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Last updated: [07/30/21]

COVID-19 Information

*** Effective January 26, all airline passengers to the United States ages two years and older must provide a negative COVID-19 viral test taken within three calendar days of travel. Alternatively, travelers to the U.S. may provide documentation from a licensed health care provider of having recovered from COVID-19 in the 90 days preceding travel. Check the CDC website for additional information and Frequently Asked Questions.

Country-Specific Information:

• Bulgaria has 424,526 reported cases of COVID-19 within its borders.
• Bulgaria has 18,208 reported fatalities from COVID-19 within its borders.
• Bulgaria is following WHO and ECDC guidance on threat mitigation.
• Grocery stores and pharmacies remain open. Supplies including food and medicine remain plentiful.
• Kindergartens, nurseries, and schools for elementary students are open.
• Group celebrations are allowed indoors up to 50% of venue capacity.
• Masks: All persons must wear a mask that covers their mouth and nose in all indoor public spaces (including hospitals, pharmacies, administrative institutions, shops, malls, churches, museums, and all public transportation including railway, bus and metro stations, and airports, etc.) as well as in open public spaces where there is a crowd of people and impossibility to observe a physical distance of 1.5 m. Scarves or substitute face coverings are no longer allowed in place of a mask.

COVID-19 Testing

• Are PCR and/or antigen tests available for U.S. citizens in BULGARIA? Yes
• If so, are test results reliably available within 72 hours? Yes
• PCR testing is widely available at sites across the country, including hospitals and private laboratories. Currently 100 hospitals and laboratories in Bulgaria are officially accredited by the Ministry of Health. A full list is published in Health Order No: № РД-01-23/15.01.2020 г.: https://www.mh.government.bg/bg/normativni-aktove/zapovedi-pravilnitsi-instruktsii/. The fee is generally approximately $100 and is fully covered by the U.S. Citizen. It is preferable, to make an appointment by phone as most of the hospitals have specific time slots during which citizens can get tested.
• Tests results can be checked online but originals are usually stamped and collected in person. For more information email [email protected].
• CDC testing requirement for flights to the United States:  Air passengers are required to get a viral test (a test for current infection) within the 3 days before their flight to the U.S. departs, and provide written documentation of their laboratory test result (paper or electronic copy) to the airline or provide documentation of having recovered from COVID-19. Airlines must confirm the negative test result for all passengers or documentation of recovery before they board. If a passenger does not provide documentation of a negative test or recovery, or chooses not to take a test, the airline must deny boarding to the passenger: https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/s0112-negative-covid-19-air-passengers.html
• Waivers to the CDC testing requirement for flights to the United States. Waivers to the testing requirement may be granted by the CDC on an extremely limited basis when extraordinary emergency travel (like an emergency medical evacuation) must occur to preserve someone’s health and safety, and testing cannot be completed before travel. There are no waivers available for individuals who test positive for COVID-19. Individuals – or air carriers seeking to allow boarding by potentially qualifying individuals – who believe they meet the criteria for a waiver should contact the U.S. Embassy at [email protected] and provide the information below. The U.S. Embassy will then submit the request to the CDC for consideration.

• The following information must be provided for each passenger:

• • (a) Name (family name/surname, given name), passport number and country
  • (b) Cell phone number including country code of passenger or head of household if family unit
  • (c) Email address of passenger or head of household if family unit
  • (d) U.S. destination address; Is U.S. destination home address?
  • (e) Departure date
  • (f) Flight itinerary
  • (g) Name of submitting entity if different from passenger
  • (h) Name of company submitting on behalf of passenger(s) (if applicable)
  • (i) Name of point of contact submitting on behalf of passenger(s) (if applicable)
  • (j) Phone and email address for POC submitting waiver request on behalf of passenger(s) (if applicable)
  • (k) Purpose of travel to the U.S. (provide brief explanation of why urgent travel is needed and how travel will contribute to health and safety of passengers(s))
  • (l) Justification for testing waiver (e.g. no testing available, impact on health and safety)
  • (m) Documentation to support justification for test waiver, if available (e.g. medical records or orders for medical evacuation)

COVID-19 Vaccine Information:

