Students from non-EU countries may need a visa to enter the territory of Bulgaria. Currently Bulgaria issues national visas only. Those visas do not give their holders the right to enter the Schengen area.
Holders of valid Schengen visas have the right to enter and reside in the Republic of Bulgaria for a period of no more than three months in any six-month period from the date of the first entry, without need to have a Bulgarian short-stay visa. Anyway it is an option only for part-time students or doctoral degree students. For full time studies candidates need to obtain a visa type D. The types of visas issued to foreigners are as follows:
What is a Type D Visa for Bulgaria?
A Type D visa is a long-term visa that allows its holders to enter the Republic of Bulgaria multiple times. It is issued for the period of either 6 months or 12 months and is an essential requirement for all eligible applicants to be considered for a Bulgarian residence permit. The application for issuing a long-stay visa is submitted only in the diplomatic and consular missions at the permanent place of residence of the applicant or the missions accredited in the state of the applicant’s permanent residence. No exception shall be made from the requirement for a personal interview when applying for a long-stay visa. In order to obtain long-stay permission, the person should have a home, obligatory health insurance, sufficient subsistence means, without resorting to the social assistance system, amounting to at least the minimum monthly wage or the minimum pension according to Bulgarian law for the period of stay.
When applying for the issue of a long-stay visa the applicant shall present the following documents:
– Visa application form;
– A regular foreign travel document;
– Copies of the pages of the foreign travel document with the personal information and the visas laid and/or copies of the permits for stay possessed;
– Recent passport-size color photograph;
Original documents and two copies thereof substantiating the application:
– Certificate issued by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Bulgaria;
– Verification from TU-Varna;
– Proof of the financial resources possessed for subsistence and accommodation.
On the initial application for permission for stay the persons who are over the age of 18, with the exception of the stateless persons, shall present a previous convictions certificate issued by the state whose citizens are or by the state of their customary residence.
When an application for a long-stay visa (visa type D) under article 15, paragraph 1 of the Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria Act is submitted, a charge of 100 euro shall be collected, unless otherwise provided for by law, by an international treaty whereto the Republic of Bulgaria is a party, by an EU legal instrument or by an instrument of the Council of Ministers. The collected fees are not refundable in case of refusal to issue a visa.
Non-EU citizens are required to register at Varna Migration Office within 5 days after their arrival to Bulgaria.
All students from non-EU countries studying at the Technical University of Varna must apply for Residence Permit Cards (RPC) at Varna Migration Office before their Visa type D expires. Upon registration and approval, the students will obtain an official permission to stay and study in the country for a period of 6 or 12 months. The RPC must be renewed before its expiration date every time until the study course of the non-EU citizen ends. Failure to renew the RPC on time may result in financial sanctions or deportation.
Required documents for a residence permit:
Note that every student is responsible for his/her residence permit card and all other personal documents.
The grounds for issuance of long-term residence certificates are:
In order to apply for a long-term residence certificate, the European citizen should submit an application to the Varna Migration Office of the National Migration Directorate within three months after his/her first entry in the Republic of Bulgaria.
In case some of the necessary documents are missing or not valid, the European citizen shall be granted a seven-day term to correct them. If the person fails to correct the omissions within this term the competent authority shall deny the issuance of a long-term residence certificate.
The right of entry and the right of residence in the Republic of Bulgaria of a European citizen may be restricted in exceptional cases and on grounds related to national security, public order or public health.
Note that every student is responsible for his/her residence permit card and all other personal documents.
