Entry to certain countries is subject to various rules. For some, you need to request a visa permit from the consulate, in others it is enough to present a valid passport and a certain package of documents at the border. It also happens that the stamp, which is already in the passport, allows you to visit third countries without burdening yourself with unnecessary formalities. The list of directions where you can go with a Bulgarian visa is quite extensive today. The main thing is to know how to use it correctly.
Briefly about obtaining a visa in Bulgaria
The Bulgarian Republic is not part of the Schengen area, but is a member of the European Union. This means that in order to visit its territory, non-EU citizens will have to apply for a national visa permit.
All about the categories of visas is described in the article "Types of visas to Bulgaria".
To get it, you need to prepare the following documents:
- Statement.
- A copy and original of the passport, the validity of which must be at least three months from the date of departure from the country.
- National passport with a copy.
- Photo.
- Booking tickets.
- Confirmation of housing availability.
- Insurance.
- Certificate from the place of work indicating the position and salary.
- Financial guarantees.
In accordance with the visa category, additional documents will be required:
- for a guest - an invitation from relatives or friends;
- for business - an invitation letter from business partners;
- for real estate owners - a certificate confirming ownership, proof of the absence of debts on the object;
- for a worker - an employment contract and an invitation from the employer.
You can apply for a visa at the consulate of the republic or through the visa center. But where to go with a Bulgarian multivisa or a short-term permit, everyone who plans to travel outside this state needs to know.
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Which countries can be visited with a Bulgarian visa
In addition to the fact that it is not too difficult to obtain a visa permit from the Republic of Bulgaria (the minimum package of papers and the absence of the need to undergo fingerprinting), it makes it possible to visit some territories located in the neighborhood. But this will require a double national or Schengen stamp, since the Bulgarian border will have to be crossed twice - at the first entry and upon returning from a third state.
The list of which countries can be visited with a Bulgarian visa looks like this:
- Macedonia;
- Montenegro;
- Turkey;
- Greece;
- Croatia;
- Romania;
- Cyprus.
Some of these states do not belong to Schengen, but admit stay on their territory on the basis of the Schengen stamp. Entry to the last three is possible with a national visa for Bulgaria.
You can visit Croatia with a Bulgarian visa starting from 2021. To do this, several conditions must be met:
- an entry permit must be double or multiple, issued for a short time;
- purpose of the trip: tourism, visiting relatives, business visit, transit.
The period of stay in the country is limited only by the duration of the stamp, but should not exceed 90 days in each half of the year.
There will be no problems when entering Cyprus.
How to apply for a visa to this country and which visas give the right to visit will help to understand the article "Cyprus visa: a ticket to paradise".
But first, the foreign guest will have to visit Bulgaria itself. Requirements for a visa and for the period of stay in the country are the same as in the previous case. An important requirement: the region of entry into the state and exit from it must be the same. Violation of this regulation may close the way to Bulgaria in the future.
Visa exemptions apply only to those traveling by air. Tourists on land will have to apply for a Cyprus visa.
For details on obtaining a permit stamp for traveling to Cyprus for citizens of the Russian Federation, see the article “How Russians to issue a provision for Cyprus in 2021”.
Visiting Montenegro for Russians, Belarusians and Ukrainians is possible without a visa for a short period of time for tourism purposes. But upon arrival, they will have to register at their place of residence. This circumstance allows us to conclude that they cannot arrive from the Bulgarian territory by air to this country.
If you need to enter Montenegro by land transport, then you will first have to cross the Croatian border with a Bulgarian visa, and then go to Montenegro from there. At the border, you only need a passport.
You can visit Romania on a Bulgarian visa by any type of transport. In this case, there are no requirements for the multiplicity of the stamp. It is possible to enter its territory with a single entry visa not only for Bulgaria, but also for Cyprus or Croatia.
Crossing the Turkish border with a Bulgarian stamp will require payment of an entry fee:
- Russians - free;
- Moldovans - 16 euros;
- Ukrainians - 31 euros;
- Belarusians - 21 euros.
Find out about the rules for entering Turkey for Russians in 2021.
Macedonia either closes visa-free entry for citizens of the CIS countries, then reopens it. The procedure for crossing the border must be clarified immediately before the trip on the website of the consulate of this state in your home country.
It is not possible to travel to the countries that are signatories to the Schengen Agreement. This requires a Schengen visa.
The Bulgarian visa is valid in which countries, you need to know in advance so as not to encounter obstacles at the border.
The simplification of entry to the listed countries is due to their desire to increase the flow of tourists.
Which countries can you travel to on the basis of a Bulgarian residence permit?
Due to the fact that the Republic of Belarus does not belong to Schengen, persons holding its residence permit will have to apply for a visa to visit one of the member countries of the union. An application must be made at the embassy of the target state in Sofia and Plovdiv.
All territories that can be visited with a residence permit in Bulgaria and without a visa can be divided into two groups:
- Countries that support visa-free travel for foreign citizens who have issued a residence permit in Bulgaria.
- Visa-free countries for Russians and CIS citizens.
The first category includes Cyprus, Croatia and Romania. Each of these countries admits a visit for 90 days every six months.
The list of countries where you can travel from Bulgaria without a visa to Russians with a residence permit looks like this today:
- Bosnia and Herzegovina;
- Albania;
- Serbia;
- Macedonia;
- Turkey;
- Montenegro.
The timing and package of documents for crossing the borders of these territories must be specified individually.
What visa can you use to cross the border of the Republic of Belarus
Non-EU residents can cross the Bulgarian border only on the basis of a visa permit. To avoid trouble, you need to know which visa you can use to enter Bulgaria.
The republic was the first to allow visits to its territory on the basis of a Schengen visa and national visa stamps of neighboring countries, which also did not enter Schengen. This opportunity has appeared for tourists since July 2021.
Romania and Croatia followed the example of Bulgaria. This means that if you have a Schengen visa or visas from the two countries mentioned in your passport, you can safely plan a trip to Bulgaria.
Outcomes
To travel to Bulgarian territory, non-EU residents will need a Bulgarian national visa or a Schengen visa. The first allows visits to other countries that are not included in Schengen - Croatia, Romania, Cyprus and some others.
A visit to the Schengen area requires a Schengen visa.
Without a visa from the territory of Bulgaria, Russians can visit Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Turkey, Montenegro.
