Visa requirements for Bulgarian citizens

Visa requirements for Bulgarian citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of Bulgaria. As of 9 January 2024, Bulgarian citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 179 countries and territories, ranking the Bulgarian passport 13th overall in terms of travel freedom (tied with the passport of Romania), according to the Henley & Partners Passport Index.^[1]

Visa requirements map

Visa requirements

Country	Visa requirement	Allowed stay	scope=col Notes (excluding departure fees)
Afghanistan	Visa required[2]
Albania	Visa not required[3]	90 days	ID card valid
Algeria	Visa required[4]
Andorra	Visa not required[5]		ID card valid
Angola	Visa not required[6]	30 days	International Certificate of Vaccination required
Antigua and Barbuda	Visa not required[7]	3 months
Argentina	Visa not required[8]	90 days
Armenia	Visa not required[9]	180 days
Australia	eVisitor[10]	90 days	90 days on each visit in 12-month period if granted. Bulgarian Government officially considers that Australia maintains a visa regime towards its citizens.[11] This was dismissed by the European Commission.[12]
Austria	Freedom of movement		Freedom of movement ID card valid
Azerbaijan	eVisa[13]	30 days[14]
Bahamas	Visa not required[15]	3 months
Bahrain	eVisa / Visa on arrival[16]	14 days	Visa is also obtainable online.[17]
Bangladesh	Visa on arrival[18]	30 days
Barbados	Visa not required[19]	3 months
Belarus	Visa not required[20]	30 days	Must arrive and depart via Minsk International Airport.
Belgium	Freedom of movement[21]		Freedom of movement ID card valid
Belize	Visa not required[22]
Benin	eVisa / Visa on arrival[23][24]	30 days / 8 days	Must have an international vaccination certificate.
Bhutan	Visa required[25]
Bolivia	Visa on arrival[26]
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Visa not required[27]	90 days	90 days within any 6-month period ID card valid
Botswana	Visa not required[28]	90 days
Brazil	Visa not required[29]	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period
Brunei	Visa not required[30]	90 days
Burkina Faso	Visa required[31]
Burundi	Visa on arrival[32]	30 days	All visitors can obtain their visa (business or tourist) on arrival at Bujumbura Airport, and any land or maritime entry points. A month-long visa costs $90 and a 3 day-long visa costs $40[33]
Cambodia	eVisa / Visa on arrival[34]	30 days	Visa is also obtainable online.[35]
Cameroon	Visa required[36]
Canada	Visa not required[37]	6 months	eTA required if arriving by air.[38][39]
Cape Verde	Visa not required[40]	30 days	Must register online at least five days prior to arrival.[41]
Central African Republic	Visa required[42]
Chad	Visa required[43]
Chile	Visa not required[44]	90 days
China	Visa required[45]		24-hour visa-free transit through China (unless arriving in Fuzhou, Huangshan, Mudanjiang, or Yanji). 72-hour visa-free transit through Changsha, Guilin and Harbin. 144-hour visa-free transit through Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Dalian, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Jieyang, Kunming, Nanjing, Ningbo, Qinhuangdao, Qingdao, Shanghai, Shenyang, Shenzhen, Shijiazhuang, Tianjin, Wuhan, Xiamen and Xi'an.[46] Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan count as third countries under the 24, 72 and 144-hours transit without visa (TWOV) policies.
Colombia	Visa not required[47]	180 days	90 days – extendable up to 180-days stay within a one-year period
Comoros	Visa on arrival[48]
Republic of the Congo	Visa required[49]
Democratic Republic of the Congo	Visa required[50]
Costa Rica	Visa not required[51]	90 days
Côte d'Ivoire	eVisa[52]	3 months	eVisa holders must arrive via Port Bouet Airport.
Croatia	Freedom of movement[53]	Freedom of movement ID card valid
Cuba	Tourist Card required[54]	30 days
Cyprus	Freedom of movement[55]	Freedom of movement ID card valid
Czech Republic	Freedom of movement[56]	Freedom of movement ID card valid
Denmark	Freedom of movement[57]	Freedom of movement (DK) ID card valid
Djibouti	eVisa[58]	31 days
Dominica	Visa not required[59]	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period
Dominican Republic	Visa not required[60]	90 days
Ecuador	Visa not required[61]	90 days
Egypt	eVisa / Visa on arrival[62][63]	30 days
El Salvador	Visa not required[64]	3 months
Equatorial Guinea	Visa required[65]
Eritrea	Visa required[66]
Estonia	Freedom of movement[67]	Freedom of movement ID card valid
Eswatini	Visa required[68]
Ethiopia	eVisa[69]	up to 90 days	eVisa holders must arrive via Addis Ababa Bole International Airport
Fiji	Visa not required[70]	4 months
Finland	Freedom of movement[71]		Freedom of movement ID card valid
France	Freedom of movement[72]		Freedom of movement (in Regions of France) ID card valid
Gabon	eVisa / Visa on arrival[73]	90 days	Electronic visa holders must arrive via Libreville International Airport.[74]
Gambia	Visa not required[75]	90 days
Georgia	Visa not required[76]	1 year	ID card valid
Germany	Freedom of movement[77]		Freedom of movement ID card valid
Ghana	Visa required[78]
