Bulgaria visa requirements for Indian passport holders

Check your circumstances

Read these conditions alongside the entry rule. Where official guidance does not state a condition, that is not confirmation that no condition applies.

Passport type Confirmed for this scope

Bulgaria's foreign ministry lists India as visa-required for ordinary passports. Diplomatic and service passports have a separate list, so this guide covers ordinary passports only.

Official sources: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria (mfa.bg).

Trip purpose Confirmed for this scope

Visa C covers a short stay or transit. You attach documents on the purpose of the trip, where you will stay and how you will pay for it. Work and long stays need other visa types.

Official sources: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria (mfa.bg).

Age Conditions to check

Children under 12 pay no visa fee. Applications for minors go in through a legal representative or an authorized person, and a child traveling without parents needs a birth certificate and a notarized power of attorney.

Official sources: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria (mfa.bg).

Residence Conditions to check

As a rule you apply at the consulate responsible for the country where you legally live. Bulgaria lists VFS Global application centres in 15 Indian cities.

Official sources: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria (mfa.bg).

Other visas or residence permits Conditions to check

Residence permits and long-stay visas issued by Bulgaria allow short travel in other Schengen states. The pages read do not say how permits issued by other states apply to Bulgaria, so check that with the consulate.

Official sources: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria (mfa.bg).

Carrier and arrival route Not stated in the cited guidance

The page lists an airport transit visa (visa A) but not which nationalities need one. Check it before booking a flight that changes planes in Bulgaria.

Official sources: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria (mfa.bg).

Stay and visa validity Conditions to check

A Schengen visa allows no more than 90 days in any 180-day period, counted from the first entry into the Schengen area. Stay only as long as the visa sticker grants.

Official sources: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria (mfa.bg).

Where and when to apply

Apply to Bulgaria if it is your main destination, where you will spend the most days. If you spend equal time in two or more countries, apply to the country of your first entry into the Schengen area. Apply in person or through an authorized agent, at a Bulgarian mission or at a VFS Global centre; the foreign ministry lists centres in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Chennai, Cochin, Goa, Gurgaon, Jaipur, Jalandhar, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi, Pune and Puducherry.

Submit your application no earlier than 6 months and no later than 15 days before the trip. You may need to book an appointment, and your ten fingerprints are taken when you apply.

Official sources: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria (mfa.bg).

Documents and insurance

Your passport must be valid at least 3 months after you leave Bulgaria, have two blank pages and have been issued within the last 10 years. Bring photocopies of its data page and of earlier Bulgarian and Schengen visas, a color photo of 3.5 by 4.5 cm on a light background and proof of the fee payment.

Add proof of round-trip transport, documents on the purpose of the trip, your accommodation and your means of support, and evidence that you plan to leave before the visa expires. Health insurance valid across EU states for the whole trip must cover repatriation, emergency care and hospital treatment, with at least EUR 30,000 of cover.

Official sources: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria (mfa.bg).

Fees and processing

Bulgaria's foreign ministry lists a Visa C fee of EUR 90 for adults, free for children under 12. A VFS Global service fee is not listed on the page read, so check it with the centre.

A decision is taken within 15 calendar days of an admissible application, and up to 45 days if the case needs a closer look. Applications from some nationalities need consultation with central authorities, which can lengthen the procedure, so apply early.

Official sources: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria (mfa.bg).

If you are refused

A refusal can be appealed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria in Sofia, or to the Administrative Court Sofia-City. The page gives postal and email addresses for both.

Official sources: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria (mfa.bg).

At the border and during your stay

A visa does not automatically give you the right to enter. Border officers can ask about your accommodation, funds and onward ticket, so carry copies of the documents you applied with. The Entry/Exit System records a facial image and fingerprints at the Schengen external border, and ETIAS applications are not yet open.

Bulgaria has been inside the Schengen area since 31 March 2024 for air and sea borders, and its land borders with Romania opened on 1 January 2025.

Official sources: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria (mfa.bg); Government of Canada.