Bulgaria simplifies visa procedures for tourists from Russia and Ukraine
As expected tourist visa procedures for tourists from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia, and Georgia will be simplified. Tourism Minister Nikolina Angelkova and Foreign Minister Daniel Mitov agreed on that last week.
The government measures are a direct response to the downward trend in early bookings from these countries for the 2015 summer season. According to official data early bookings are down to 3% for Russian tourists and 8% for Ukrainian.
Tourists who have already used Bulgarian visas will be issued short-term double-entry and multiple-entry visas. This type of visa has a validity period of up to one year. Property owners from the above-mentioned countries who haven’t visited Bulgaria before will be entitled to short-term double-entry or multiple-entry visas for purposes of private visits with a validity period of up to one year, while those who have used Bulgarian visas before will be entitled to visas with a validity period of up to 3 years.
Short-term multiple-entry visas with a validity period of up to 5 years will be issued to minors from these countries who wish to visit Bulgaria for the purpose of a tourist trip or an organized youth camp
The validity of all issued visas will be aligned with the validity of the visitor’s travel documents.