Greece	Freedom of movement[79]		Freedom of movement ID card valid
Grenada	Visa not required[80]	3 months
Guatemala	Visa not required[81]	90 days
Guinea	eVisa[82]	90 days
Guinea-Bissau	eVisa / Visa on arrival[83]	90 days
Guyana	Visa required[84]
Haiti	Visa not required[85]	90 days
Honduras	Visa not required[86]	3 months
Hungary	Freedom of movement[87]		Freedom of movement ID card valid
Iceland	Freedom of movement[88]		Freedom of movement ID card valid
India	e-Visa[89]	60 days	e-Visa holders must arrive via 26 designated airports[Note 1] or 3 designated seaports.[Note 2][90] An Indian e-Tourist Visa may only be obtained twice within 1 calendar year.[citation needed] Foreigners of Pakistani origin or who hold a Pakistani Passport are not eligible for an e-Visa. Foreigners who are not Pakistani nationals, but whose parents or grandparents (either paternal or maternal) were born in, or were permanent residents in Pakistan, are also not eligible for an e-Visa.[91]
Indonesia	Visa on arrival[92]	30 days
Iran	eVisa	30 days[93]
Iraq	Visa on arrival[94]	60 days	Visa on arrival for 15 days at Erbil and Sulaymaniyah airports valid for Iraqi Kurdistan only.
Ireland	Freedom of movement[95]		Freedom of movement ID card valid
Israel	Visa not required[96]	3 months
Italy	Freedom of movement[97]		Freedom of movement ID card valid
Jamaica	Visa on arrival[98]
Japan	Visa not required[99]	90 days
Jordan	Free visa on arrival[100]		Conditions apply.[101]
Kazakhstan	Visa not required[102]	30 days[103]
Kenya	eVisa[104]	3 months
Kiribati	Visa not required[105]	90 days	May not exceed 90 days within any given 12 months period
North Korea	Visa required[106]
South Korea	K-ETA required[107]	90 days	Bulgarian citizens can enter South Korea as a short term visit (e.g., tours, visiting relatives or friends, attending simple meetings) up to 90 days without a visa, though you should remain aware of the quarantine requirements. You must also have an onward or return ticket. It is illegal to work on a tourist visa, whether as a teacher or in any other capacity.[108] You must be in possession of a Korea Electronic Travel Authorization (K-ETA) to enter Korea visa-free. You can complete your K-ETA application up to 24 hours before boarding your flight and it will be valid for two years from the date of approval. There is a small, non-refundable charge.[108]
Kuwait	eVisa / Visa on arrival[109]	3 months	Available at Kuwait International Airport.
Kyrgyzstan	Visa not required[110]	60 days[111]
Laos	eVisa / Visa on arrival[112][113]	30 days	17[Note 3] of the 31 border crossings are only open to visa holders.[114] e-Visa may be used to enter Laos through Luang Prabang, Pakse and Vientiane international airports, 3 Thai-Lao Friendship Bridges[Note 4] and in Boten (road and railroad).[115] Visa on arrival is available at Luang Prabang, Pakse and Vientiane international airports, the 4 Thai-Lao Friendship Bridges[Note 5] and 6 border crossings.[Note 6][114] Visa on arrival is extendable for an additional 60 days at the Department of Immigration in Vientiane.[116]
Latvia	Freedom of movement[117]		Freedom of movement ID card valid
Lebanon	Visa on arrival[118]	1 month	1 month extendable for 2 additional months Granted free of charge at Beirut International Airport or any other port of entry if there is no Israeli visa or seal, holding a telephone number, an address in Lebanon, and a non refundable return or circle trip ticket.
Lesotho	eVisa[119][120]
Liberia	Visa required[121]
Libya	Visa required[122]
Liechtenstein	Freedom of movement[123]		Freedom of movement ID card valid
Lithuania	Freedom of movement[124]		Freedom of movement ID card valid
Luxembourg	Freedom of movement[125]		Freedom of movement ID card valid
Madagascar	eVisa / Visa on arrival[126]	90 days
Malawi	eVisa / Visa on arrival[127][128]	90 days
Malaysia	Visa not required[129]	90 days[130]
Maldives	Free visa on arrival[131]	30 days
Mali	Visa required[132]
Malta	Freedom of movement[133]		Freedom of movement ID card valid
Marshall Islands	Visa not required[134]	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period
Mauritania	Visa on arrival[135]		Available at Nouakchott–Oumtounsy International Airport.
Mauritius	Visa not required[136]	90 days
Mexico	Visa not required[137]	180 days
Micronesia	Visa not required[138]	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period
Moldova	Visa not required[139]	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period ID card valid[140]
Monaco	Visa not required[141]		ID card valid
Mongolia	Visa not required[142]	30 days
Montenegro	Visa not required[143]	90 days	ID card valid for 30 days
Morocco	Visa not required[144]	3 months
Mozambique	Visa on arrival[145]	30 days
Myanmar	eVisa[146]	28 days	eVisa holders must arrive via Yangon, Nay Pyi Taw or Mandalay airports or via land border crossings with Thailand — Tachileik, Myawaddy and Kawthaung or India — Rih Khaw Dar and Tamu. eVisa available for both tourism (allowed stay is 28 days) or business purposes (allowed stay is 70 days).
Namibia	Visa on arrival[147]	3 months	Available at Hosea Kutako International Airport.
