Conditions for crossing the border with Bulgaria
Bulgaria, as a member state of the EU, has a visa-free regime agreement with Ukraine. It guarantees Ukrainians the opportunity to enter the country on the basis of a biometric passport only and stay in Bulgaria for up to 90 days. Therefore, it is not necessary to obtain a visa before the trip.
Due to the emergency situation, the entry of persons escaping from war in Ukraine is allowed for those who enter Bulgaria for the first time and:
– has an old format passport without biometric data;
– has an ID-card or an internal passport-book;
– has a driver's license;
– has a birth certificate - for children under 14 years old;
– does not have any of these documents, but has other official documents confirming the identity - for example: certificates, passes, diplomas, membership cards, bank cards, work books, documents on property, etc.;
– does not have any documents at all - as an exception after checking by border police officers.
If your passport for traveling abroad expires, you can extend the validity period by contacting the consular department of the Embassy of Ukraine in Bulgaria. The procedure for extending the validity of a passport for traveling abroad is temporary, introduced during the period of martial law plus one year from the date of its termination. The mentioned consular action is performed free of charge on the day of application.
Important: planning to purchase a plane ticket or submit documents to a foreign consular institution to obtain a visa, be sure to first consult about the possibility of using a passport for traveling abroad with an extended validity period for these purposes.
It is possible to submit documents for the extension of the passport no earlier than 2 months before the expiration of its validity period.
More detailed information about this consular action and the list of necessary documents can be found at the link: https://bulgaria.mfa.gov.ua/konsulski-pitannya/pasportni-diyi/prodovzhennya-stroku-diyi-zakordonnogo-pasporta.
Online registration for consular reception (E-queue) is carried out at the link: https://online.mfa.gov.ua/.
At the same time, we advise you to get a new passport for traveling abroad as soon as possible. The consular department of the Embassy of Ukraine in Bulgaria accepts documents for the production of a passport for traveling abroad. To make an appointment, go to https://online.mfa.gov.ua/.
More detailed information about this consular action and the list of necessary documents can be found at the link: https://bulgaria.mfa.gov.ua/konsulski-pitannya/pasportni-diyi/oformlennya-zakordonnogo-pasporta.
It is impossible to issue a new or extend the validity period of an existing "internal" passport of a citizen of Ukraine (in the form of a book or in the form of an ID-card) in diplomatic institutions of Ukraine.
To apply for a passport of a citizen of Ukraine (ID-card), you can contact the center of "Document" in other countries. The list of centers is available at the link https://pasport.org.ua/centers.
Please pay attention, that the passports of citizens of Ukraine in the form of a card, the validity period of which expired 30 days before 24.02.2022 and after 24.02.2022, and the passports of citizens of Ukraine of the model of 1994, in which a the person's photo card is not pasted if he/she reaches the age of 25 or 45, the pasting period for which is 30 days before 24.02.2022 and after 24.02.2022, are documents proving identity and citizenship of Ukraine and are subject to exchange or pasting of new photo cards in accordance with the reached age within 30 calendar days from the date of termination or cancellation of martial law.
