Bulgaria Short-Stay (Type C) Verified 2026-04-29Family / Friend Visit Visa — Private Visit (Short-Stay, Type C)
Bulgaria Private Visit Visa for visiting family or friends in Bulgaria. Short-Stay (Type C). Requires Invitation-Declaration from the Bulgarian host. ₹9,900 + ₹2,530 VFS.
- Processing time
- About 3 weeks
- after you submit
No visa is ever guaranteed — the final decision always rests with the Bulgaria visa authority. We make sure your file is presented at its strongest.
Processing
Up to 15 calendar days
Stay Duration
Up to 90 days in any 180-day period
Starting Fee
₹9,900
Apply At
10 VFS centres
Your whole Bulgaria Visit Visa (Family & Friends),
handled for one honest price.
A strong Bulgaria file clearly explains your travel purpose, funds, and ties to India. We structure and submit everything properly — so your case is presented clearly and professionally.
All-in · 18% GST included · no hidden charges
File-ready in 3–5 working days after documents
5★ · 100+ reviews · reply in 5 min
Everything below — included, nothing extra
- Document checklist
- Application form guidance
- Document review
- Cover letter
- Purpose of travel structure
- Financial proof review
- Sponsor document guidance
- Submission & appointment support
- Post-submission guidance
Not sure you qualify? Start with a refundable ₹499 possibility report — an honest Yes / Maybe / No, credited to this fee. Read the full guide
Price is for our consultancy service only and includes 18% GST. No agency can guarantee a visa — the final decision rests with the visa authority.
Your fee, in one glance
What the ₹14,999 fee covers for a Bulgaria file
- We work out what your case actually is, before touching a form
- We build the checklist around your profile, not a template
- We read your documents against each other, not against a list
- Financial proof review
- Purpose of travel structuring
- Cover letter / explanation support
- Return ties review
- Sponsor / invitation guidance
- Application form guidance
- Submission & appointment support
- Biometrics guidance
- Post-submission support
Government, VFS, insurance, ticket and hotel costs are separate and charged at cost. Read what each item means, in full.
Good to know before you apply
Rules that apply to every Bulgaria visa type — worth a quick read so nothing trips up your file.
- 1Indian-resident applicants apply via VFS Global India. Direct Embassy submission only by prior appointment for special EU-family or compassionate cases.
- 2Status queries and missing-document submissions go to bgconsuldelhi@yahoo.com — emails to other Embassy addresses are disregarded.
- 3Bulgaria became a full Schengen member on 1 January 2025. Holders of Schengen Type C (two/multiple entry), Type D (long-stay), or Schengen-state residence permits can enter Bulgaria WITHOUT a separate Bulgarian visa for stays up to 90 days in 6 months.
- 4Diplomatic and Official Indian Passport holders can transit / enter Bulgaria visa-free for short-term visits up to 90 days in 6 months (since 02 July 2009).
- 5The applicant bears responsibility for ALL content of the application — an authorised representative cannot accept liability.
- 6The Embassy can request additional documents at any time during examination and may call applicants for an interview.
- 7Possessing a valid Bulgaria / Schengen visa does NOT guarantee entry — final entry decision rests with the border immigration officer.