• Has the government of Bulgaria approved a COVID-19 vaccine for use? Yes
• Are vaccines available in Bulgaria for U.S. citizens to receive? Yes
• Which vaccines are available in Bulgaria? AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. Availability is fluid and based on supply
• According to the Bulgarian government’s National Vaccination Plan the vaccination program prioritizes critical workers including healthcare staff and teachers, and vulnerable groups including residents of elder care homes, people with serious chronic conditions and people over 65. General vaccination has started for Bulgarian nationals, long-term and permanent residents; however, availability is fluid and based on supply. Please contact your General Practitioner (GP) or the Regional Health Directorate for more information. Official information on vaccination is available in Bulgarian language only at https://coronavirus.bg/bg/vaccinations
• Currently, there is an online registration system for vaccination against Covid-19 COVID-19 Регистрация за ваксинация :: НЗИС (his.bg) available in Bulgarian language. Permanent and long-term residents in Bulgaria can use their Bulgarian personal identification number (ЛНЧ) in order to register in the system and to choose their preferred type of vaccine, vaccination center and a time slot for receiving a vaccine.
• Visit the FDA’s website to learn more about FDA-approved vaccines in the United States.
• The United States Government does not plan to provide COVID-19 vaccinations to private U.S. citizens overseas. Please follow host country developments and guidelines for COVID-19 vaccination.
• COVID-19 Vaccine Information for U.S. Citizens Abroad: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/vaccine-info-for-us-citizens-abroad.html

Entry and Exit Requirements:

Are U.S. citizens permitted to enter? Yes.

U.S. citizens are allowed to enter Bulgaria under the conditions listed below that can be found in the current Bulgarian Ministry of Health Order as posted on the Ministry of Health website. The entry regulations went into effect on July 29, 2021, and have been extended to August 31, 2021.

There have been frequent changes to the Bulgarian Health Order in recent days regulating the entry requirements. Please, check the website of the Bulgarian Ministry of Health for the latest updates!

Please note that all other requirements for entry as a third country national, such as a visa (if required), still apply.

The Bulgarian government announced updated entry requirements based on which country that persons are travelling from. There are green, orange and red zones defined on the basis of agreed criteria showing COVID-19 risk levels across the EU and EEA.

Green zone: Austria, Germany, Estonia, Iceland, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Finland, Croatia, Denmark, Italy, Slovenia, France, Norway, San Marino, Vatican City, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Romania.

Orange zone: Any country outside of the green and the red zones.

Red zone: India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Oman, Malaysia, Mongolia, Columbia, Chile, Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, South Africa, Botswana, Tanzania, the Seychelles, Namibia, Zambia, Tunis, Turkmenistan, Tadzhikistan, Kirgizstan, Surinam and Panama, Cyprus, the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, Spain, Fiji, Kuwait, Malta, Andorra, the Netherlands and Georgia.

Countries for which there is information about a significant negative change in the epidemic situation in the respective country or in its separate territories and specific control measures applied for the persons arriving from them: Russian Federation, Portugal and Pakistan – arrivals are admitted to the territory of the country upon presentation of a valid EU digital COVID test certificate or similar document showing a negative result from a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for COVID-19 conducted up to 72 hours before entry into the country, as from the date of the testing entered in the document.

As of July 1, all travelers entering the territory of Bulgaria from a green or orange zone country, regardless of their citizenship, are allowed entry without quarantine if they present an EU Digital COVID Certificate showing that the person has been vaccinated against COVID-19, has received a negative COVID test result, or has recovered from COVID-19. National authorities are in charge of issuing the certificate. The certificate may be issued by test centres or health authorities, or directly via an eHealth portal. The digital version can be stored on a mobile device. Citizens can also request a paper version. Both will have a QR code that contains essential information, as well as a digital signature to make sure the certificate is authentic. Similar documents which contain the same data as the EU digital certificate are also accepted.

Persons arriving from the green zone who do not present an EU Digital COVID Certificate will be quarantined for a period of 10 days. The quarantine may be revoked if they obtain a negative result of a PCR test performed 24 hours after their arrival in Bulgaria or a positive result from a PCR or antigen test for immunity for COVID-19 for persons who had the coronavirus infection not more than 6 months from the date they enter the country. The quarantine is to be lifted within 24 hours after the submission of the document showing a negative PCR test result or a positive result from a PCR or antigen test for immunity for COVID-19.

Upon arrival to Bulgaria, at least 5% of all arrivals from orange zone countries will be tested with a rapid antigen test at random.
Bulgarian citizens and persons with the status of permanent or long-term residence status in Bulgaria and the members of their families arriving from the orange zone who do not present an EU Digital COVID Certificate will be quarantined for a period of 10 days. The quarantine may be revoked if they obtain a negative result of a PCR test performed 24 hours after their arrival in Bulgaria or a positive result from a PCR or antigen test for immunity for COVID-19 for persons who had the coronavirus infection not more than 6 months from the date they enter the country. The quarantine is to be lifted within 24 hours after the submission of the document showing a negative PCR test result or a positive result from a PCR or antigen test for immunity for COVID-19.