Nauru	Visa required[148]
Nepal	Visa on arrival[149]	90 days
Netherlands	Freedom of movement[150]		Freedom of movement (European Netherlands) ID card valid
New Zealand	Electronic Travel Authority[151]	3 months	International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy must be paid upon requesting an Electronic Travel Authority.[152] Holders of an Australian Permanent Resident Visa or Resident Return Visa may be granted a New Zealand Resident Visa on arrival permitting indefinite stay (pursuant to the Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement), subject to meeting character requirements and obtaining an Electronic Travel Authority prior to departure.[153] Such travellers are not required to pay the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy.[152]
Nicaragua	Visa not required[154]	90 days
Niger	Visa required[155]
Nigeria	Visa required[156]
North Macedonia	Visa not required[157]	90 days	ID card valid
Norway	Freedom of movement[158]		Freedom of movement ID card valid
Oman	Visa not required[159]	14 days
Pakistan	Online Visa[160]		Online Visa eligible.[161] Electronic Travel Authorization to obtain a visa on arrival for business purposes.[162]
Palau	Visa not required[163]	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period
Panama	Visa not required[164]	180 days
Papua New Guinea	eVisa[165]	60 days
Paraguay	Visa not required[166]	90 days
Peru	Visa not required[167]	90 days	90 days within any 6-month period[168]
Philippines	Visa not required[169]	30 days
Poland	Freedom of movement[170]		Freedom of movement ID card valid
Portugal	Freedom of movement[171]		Freedom of movement ID card valid
Qatar	Visa not required[172][173]	90 days
Romania	Freedom of movement[174]		Freedom of movement ID card valid
Russia	eVisa[175]	16 days	e-Visa holders must arrive and depart via 29 checkpoints[176]
Rwanda	Visa not required[177]	30 days
Saint Kitts and Nevis	Visa not required[178]	3 months
Saint Lucia	Visa not required[179]	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Visa not required[180]	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period
Samoa	Visa not required[181]	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period
San Marino	Visa not required[182]		ID card valid
São Tomé and Príncipe	Visa not required[183]	15 days
Saudi Arabia	eVisa / Visa on arrival[184][185]	90 days
Senegal	Visa not required[186]	90 days
Serbia	Visa not required[187]	90 days	90 days within any 6-month period ID card valid
Seychelles	Visa not required[188]	3 months
Sierra Leone	Visa on arrival[189]
Singapore	Visa not required[190]	90 days
Slovakia	Freedom of movement[191]		Freedom of movement ID card valid
Slovenia	Freedom of movement[192]		Freedom of movement ID card valid
Solomon Islands	Visa not required[193]	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period
Somalia	Visa on arrival[194]		Available at Berbera, Borama, Burao, Erigavo and Hargeisa airports.[citation needed] 30 days, available at Bosaso Airport, Galcaio Airport and Mogadishu Airport.[citation needed]
South Africa	eVisa[195]
South Sudan	Electronic Visa[196]		Obtainable online[197] Printed visa authorization must be presented at the time of travel[197]
Spain	Freedom of movement[198]		Freedom of movement ID card valid
Sri Lanka	eVisa / Visa on arrival[199]	30 days
Sudan	Visa required[200]
Suriname	eVisa[201]
Sweden	Freedom of movement[202]		Freedom of movement ID card valid
Switzerland	Freedom of movement[203]		Freedom of movement ID card valid
Syria	Visa required[204]
Tajikistan	Visa not required[205]	30 days	Visa also available online.[206]
Tanzania	eVisa / Visa on arrival[207][208]	3 months
Thailand	Visa on arrival[209]	15 days
Timor-Leste	Visa not required[210]	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period
Togo	Visa on arrival[211]	7 days
Tonga	Visa not required[212]	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period
Trinidad and Tobago	Visa not required[213]	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period
Tunisia	Visa not required[214]	2 months	ID card valid on organized tours[215]
Turkey	Visa not required[216]	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period ID card valid.[217]
Turkmenistan	Visa required[218]
Tuvalu	Visa not required[219]	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period
Uganda	eVisa / Visa on arrival[220]		May apply online.[221]
Ukraine	Visa not required[222]	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period
United Arab Emirates	Visa not required[223]	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period[224][225]
United Kingdom	Visa not required[226]	6 months
United States	Visa required[227]
Uruguay	Visa not required[228]	90 days
Uzbekistan	Visa not required[229]	30 days
Vanuatu	Visa not required[230]	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period
Vatican City	Visa not required[231]		ID card valid
Venezuela	Visa not required[232]	90 days
Vietnam	eVisa[233]	30 days[234]
Yemen	Visa required[235]
Zambia	Visa not required[236]	90 days
Zimbabwe	Visa on arrival[237]	3 months	30 days for visits on business, 3 months for tourists

