Bulgaria aims to reach visa-free travel to US by 2026

Sofia: The Caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ivan Kondov, has said that Bulgaria has made significant progress in meeting the needed requirements for inclusion in the US Visa Waiver Program.

Among the technical requirements for inclusion in this program is maintaining a tourist visa refusal rate for Bulgarians under three per cent.

While Bulgaria and Romania shared a joint journey toward Schengen membership, their paths towards the US Visa Waiver Program were separated.

Bulgaria has made significant progress in meeting the needed requirements for inclusion in the US Visa Waiver Program, the Caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ivan Kondov, has said.

Kondov stressed that Sofia could successfully conclude negotiations after achieving the condition of reducing B visa rejection rates below three per cent for fiscal year 2025, Schengen.News reports.

The comments of the Caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs came in a written response provided on the National Assembly’s website to Martin Dimitrov, a member of the Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) parliamentary group.

Among the technical requirements for Bulgaria’s inclusion in the United States Visa Waiver Program is maintaining a tourist visa refusal rate for Bulgarian citizens under three per cent.

Based on the data provided by the US Department of State on November 27, 2024, Bulgaria’s refusal rate for 2024 was 6.02 per cent, accounting for a significant improvement compared to 11.61 per cent in fiscal year 2023.

The figures from the same source show that since 2006, the B visa refusal rate for Bulgarian citizens has decreased below ten per cent twice, with 2024’s rate of 6.02 per cent being the lowest recorded.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs launched an awareness campaign on December 15, 2024, aiming to inform the Bulgarian public about the different types of US travel visas and also reduce B-visa refusals.

The face of the campaign launched under the slogan “You don’t need an Oscar to get a US visa” is the 2021 Oscar nominee Maria Bakalova.

In December last year, Bulgaria and the US reached an Enhanced Border Security Partnership, which would also help Bulgaria in its efforts to meet the needed requirements for becoming part of the US Visa Waiver Programme.

Becoming part of the US Visa Waiver Program means that citizens of Bulgaria would be able to travel to the US without visas for tourism or business purposes for a period of up to 90 days.

Joint Road to Schengen but Not to the US Visa Waiver Program

While Bulgaria and Romania together became full members of the Schengen Zone, on January 1, 2025, their journey towards the US Visa Waiver Program was separated.

Romania has already become part of the US Visa Waiver Program. From March 31, 2025, Romanians will be able to travel to the US without visas for short-term stays.

The federal government of the United States has just officially announced that Romania is now part of the exclusive club called Visa Waiver. Starting March 31 this year, Romanians can travel to the USA without visas.

The Ambassador of Romania to the United States, Andrei Muraru

The ambassador called the decision an important and happy moment for Romanians, stressing that it shows how strong the bond between Romania and the US has become over time.