Bulgarian passport


Bulgarian passport is an international travel document issued to nationals of Bulgaria, and may also serve as proof of Bulgarian citizenship. Besides enabling the bearer to travel internationally and serving as indication of Bulgarian citizenship, the passport facilitates the process of securing assistance from Bulgarian consular officials abroad or other European Union member states in case a Bulgarian consular is absent, if needed.
According to the 2018 Visa Restrictions Index, Bulgarian citizens can visit 169 countries without a visa or with a visa granted on arrival, which ranks it 16th in the world. Bulgarian citizens can live and work in any country within the EU as a result of the right of free movement and residence granted in Article 21 of the EU Treaty.
Every Bulgarian citizen is also a citizen of the European Union. The passport, along with the national identity card allows for free rights of movement and residence, establishment and employment in any of the states of the European Union, European Economic Area, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

Application

The Ministry of Interior is responsible for the issuing and renewing of Bulgarian passports.

Use

For travel within the European Union,, as well as to Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, North Cyprus and Serbia, Bulgarian citizens are not required to carry a passport and only need a valid national identity cards.
A Bulgarian passport gives its bearer the right to assistance and protection by Bulgarian diplomatic missions and consular offices abroad.
The passport remains the property of the Republic of Bulgaria.

Categories

Bulgarian passports are of the common EU design, burgundy in colour, with the Bulgarian Coat of arms emblazoned in the centre of the front cover. The text "Европейски съюз" / "European Union", the country's official long name "Република България" and the English form "Republic of Bulgaria" are inscribed in capital letters above the coat of arms, with the word "паспорт" / "passport" underneath. It is issued for a period of five years, and contains 32 or 48 pages.
Security features include holographic images, micro printing, UV-visible features, watermarks, etc. In addition, the passport holder's photograph is digitally printed directly onto the paper, in standard ink as well as a holographic image. All passports are machine-readable.

Biometric passports

Since 29 March 2010, all newly issued Bulgarian passports contain a chip with biometric data, and also feature the text "Европейски съюз" / "European Union" above the country's official name, thus reflecting Bulgaria's EU membership. Additional design changes include the placement of pictures of famous Bulgarian landmarks and monuments on the inside pages of the passports. The new passport fees are 20 € and with the same validity.

Passport note

The passports contain a note from the issuing state that is addressed to the authorities of all other states, identifying the bearer as a citizen of that state and requesting that he or she be allowed to pass and be treated according to international norms. The note inside Bulgarian passports states:

Languages

The data page/information page is printed in Bulgarian, English and French.

Visa requirements

As of 1 October 2019 Bulgarian citizens have visa-free or visa on arrival access to 170 countries and territories, ranking the Bulgarian passport 17th in terms of travel freedom according to the Henley & Partners Passport Index.

Visitor statistics

According to the National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria, these were the top 10 destination countries for Bulgarians:
RankDestination20142016
1Turkey1 106 9131 218 842
2Greece866 6091 200 576
3Romania321 546423 396
4Serbia316 146404 975
5North Macedonia327 033360 422
6Germany239 310344 713
7Italy126 313178 287
8Austria110 085163 979
9United Kingdom101 737141 941
10Spain102 417139 418

Gallery of historic images