Territories and disputed areas

Visa requirements for Bulgarian citizens for visits to various territories, disputed areas, partially recognized countries and restricted zones:

Visitor to	Visa requirement	Notes (excluding departure fees)
Europe
Abkhazia	Visa required[238]
Mount Athos	Special permit required	Special permit required (4 days: 25 euro for Orthodox visitors, 35 euro for non-Orthodox visitors, 18 euro for students). There is a visitors' quota: maximum 100 Orthodox and 10 non-Orthodox per day and women are not allowed.[239][240]
Brest and Grodno	Visa not required	Visa-free for 10 days[241]
Crimea	Visa required	Visa issued by Russia is required.[242]
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus	Visa not required	3 months;[243][244] ID card valid[243]
UN Buffer Zone in Cyprus	Access Permit required[245]	Access Permit is required for travelling inside the zone, except Civil Use Areas.
Faroe Islands	Visa not required[246]	ID card valid
Gibraltar	Visa not required[247]	ID card valid
Guernsey	Visa not required[248]
Isle of Man	Visa not required[249]
Jan Mayen	Permit required	Permit issued by the local police required for staying for less than 24 hours[250] and permit issued by the Norwegian police for staying for more than 24 hours.[251]
Jersey	Visa not required[252]
Kaliningrad Oblast	eVisa[253]	Currently 16-days common e-visa is available instead of 8-days free regional e-visa
Kosovo	Visa not required	ID card valid
Russia	Special authorization required	Several closed cities and regions in Russia require special authorization.[254]
South Ossetia	Visa not required	Multiple entry visa to Russia and three day prior notification are required to enter South Ossetia.[255][256]
Transnistria	Visa not required	Registration required after 24h.[257][258]
Africa
British Indian Ocean Territory	Special permit required	Special permit required.[259]
Eritrea outside Asmara	Travel permit required	To travel in the rest of the country, a Travel Permit for Foreigners is required (20 Eritrean nakfa).[260]
Mayotte	Freedom of movement[72]	Freedom of movement ID card valid
Réunion	Freedom of movement[72]	Freedom of movement ID card valid
Ascension Island	eVisa[261][262]	3 months within any year period
Saint Helena	Visitor's Pass required	Visitor's Pass granted on arrival valid for 4/10/21/60/90 days for 12/14/16/20/25 pound sterling.[263]
Tristan da Cunha	Permission required	Permission to land required for 15/30 pounds sterling (yacht/ship passenger) for Tristan da Cunha Island or 20 pounds sterling for Gough Island, Inaccessible Island or Nightingale Islands.[264]
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic		Undefined visa regime in the Western Sahara controlled territory.
Somaliland	Visa on arrival	30 days for 30 US dollars, payable on arrival.[265][266]
Sudan	Travel permit required	All foreigners traveling more than 25 kilometers outside of Khartoum must obtain a travel permit.
Darfur	Travel permit required	Separate travel permit is required.[267]
Asia
Hong Kong	Visa not required[268]	3 months
India PAP/RAP	PAP/RAP required	Protected Area Permit (PAP) required for whole states of Nagaland and Sikkim and parts of states Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh. Restricted Area Permit (RAP) required for all of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and parts of Sikkim. Some of these requirements are occasionally lifted for a year.[269][270][271][272][273][274]
Iraqi Kurdistan	Visa on arrival	Visa on arrival for 15 days is available at Erbil and Sulaymaniyah airports.[275]
Kazakhstan	Special permission required	Special permission required for the town of Baikonur and surrounding areas in Kyzylorda Oblast, and the town of Gvardeyskiy near Almaty.[276]
Kish Island	Visa not required	Visitors to Kish Island do not require a visa.[277]
Macau	Visa not required[278]	90 days
Sabah and Sarawak	Visa not required	These states have their own immigration authorities and passport is required to travel to them, however the same visa applies.[279]