By the purposes of the Bulgarian Ministry of Health order:
The "State (territory) from which the person arrives" shall mean the state (territory) – the starting point of their departure, regardless of the stay associated with their transit through other countries during their movement.

Valid EU COVID vaccination certificate" or a similar document shall mean a document for a completed vaccination course against COVID-19. The completion of a vaccination course is considered to be the administration of an appropriate number of doses of a vaccine against COVID-19 and the expiry of a 14-day period from the date of administration of the last dose. The combination of one dose of Vaxzevria/AZD1222 with one dose of Comirnaty/BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine) is also considered to be a completed vaccination course. The document must contain the names of the person written in Latin, according to the identity document with which he is traveling, date of birth, date on which the last received dose of COVID-19 vaccine was given, serial number of the dose, and the total number of doses in vaccines that are given twice, the trade name of the vaccine against COVID-19, the name of the manufacturer/holder of the marketing authorization, the country of issue and the name of the issuing competent authority and, for the EU certificate – including its unique identifier.

"Valid EU COVID certificate for recovery from the illness" or a similar document shall mean a document showing a positive result of a conducted polymerase chain reaction test or a rapid antigen test for COVID-19 – for persons who have recovered from COVID-19 valid for the period from the 11th to the 180th day, as of the date of the conducted test entered in the document. The document must contain the names of the person, written in Latin, according to the identity document with which they travel, date of birth, date of the first positive result of NAAT test (for EU certificate) or rapid antigen test (for similar to the certificate of EU document) and a positive result, details of the medical institution that conducted the test (name, address or other contact details) or of the issuing authority, name of the laboratory/medical institution that conducted the test, the authority that issued the certificate/document, the country in which the test was conducted, and for the EU certificate – including its unique identifier.

"Valid EU COVID test certificate" or a similar document shall mean a document showing a negative result from a polymerase chain reaction test conducted up to 72 hours before entry into the country or a negative result from a rapid antigen test conducted up to 48 hours before entry into the country from the date of sampling entered in the document. The document must contain the names of the person written in Latin, according to the identity document with which they travel, date of birth, type of test, written in Latin method (PCR or RAT) and negative result (Negative), date and time of collection of the testing sample, trade name and manufacturer of the test (mandatory for rapid antigen tests), name of the laboratory/medical institution that conducted the test, the country in which the test was conducted and authority that issued the certificate/document, and for the EU certificate -including its unique identifier.

Entry restrictions: Persons arriving from the red zone are prohibited from entering Bulgaria.

Exceptions:

• Bulgarian citizens and persons with the status of permanent or long-term residence status in Bulgaria and their immediate family members;
• Citizens of the European Union, the European Economic Area and the Swiss Confederation and their family members arriving from a Member State of the European Union, the European Economic Area and the Swiss Confederation;
• Medical professionals, medical researchers, social workers, and their supervisors when traveling related to their duties;
• Workers involved in the supply of medicinal products, medical devices and personal protective equipment, medical equipment, including its installation and maintenance;
• Foreign officials, diplomats, members of the administrative and technical staff of foreign missions, officials of international organizations, military personnel, and humanitarian workers in the performance of their duties and their family member;
• Persons traveling for humanitarian reasons and their family;
• Representatives of trade, economic, and investment activities directly related to: construction, maintenance, operation and ensuring the safety of strategic and critical infrastructure of the Republic of Bulgaria, implementation of projects certified under the Investment Promotion Act, analysis on projects of potential investors and other activities of importance for the economy of the country, certified by a letter from the Minister of Economy or another minister responsible for the respective activity, as well as persons engaged in shipbuilding and ship repair, and their family members;
• Seasonal agricultural and tourism workers;
• Students and participants in examination commissions in cases where the exam cannot be taken online;
• Organizers and participants in international sports competitions for the time of the respective sport event; foreign athletes coming to Bulgaria for a specific period of time; foreign contestants and their coaches entering the country for training camp purposes; family members of foreign athletes and coaches who hold Bulgarian visa type "D" for long-term residence; Please note that all seeking this exemption must present a letter from the Minister of Youth and Sport, which includes the persons’ names and the place (address) of their residence in Bulgaria. The letter must be presented to the border control authorities at entry.
• Foreign citizens, who are to receive a decree under the Bulgarian Citizenship Law for acquiring a Bulgarian citizenship, certified by a letter from the Minister of Justice.
• Organizers and participants in international cultural events – for the time of the respective cultural event; certified by a letter from the Minister of Culture, in which the names of the persons and the place (address) of their residence in Bulgaria are indicated. The letter shall be presented to the border control authorities.

