UPDATED INFORMATION FOR TRAVELLERS UPON ENTRY IN THE REPUBLIC OF BULGARIA

02 December 2021

From 01 December 2021 to 31 March 2022 pursuant to Order No. РД-01-977 / 26.11.2021 of the Minister of Health for the purpose of tourism on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria tourists are allowed in the following border checkpoints (BCPs):  

  1. BORDER CHECKPOINT “Burgas Airport“;
  2. BORDER CHECKPOINT “Varna Airport“;
  3. BORDER CHECKPOINT “Plovdiv Airport“;
  4. BORDER CHECKPOINT “Sofia Airport“ (Terminal 1 and Terminal 2);
  5. BORDER CHECKPOINT “Port of Burgas“;
  6. BORDER CHECKPOINT “Port of Varna“;
  7. BORDER CHECKPOINT “Vidin“;
  8. BORDER CHECKPOINT “Vrashka chuka“;
  9. BORDER CHECKPOINT “Durankulak“;
  10. BORDER CHECKPOINT “Gyueshevo“;
  11. BORDER CHECKPOINT “Zlatarevo“
  12. BORDER CHECKPOINT “Ilinden“;
  13. BORDER CHECKPOINT “Kalotina“;
  14. BORDER CHECKPOINT “Kapitan Andreevo“;
  15. BORDER CHECKPOINT “Kapitan Petko voyvoda“;
  16. BORDER CHECKPOINT “Kulata“;
  17. BORDER CHECKPOINT “Lesovo“;
  18. BORDER CHECKPOINT “Makaza“;
  19. BORDER CHECKPOINT “Malko Tarnovo“;
  20. BORDER CHECKPOINT “Oltomantsi“
  21. BORDER CHECKPOINT “Oryahovo“;
  22. BORDER CHECKPOINT “Russe“ 
  23. BORDER CHECKPOINT “Stanke Lisichkovo“
  24. BORDER CHECKPOINT “Somovit-Nikopol“
  25. BORDER CHECKPOINT “Strezimirovtsi“

The entry in the country is conducted on an assessment of the prevalence of COVID-19 in the respective countries by criteria and placement of the countries in color zones.

Color zones are as follows:

  • Green zone;
     
  • Orange zone;
     
  • Red zone;

Persons arriving by color zones of the countries in the Republic of Bulgaria

Countries in the green zone

  • Those persons are admitted to the territory of the country upon presentation of a valid EU digital COVID certificate for vaccination, recovery from the illness or a test conducted, or a similar document containing the same data as the EU digital COVID certificate.
  • In case of failure to provide such, the person shall be quarantined for 10 days at home or other accommodation where he / she has indicated that he / she will reside, with a prescription issued by the director of the respective regional health inspectorate or his / her authorized deputy director.
  • The quarantine may be revoked by providing by e-mail a document showing a negative result of a polymerase chain reaction test for COVID-19 or by a rapid antigen test specified in Appendix No. 2 of the Order. The prescription is revoked within 24 hours from the presentation of the document showing a negative result from the conducted examination.

Countries in the orange zone:

  • Those persons are admitted to the territory of the country only upon presentation of a valid EU digital COVID certificate for vaccination, recovery from the illness or a test conducted, or a similar document containing the same data as the EU digital COVID certificate.
  • Persons who do not present a document under item 4.2 are placed under quarantine for a period of 10 days in their home or other accommodation where the person has indicated that he / she will reside, with a prescription issued by the director of the relevant regional health inspection or a deputy director authorized by him / her.
  • The quarantined person under item 4.2.1. may conduct a polymerase chain reaction test to detect COVID-19 or a rapid antigen test of those listed in Annex No 2 not earlier than 72 hours of arrival in the country. In case of a negative result of the conducted research, the quarantine of the person shall be considered terminated from the day following the registration of the result in the National Information System for Combating COVID-19.

