria as tourists or to stay at Bulgarian summer camps will be entitled to short-term multiple-entry visas valid for up to five years, while disabled people will be able to obtain one-year double- or multiple-entry tourist visas.

The Bulgarian foreign ministry has already sent instructions to the country’s diplomatic and consular missions to facilitate the procedure for issuing tourist visas, the press office said.