In all other cases persons travelling from red zone countries may enter Bulgaria with the permission of the Minister of Health. All those seeking this exemption must present a letter from the Minister of Health, which includes the reasons for applying for the entry exemption.

Persons who may enter Bulgaria from the Red Zone are allowed on the territory of the country upon presentation of a valid digital EU COVID certificate for vaccination or a similar document containing the same data as the EU digital COVID certificate for vaccination along with a negative result from a test conducted up to 72 hours before entering the country by the method of polymerase chain reaction for COVID-19, certified by a valid EU digital COVID certificate for testing or a similar document containing the same data as the EU digital COVID certificate for testing. All persons who do not present a valid EU digital COVID certificate for vaccination or a similar document containing the same data as the EU digital COVID certificate for vaccination may be admitted to the territory of the country after presenting a negative result from a test conducted up to 72 hours before entering the country by the method of polymerase chain reaction for COVID-19, certified by a valid EU digital COVID certificate for testing or a similar document containing the same data as the EU digital COVID certificate for testing and they shall be quarantined for a period of 10 days at home or in another place of accommodation, in which the person has indicated that he/she will reside, with a recommendation issued by the Director of the respective Regional Health Inspectorate or Deputy Director authorized by him.

Bulgarian citizens and persons with the status of permanent or long-term residence status in Bulgaria and the members of their families arriving from the red zone who do not present an EU Digital COVID Certificate, or a PCR test will be quarantined for a period of 10 days.

Bulgarian citizens and persons with the status of permanent or long-term residence status in Bulgaria and the members of their families arriving from the red zone who present only one of the two required documents will be quarantined for a period of 10 days. The quarantine may be revoked if they obtain a negative result of a PCR test performed 24 hours after their arrival in Bulgaria. The quarantine is to be lifted within 24 hours after the submission of the document by email showing a negative PCR test result or a positive result from a PCR or antigen test for immunity for COVID-19.

Children 12- 18 years of age arriving from the red zone may enter the country by presenting by email a negative PCR test, certified by an EU Digital certificate. Those who do not present such document will be quarantined for a period of 10 days. The quarantine for children 12-18 years of age who are Bulgarian citizens and persons with the status of permanent or long-term residence status in Bulgaria, may be revoked if they obtain a negative result of a PCR test performed 24 hours after their arrival in Bulgaria. The quarantine is to be lifted within 24 hours after the submission of the document showing a negative PCR test result or a positive result from a PCR or antigen test for immunity for COVID-19.

Is a negative COVID-19 test (PCR and/or serology) required for entry? For persons arriving from the green and orange zone countries an EU Digital COVID Certificate proving that a person has either been vaccinated against COVID-19, received a negative test result or recovered from COVID-19 is required. Similar documents which contain the same data as the EU digital certificate are also accepted.

• Exceptions:
• Children up to 12 years;
• International bus and truck drivers;
• Crews of commercial aircraft and other transport staff as required, including vessel crews and persons involved in the maintenance of vessels;
• Frontier workers;
• Persons transiting the country;
• Students living in Greece, Turkey, Serbia, Northern Macedonia and Romania and traveling daily or at least once a week to Bulgaria for study purposes, as well as students living in Bulgaria and traveling daily or at least once a week to Greece, Turkey, Serbia, Northern Macedonia and Romania for study purposes;
• Bulgarian citizens, persons with permanent or long-term resident status in Bulgaria (and their family members) arriving from countries with a free transit reciprocity agreement with Bulgaria (i.e. Romania);

All persons, allowed to enter Bulgaria may do so from the following border crossings:
Sofia airport, Burgas airport, Varna, airport, Plovdiv airport, Burgas seaport, Varna seaport, Vidin, Vrushka chuka, Durankulak, Gyueshevo, Zlatarevo, Ilinden, Kalotina, Kapitan Andreevo, Kapitan Petko voivoda, Kulata, Lesovo, Makaza, Malko Turnovo, Oltomantsi, Oryahovo, Ruse, Stanche Lisichkovo and Samovit-Nikopol border crossings. Persons are allowed to enter from Strezimirovtsi border crossing between 08:00 and 20:00 o’clock.

• • Are health screening procedures in place at airports and other ports of entry? Yes.
  • Visa Extensions from the Bulgarian Migration Directorate: According to the current regulations, visitors may be eligible for a one-time extension of the 90-day visa-free stay. For more information, please visit a local Migration office or contact Migration at [email protected].
• Movement Restrictions:
  • • • • • Is a curfew in place? No.
          • Are there restrictions on intercity or interstate travel? No.