Countries in the red zone:

  • Persons who are citizens of the EU, the EEA and the Swiss Confederation and citizens of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and from the countries under Annex No 4 of Order No РД -01-977 / 26.11.2021, and members of their families who come from an EU Member State, the EEA and the Swiss Confederation and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and from a country listed in Annex No 4 of Order No РД -01-977 / 26.11.2021, and holding a valid EU digital COVID certificate for vaccination or recovery from the illness or for polymerase chain test reaction to COVID-19 or equivalent document;
  • The persons are admitted to the territory of the country upon presentation of a valid EU digital COVID certificate for vaccination or for recovery from the illness or a similar document or a negative result of 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 or an analogous document containing the same data as the EU digital COVID certificate.

In force from 28.11.2021 the following requirements for entry into the country apply:

  • Bulgarian citizens and persons with the status of permanent, long-term or continuous residence on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria and members of their families who do not present a document under item 4.4 of the Order are admitted to the country and placed under quarantine for 10 days in their home or other place of accommodation in which the person has indicated that he / she will reside, with a prescription issued by the director of the relevant regional health inspectorate or his / her deputy director authorized by him / her.
  • Persons arriving from the following countries of the red zone are not allowed on the territory of the country: Republic of Mozambique, Republic of Bostvan, Republic of South Africa, Lesotho, Esvatini, Republic of Namibia and Republic of Zimbabwe, except for persons who are Bulgarian citizens and persons with the status of permanent, long-term or continuous residence on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria and the members of their families.
  • Bulgarian citizens and persons with the status of permanent, long-term or continuous residence on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria and members of their families arriving from the countries under item 4.6. are placed under quarantine for a period of 10 days in their home or other place of accommodation in which the person has indicated that he / she will reside, with a prescription issued by the director of the relevant regional health inspectorate or his / her deputy director authorized by him / her. The persons must submit by e-mail to the regional health inspectorate, which has placed them under quarantine, a document resulting from a study conducted from the 10th to the 12th day of entry into the country by the method of polymerase chain reaction to prove COVID- 19.

All countries outside the European Union and the European Economic Area and the Swiss Confederation that do not fall within the Red Zone are considered to be from the Orange Zone.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

List of countries according to Appendix No. 1 item I, 3 of Order No. РД-01-977 / 26.11.2021 of the Minister of Health.

Green zone:

  1. The Vatican City State;
  2. The Kingdom of Spain;
  3. The Republic of Malta;
  4. The Kingdom of Sweden;

Orange zone:

All countries outside the green and red zone.

Red zone:

1. The People’s Republic of Bangladesh;

2. Republic of the Union of Myanmar;

3. The Kingdom of Bhutan;

4. Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka;

5. The Republic of Maldives;

6. Republic of South Africa;

7. The Republic of Botswana;

8. Kingdom of Lesotho;

9. Kingdom of Esvatini;

10. The Republic of Zimbabwe;

11. The Republic of Mozambique;

12. United Republic of Tanzania;

13. Republic of Seychelles;

14. The Republic of Namibia;

15. The Republic of Zambia;

16. Sultanate of Oman;

17. Republic of Turkmenistan;

18. The Republic of Tajikistan;

19. Afghanistan;

20. Kyrgyz Republic;

21. Mongolia;

22. Democratic People's Republic of Korea;

23. The Republic of Chile;

24. Eastern Republic of Uruguay;

25. Federative Republic of Brazil;

26. The Republic of Paraguay;

27. Multinational State of Bolivia;

28. The Republic of Suriname;

29. The Republic of Panama;

30. The Republic of Costa Rica;

31. The Republic of Guatemala;

32. Belize;

33. The Republic of El Salvador;

34. The Republic of Cuba;

35. Dominican Republic;

36. The Republic of Fiji;

37. Saint Lucia;

38. Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis;

39. Grenada

40. Barbados;

41. Republic of Singapore;

42. Brunei;

43. United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland;

44. Georgia;

45. Montenegro;

46. The Republic of Serbia;

47. The Republic of Lithuania;

48. The Republic of Latvia;

49. The Republic of Estonia;

50. Romania;

51. The Republic of Slovenia;

52. Croatia;

53. Slovak Republic;

54. Ukraine;

55. Republic of Austria;

56. Kingdom of the Netherlands;

57. Ireland;

58. Czech Republic;

59. Kingdom of Belgium;

60. Hungary;

61. Kingdom of Denmark;

62. Iceland;

63. Hellenic Republic;

64. Federal Republic of Germany;

65. Principality of Liechtenstein;

66. Principality of Andorra;

67. The Republic of Poland;

68. Swiss Confederation;

69. Republic of San Marino;

70. Luxembourg;

71. Kingdom of Norway;

72. Republic of Cyprus;

73. Republic of Trinidad and Tobago;

74. Principality of Monaco.

Annex 4 of Order No РД -01-977 / 26.11.2021

List of countries whose COVID-19 vaccination, testing and disease certificate is considered equivalent to the EU digital COVID certificate:

1. The Republic of Northern Macedonia;

2. The Republic of San Marino;

3. The Swiss Confederation;

4. The Republic of Turkey;

5. Ukraine;

6. Vatican City State (only in respect of vaccination certificates issued);

7. The Principality of Andorra;

8. The Republic of Albania;

9. The Faroe Islands;

10. The Principality of Monaco;

11. The Republic of Panama;

12. Kingdom of Morocco;

13. Israel.

14. Armenia;

15. United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland;

16. Kingdom of Norway;

17. Iceland;

18. The Principality of Liechtenstein;

19. Republic of Serbia;

20. Republic of Singapore;

21. Togolese Republic;

22. Georgia;

23. The Republic of Moldova;

24. New Zealand.

The list is subject to update and supplementation depending on the development of the epidemic situation.

Information by countries from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in connection with the travel conditions at COVID-19 – https://www.mfa.bg/bg/covid19map

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

On 15 November 2021, the European Commission adopted four decisions certifying that the COVID-19 certificates issued by Georgia, Moldova, New Zealand and Serbia are equivalent to the EU digital COVID certificate. As a result, from 16 November 2021, the four countries will be connected to the EU system and their COVID certificates will be accepted under the same conditions as the EU digital COVID certificate.

 

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

In the sense of the Order No РД -01-977 / 26.11.2021 of the Minister of Health “Valid digital COVID EU vaccination certificate or similar document” is a document for completed vaccination course against COVID-19. The document must contain the names of the person written in Latin, according to the identity document with which he / she travels, date of birth, date on which the last received dose of vaccine against COVID-19, serial number of the dose, and the total number of doses in double vaccines, trade name of the vaccine against COVID-19, name of the manufacturer / holder of the marketing authorization, country of issue and name of the issuing competent authority and, for the EU certificate, its unique identifier.

The completion of a vaccination course is considered to be the administration of the appropriate number of doses of a COVID-19 vaccine listed in Annex No 3 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 a completed vaccination course.

“Valid EU digital COVID certificate” is a document certifying that a person has suffered from COVID-19 and which is valid for the period from the 11th to the 180th day from the date of the examination entered in the document. The certificate must contain the names of the person written in Latin, according to the identity document with which he / she travels, date of birth, date of the first positive result of the NAAT test and a positive result (Positive), details of the issuing authority, country, which the examination was done and its unique identifier. “NAAT test” means a molecular test for nucleic acid amplification, such as polymerase chain reaction with reverse transcriptase (RT-PCR), cyclic-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) and transcriptional-mediated amplification (TMA) techniques used to detect the presence of ribonucleic acid of SARS-CoV-2 (RNA).

A document analogous to the EU's digital COVID certificate of illness is a document certifying that a person has suffered from COVID-19, and which is valid for the period from the 11th to the 180th day from the date of the examination entered in the document. The document must contain the names of the person written in Latin, according to the identity document with which he / she travels, date of birth, date of the first positive result of PCR test or rapid antigen test and positive result (Positive), information about the medical institution, carried out the examination (name, address or other contact details) or the issuing authority and the country in which the examination was conducted.

“Valid EU digital COVID certificate for testing” or a similar document is a document showing a negative result from a polymerase chain reaction test performed 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, as of 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 he / she travels, date of birth, type of test, written in Latin method (PCR or RAT) and negative result (Negative), date and time of collection test sample, trade name and manufacturer of the test (mandatory for rapid antigen tests), name of the laboratory / medical institution that performed the test, country where the test was performed and authority that issued the certificate / document, and for the EU certificate - and its unique identifier.

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