Maldives	Permission required	With the exception of the capital Malé, tourists are generally prohibited from visiting non-resort islands without the express permission of the Government of Maldives.[280]
North Korea outside Pyongyang	Special permit required	People are not allowed to leave the capital city, tourists can only leave the capital with a governmental tourist guide (no independent moving)
Palestine	Visa not required[281]	Arrival by sea to Gaza Strip not allowed.[282]
Taiwan	Visa not required[283]	90 days
Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province	OIVR permit required	OIVR permit required (15+5 Tajikistani Somoni) and another special permit (free of charge) is required for Lake Sarez.[284][285][286]
Tibet Autonomous Region	TTP required	Tibet Travel Permit required (10 US Dollars).[287][288][289]
Turkmenistan	Special permit required	A special permit, issued prior to arrival by Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is required if visiting the following places: Atamurat, Cheleken, Dashoguz, Serakhs and Serhetabat.[290]
Korean Demilitarized Zone	Restricted zone.
UNDOF Zone and Ghajar	Restricted zone.
Phú Quốc	Visa not required	30 days[291]
Yemen	Special permission required	Special permission needed for travel outside Sana’a or Aden.[292]
Caribbean and North Atlantic
Anguilla	Visa not required[293]	3 months
Aruba	Visa not required[294]	30 days, extendable to 180 days
Bermuda	Visa not required[295]	Up to 6 months, decided on arrival
Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba	Visa not required[296]	3 months
British Virgin Islands	Visa not required[297]	30 days, extensions possible
Cayman Islands	Visa not required[298][299]
San Andrés and Leticia	Tourist Card on arrival	Visitors arriving at Gustavo Rojas Pinilla International Airport and Alfredo Vásquez Cobo International Airport must buy tourist cards on arrival.[300]
Curacao	Visa not required[301]	3 months
French Guiana	Freedom of movement[72]	Freedom of movement ID card valid
French West Indies	Freedom of movement[72]	Freedom of movement ID card valid French West Indies refers to Martinique, Guadeloupe, Saint Martin and Saint Barthélemy.[302]
Greenland	Visa not required[246]
Margarita Island	Visa not required	All visitors are fingerprinted.[303]
Montserrat	Visa not required[304]	ID card valid (max.14 days).[305]
Puerto Rico	Visa required[306]
Saint Pierre and Miquelon	Visa not required[307]	ID card valid
Sint Maarten	Visa not required[308]	3 months
Turks and Caicos Islands	Visa not required[309]	90 days
U.S. Virgin Islands	Visa required[310]
Oceania
American Samoa	Entry permit required[311]
Ashmore and Cartier Islands	Special authorisation required	Special authorisation required.[312]
Clipperton Island	Special permit required	Special permit required.[313]
Cook Islands	Visa not required	31 days[314]
Lau Province	Special permission required	Special permission required.[315]
French Polynesia	Visa not required[316]	ID card valid
Guam	Visa required[317]
New Caledonia	Visa not required[307]	ID card valid
Niue	Visa on arrival	30 days[318]
Northern Mariana Islands	Visa required[319]
Pitcairn Islands	Visa not required	14 days visa free and landing fee US$35 or tax of US$5 if not going ashore.[320][321][322]
Tokelau	Entry permit required[323]
United States Minor Outlying Islands	Special permits required	Special permits required for Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Atoll, Palmyra Atoll and Wake Island.[324][325][326][327][328][329][330]
Wallis and Futuna	Visa not required[307]	ID card valid
South Atlantic and Antarctica
Falkland Islands	Visa not required	Visa is not required.[331]
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands	Permit required	Pre-arrival permit from the Commissioner required (72 hours/1 month for 110/160 pounds sterling).[332][333]
Antarctica		Special permits required for  British Antarctic Territory,  French Southern and Antarctic Lands,  Argentine Antarctica, Australian Antarctic Territory, Chilean Antarctic Territory, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Peter I Island, Queen Maud Land, Ross Dependency.[334][335][336][337][338][339][340][341][342][343][344][345]