  Quarantine Information:

  • • • • • Are U.S. citizens required to quarantine? No.
          • Persons who may enter Bulgaria from the Red Zone and do not present a valid EU digital COVID certificate for vaccination or a similar document containing the same data as the EU digital COVID certificate for vaccination may be admitted to the territory of the country after presenting a negative result from a test conducted up to 72 hours before entering the country by the method of polymerase chain reaction for COVID-19, certified by a valid EU digital COVID certificate for testing or a similar document containing the same data as the EU digital COVID certificate for testing and they shall be quarantined for a period of 10 days at home or in another place of accommodation, in which the person has indicated that he/she will reside, with a recommendation issued by the Director of the respective Regional Health Inspectorate or Deputy Director authorized by him.
          • A U.S. citizen who falls into an excepted category arriving from the red zone may enter Bulgaria by presenting an EU Digital COVID Certificate proving that a person has either been vaccinated against COVID-19, received a negative test result or recovered from COVID-19 and a negative result from a PCR
          • Dual U.S.-Bulgarian citizens, persons with permanent or long-term resident status in Bulgaria (and their family members) who do not present an EU Digital COVID Certificate proving that a person has either been vaccinated against COVID-19, received a negative test result or recovered from COVID-19 and a negative result from a PCR or arrive from a country in the red zone will be quarantined for a period of 10 days. The quarantine may be revoked in case they obtain a negative result of a PCR test performed 24 hours after their arrival in Bulgaria or a positive antigen test. The quarantine is to be lifted within 24 hours after the submission of the document showing a negative PCR test result.

  Transportation Options:

  • • • • • Are commercial flights operating? Yes.
            • Sofia Airport remains open with reduced flights. Departure information is available at https://www.sofia-airport.bg/en/passengers/flight-information/departures.
          • Is public transportation operating? Yes.
            • All persons must cover their mouth and nose with a mask or covering on all public transportation including while in railway, bus and metro stations, and airports etc.

  Fines for Non-Compliance:

  • • • • • Those not in compliance with rules regarding social distancing, mask mandates, and quarantine directives may be fined or arrested.

  Consular Operations:

  • • • • • The Consular section continues to provide emergency services supporting U.S. citizens in Bulgaria including passports, voting assistance and emergency Special Consular Services. For additional information or to schedule a service please email [email protected].
          • Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States Embassy in Sofia remains unable to resume routine visa operations. We are currently offering as many appointments as local conditions, resources, and safety considerations allow in mission-critical visa categories, including a limited number of appointments for petition-based employment visas, student visas, and exchange visitor visas. We encourage all applicants to be mindful of the constraints and also to apply early. Appointments will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis as capacity allows. Processing of B1/B2 and C1/D visa renewals ​which meet the requirements for an interview waiver will continue.
            We continue processing of K1 fiancé visas and other immigrant visas currently backlogged. Please note that immediate family visas (IR1, IR2, CR1, CR2, IR5, and IH3 visas) have priority over all other immigrant visa categories. As a result, expect significant delays for Family Preference (FP) cases, Employment Preference (EP), and Diversity Visa (DV) cases until further notice.

  Local Resources:

  • • • • • The Bulgarian Ministry of Health has information for citizens and medical professionals on its website. (Bulgarian only)
          • The Bulgarian government has created a COVID-19 United Information Portal. (Bulgarian only)
          • Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Situation Center website. (Bulgarian only)

  Other links:

  • • • • • COVID-19 crisis page on travel.state.gov
          • CDC page on COVID-19
          • Bulgaria Country Information and Travel Advisory on Travel.State.Gov
          • Re-open EU travel information for other EU countries, if transiting on the way to Bulgaria

  Advice to U.S. Citizens:

  • • • • • U.S. citizens planning to depart Bulgaria should contact their airlines and consider contingency plans in case travel options become more limited in the future.
          • International commercial flight options currently exist in Bulgaria.
          • If you are a U.S. citizen in Bulgaria and need to renew a U.S. passport, please email [email protected].

  Advice to Non – U.S. Citizens:

  Currently, Presidential proclamations set entry restrictions for foreign nationals travelling to the United States. Please see https://bg.usembassy.gov/visas/visas-important-notifications/ to learn more.

By U.S. Embassy Sofia | 15 July, 2021 | Topics: Alert, Embassy, Health Issues, News, Notification | Tags: alert, Health Issues, security message