The Bulgarian Passport

A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.

Lao Tzu

The Bulgarian passport is also an EU passport. While, contrary to the popular belief, there is no unified EU passport (widely and falsely believed that it exists in blue color), all EU passports share some common characteristics. The EU passports have similar burgundy colored cover, emblazoned in the official language(s) of the issuing member state (and sometimes its translation into English or French), with the title “European Union”, the coat of arms of the relevant country and the word “PASSPORT”. All EU passports are also guarder by biometric chip, which symbol is placed at the bottom of the cover of the passport.

Which countries require entry visa for Bulgarian citizens?

Below are the entry requirements for Bulgarian passport holders for all countries of the world. The following color scheme is applied:

1. Unlimited residency rights – Bulgarian citizens enjoy unrestricted residency rights in all EU and EFTA countries. This is the ultimate freedom of travel and settlement as the citizens of Bulgaria enjoy virtually the same rights, irrespectively whether they are living in Bulgaria or in any of the other EU/EFTA countries.
2. Visa-free – These countries provide unconditional visa-free entry to Bulgarian citizens. In some cases, the Bulgarian citizens may enter the country with their national ID and are not required to present international passport.
3. Visa on arrival – The countries that provide visa on arrival to Bulgarian citizens are often considered as visa-free as the issuance of visa at the entry point (ie the airport) is in many cases not only free of charge, but also a seamless and speedy procedure. The traveller is not required to apply for visa at the destination country‘s embassy prior to his departure.
4. eVisa/eTA/etc. – This category is virtually the same as the “visa on arrival”, with the difference that usually an electronic (internet) authorization has to be submitted online prior to the departure. Logically, no visit to the embassy of the destination’s country is required.
5. Visa required – These are the countries that require the Bulgarian passport holders to obtain visa prior to their departure (usually from the embassy of the destination country).