• Visas for Cambodia, Myanmar, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Sri Lanka and Turkey are obtainable online.^{[346][347][348][349][350][351][352][353]}

Non-ordinary passports

Holders of various categories of official Bulgarian passports have additional visa-free access to the following countries – Azerbaijan (diplomatic or service passports), China (diplomatic or service passports), India (diplomatic or official passports), Indonesia (diplomatic or official passports), Iran (diplomatic or service passports), Kazakhstan (diplomatic or service passports), Kuwait (diplomatic or service passports), Mauritania (diplomatic and service passports), Mongolia (diplomatic or official passports), North Korea (diplomatic or service passports), Qatar (diplomatic passports), Russia (diplomatic and service passports), South Africa (diplomatic, official or service passports), Turkmenistan (diplomatic or service passports) and Vietnam (diplomatic, official, service or special passports). Holders of diplomatic or service passports of any country have visa-free access to Cape Verde, Ethiopia, Mali and Zimbabwe.

Right to consular protection in non-EU countries

When in a non-EU country where there is no Bulgarian embassy, Bulgarian citizens as EU citizens have the right to get consular protection from the embassy of any other EU country present in that country.

See also List of diplomatic missions of Bulgaria.

Non-visa restrictions

Many countries have entry restrictions on foreigners that go beyond the common requirement of having either a valid visa or a visa exemption. Such restrictions may be health related or impose additional documentation requirements on certain classes of people for diplomatic or political purposes.

Blank passport pages

Many countries require a minimum number of blank pages to be available in the passport being presented, typically one or two pages.^[354] Endorsement pages, which often appear after the visa pages, are not counted as being valid or available.

Vaccination

Many African countries, including Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo, South Sudan, Uganda, and Zambia, require all incoming passengers older than nine months to one year^[355] to have a current International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis, as does the South American territory of French Guiana.^[356]

Some other countries require vaccination only if the passenger is coming from an infected area or has visited one recently or has transited for 12 hours in those countries: Algeria, Botswana, Cabo Verde, Chad, Djibouti, Egypt, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Lesotho, Libya, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tunisia, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.^[357][358]

Passport validity length

Very few countries, such as Paraguay, just require a valid passport on arrival.

