Bulgaria Visa for Indians - Definitive Guide

If you have plans to visit Bulgaria, you will have to issue a permit to be able to travel to the country, whatever be the reason. A visa to Bulgaria is a grant that allows you to travel to Bulgaria for various kinds of purposes like business, tourism, visiting family, employment and a few others. It is an electronic visa that is provided after the completion of the application process. The validity of the visa will depend on the type of visa that you have applied for.

The process to apply for the Bulgaria visa is mainly online. Before applying for the visa, you need to make sure what kind of visa you require. In order to apply for a visa online, you will have to visit the official embassy website. The step by step procedure of how to get Bulgaria visa from India for the same is given as follows:

1. Apply online by filling out the Bulgarian visa application form on https://indianvisaonline.gov.in.
2. Fill the details and attach a recent photograph. 
3. After the completion of the above process, print out the form and the payment receipt
4. You can then submit the application form along with the required documents to the issuing authority office.

For the processing of the documents and the visa form, you need to submit the documents to the issuing authority office. After the submission the embassy will process the documents and provide a stamp on the passport. You may have to attend a personal interview if requested. You can then collect the visa from the embassy of Bulgaria.

When you are submitting the documents, you need to make sure that you submit the genuine and original documents as the submission of the false documents could have consequences, you may have to go through visa refusal. The visa rejection will even affect your future visa applications, which of course does not mean that you will have to lie on the next visa application.

There are different types of visas as per the purpose that you are visiting the country for, or the number of entries you require or if the visa is short term or long term. The different kinds of visas also require different kinds of documents. The major types of visas are listed as follows:

• Type A: This kind is issued whenever you have to transit in Bulgaria before you carry on with your further journey.

• Type C: The visas that are issued for a shorter period of time. The validity offered by type C is for 90 days and is provided for three different reasons,
  1. Tourism,
  2. Business,
  3. Visiting.
• Type D: The type D includes long stay permits that are issued for various causes like getting employment in Bulgaria or study for a longer period than 90 days. There are different types in which the type D can be further categorized.

There are different types of documents required for the issuance of type D or type C visas. The documents will vary as per the visa type. The common documents and Bulgaria visa requirements needed are mentioned as follows:

• Original passport with a validity of up to 6 months ahead of the date of journey
• Printed visa application form with the applicant’s signature
• Two colored photographs as per the photo specifications
• A detailed cover letter
• Confirmed flight tickets
• Proof of accommodation - invitation letter, hotel reservation, etc.
• Visa fee in cash and in Bulgarian Leva only
• Income Tax Returns proof
• Proof of identification - PAN card, Adhaar card
• Proof of Profession

• Two copies must be provided
• Photo size: 35 mm x 45 mm.
• Coloured copy must be provided
• The head must be about 30 mm in the photo frame. 
• Head should well-centred.
• The picture must not be older than 6 months.
• The background must be white
• Neutral expressions
• Glasses are not permitted.
• Headgears are not allowed except for religious reasons.
• Clothing shouldn’t match the background.

When the documents have been submitted, the consulate then takes time to process and verify the documents to provide the business visa stamp on the passport. The time taken for the process is about 10 business days. This time span may vary depending on the verification time required for visa documents or if there are any complications in the process.

The visa fees for the needed for the Bulgarian visa varies depending on various aspects. There are service charges, biometric charges, processing fee and other aspects as well. The fee will vary if you have applied for the urgent requirement of the visa.

You will have to apply online on the official website to get the visa. You can then fill out the visa application form.  After this process is done, the application form is to be printed and signed by the applicant and submitted to the embassy with the required supporting documents. When the process is completed by the Consular, you will be provided with the permit. If there is an interview to be attended, the permit will be provided after the interview.

At times, the process may seem complicated and the formalities involved can seem difficult to be carried out individually. In such cases, professional visa consultation can be considered from the visa agencies. This will allow you to have your documents handled professionally and the procedure may even be quicker than the normal process.

To check the status of your visa, you may visit the website of the visa agency through which you have applied or the visa application centre website. You can even do it offline by calling the embassy with the visa application number and enquire about the status.