However many countries and groupings now require only an identity card – especially from their neighbours. Other countries may have special bilateral arrangements that depart from the generality of their passport validity length policies to shorten the period of passport validity required for each other's citizens^[359][360] or even accept passports that have already expired (but not been cancelled).^[361]

Some countries, such as Japan,^[362] Ireland and the United Kingdom,^[363] require a passport valid throughout the period of the intended stay.

In the absence of specific bilateral agreements, countries requiring passports to be valid for at least 6 more months on arrival include Afghanistan, Algeria, Anguilla, Bahrain,^[364] Bhutan, Botswana, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Curaçao, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Fiji, Gabon, Guinea Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel,^[365] Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Laos, Madagascar, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Mongolia, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Oman, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Peru,^[366] Philippines,^[367] Qatar, Rwanda, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tokelau, Tonga, Turkey, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Vanuatu, Venezuela, and Vietnam.^[368]

Countries requiring passports valid for at least 4 months on arrival include Micronesia and Zambia.

Countries requiring passports with a validity of at least 3 months beyond the date of intended departure include Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Honduras, Montenegro, Nauru, Moldova and New Zealand. Similarly, the EEA countries of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, all European Union countries (except Ireland) together with Switzerland also require 3 months validity beyond the date of the bearer's intended departure unless the bearer is an EEA or Swiss national.

Countries requiring passports valid for at least 3 months on arrival include Albania, North Macedonia, Panama, and Senegal.

Bermuda requires passports to be valid for at least 45 days upon entry.

Countries that require a passport validity of at least one month beyond the date of intended departure include Eritrea, Hong Kong, Lebanon, Macau, the Maldives^[369] and South Africa.

Criminal record

Some countries, including Australia, Canada, Fiji, New Zealand and the United States,^[370] routinely deny entry to non-citizens who have a criminal record while others impose restrictions depending on the type of conviction and the length of the sentence.

Persona non grata

The government of a country can declare a diplomat persona non grata, banning entry into that country. In non-diplomatic use, the authorities of a country may also declare a foreigner persona non grata permanently or temporarily, usually because of unlawful activity.^[371]

Israeli stamps

Kuwait,^[372] Lebanon,^[373] Libya,^[374] Syria,^[375] and Yemen^[376] do not allow entry to people with passport stamps from Israel or whose passports have either a used or an unused Israeli visa, or where there is evidence of previous travel to Israel such as entry or exit stamps from neighbouring border posts in transit countries such as Jordan and Egypt.

To circumvent this Arab League boycott of Israel, the Israeli immigration services have now mostly ceased to stamp foreign nationals' passports on either entry to or exit from Israel (unless the entry is for some work-related purposes). Since 15 January 2013, Israel no longer stamps foreign passports at Ben Gurion Airport. Passports are still (as of 22 June 2017^[update]) stamped at Erez when passing into and out of Gaza.^{[citation needed]}

Iran refuses admission to holders of passports containing an Israeli visa or stamp that is less than 12 months old.

Biometrics

Several countries mandate that all travellers, or all foreign travellers, be fingerprinted on arrival and will refuse admission to or even arrest travellers who refuse to comply. In some countries, such as the United States, this may apply even to transit passengers who merely wish to change planes rather than go landside.^[377]

Fingerprinting countries/regions include Afghanistan,^[378][379] Argentina,^[380] Brunei, Cambodia,^[381] China,^[382] Ethiopia,^[383] Ghana, Guinea,^[384] India, Japan,^[385][386] Kenya (both fingerprints and a photo are taken),^[387] Malaysia upon entry and departure,^[388] Mongolia, Saudi Arabia,^[389] Singapore, South Korea,^[390] Taiwan, Thailand,^[391] Uganda,^[392] the United Arab Emirates and the United States.

Many countries also require a photo be taken of people entering the country. The United States, which does not fully implement exit control formalities at its land frontiers (although long mandated by domestic legislation),^{[393][394][395]} intends to implement facial recognition for passengers departing from international airports to identify people who overstay their visa.^[396]

Together with fingerprint and face recognition, iris scanning is one of three biometric identification technologies internationally standardised since 2006 by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for use in e-passports^[397] and the United Arab Emirates conducts iris scanning on visitors who need to apply for a visa.^[398][399]

See also

• Visa requirements for European Union citizens
• Bulgarian passport

References and notes

References

Notes