Who Can Apply
- Visiting family — parent, spouse, child, sibling — residing legally in Bulgaria
- Visiting close friends with documented relationship
- Family members (parent / spouse / child) of an EU / Bulgarian citizen — eligible for visa fee waiver
- Attending family events — weddings, religious functions, anniversaries
What it costs
Government & VFS fees
Paid directly to Bulgaria / VFS — these are not our service fee, and we never mark them up.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Adult visa (Short-Stay, Type C) | ₹9,900 |
| Children 6–12 years | FREE |
| Members of Bulgarian / EU citizens' families | FREE |
| VFS Logistics service charge | ₹2,530 |
| Optional Courier | ₹735 |
| Optional Courier with assurance | ₹1,260 |
| Optional SMS service | ₹420 |
| Optional Premium Lounge | ₹3,360 |
| Optional Photograph at VFS | ₹315 |
| Optional Prime Time Submission | ₹2,100 |
Visa fees and VFS service charges are non-refundable, regardless of visa outcome. From 12 August 2024, applicants can pay visa fees and VFS logistics via Card / Cash / UPI. Approximate total for an adult short-stay visa: ₹12,430 (₹9,900 + ₹2,530). Long-Term D total: ₹14,080. Diplomatic and Official Indian Passport holders can transit / visit Bulgaria visa-free for up to 90 days within 6 months. IMPORTANT — Members of Bulgarian / EU citizens' families are EXEMPT from the visa fee. The VFS service charge of ₹2,530 still applies.
Flights · Hotels · Insurance · Itinerary
What Bulgaria actually requires — and what it does not.
Bulgaria applies the Schengen rules, so travel insurance is not a nice-to-have — it is a legal condition of the visa.
2 of 4 are compulsory for Bulgaria
Flight reservation
The Bulgaria consulate wants a return itinerary with a real PNR covering your exact dates. It does not want a paid ticket, and buying one before a decision puts your money at risk for nothing.
Where people slip: Flying into one city and out of another with nothing showing how you travel between them. Officers read the whole route, and an unexplained gap reads as a plan that does not hold together.
How to hold a flight without payingHotel booking
Accommodation for EVERY night of the stay. Not most nights — every one. A gap is a documented refusal ground under the Schengen code.
Where people slip: Free-cancellation bookings are accepted, but if the entire file is free-cancellation the officer sees a trip nobody has committed to. Some of it should be real spend.
Refundable hotel booking, explainedTravel insurance
Minimum EUR 30,000 medical cover, valid in every Schengen state, including repatriation and emergency medical evacuation, for the full period of stay. Regulation (EC) 810/2009 — this is law, not preference.
Where people slip: Buying cover for the adults and forgetting the children. Every traveller needs their own EUR 30,000, infants included — a real refusal we have seen on a family of four.
What the cover must actually sayTravel itinerary
A day-by-day plan matching your flights, your hotels and the country you applied to. Bulgaria must be your main destination or your first point of entry, or you are at the wrong consulate.
Where people slip: Spending more nights in another Schengen country than in Bulgaria. That gets a file rejected before it is even assessed.
The letter your itinerary attaches toWe arrange all four for your Bulgaria file.
We are a B2B travel agency as well as a visa consultancy, working with partners including Riya Travel — so the flight, the hotel and the policy all come from us, issued the same day, and you deal with one team instead of four. Every booking is a real one under your own name.
What to gather
Documents required
Having a document isn't the same as presenting it right — that's the part we handle.
Mandatory — every applicant must provide
9 items- Bulgaria Visa Application FormRequired
Fully completed in English or Bulgarian, signed in two places (field 37 + last field). For minors under 18 — signed by parent/guardian.
- Valid passportRequired
Valid 3+ months beyond intended return; minimum 2 empty pages back-to-back; issued within the previous 10 years; NO alterations or handwritten amendments on the data page
- Copy of current passportRequired
Data pages, plus pages with evidence of previous valid + expired visas / travel
- Original of previous passports (or proof of loss)
If applicable — to demonstrate travel history
- One recent passport-size photograph (3.5 × 4.5 cm)Required
Light background; face covers 70-80%; ICAO-compliant; see Photo Specifications section below. NOT older than 6 months.
- Cover letterRequired
Explaining the purpose of the trip and duration of stay
- Proof of residence
If applicable — applicants temporarily residing in another state should submit a photocopy of the stay permit (e.g. valid Indian Residency Permit or return visa to India)
- Travel medical insurance — minimum €30,000 coverRequired
Valid for Bulgaria for the entire period of intended stay; covers repatriation for medical reasons + emergency medical care + hospital treatment in case of emergency or death. Must be issued by an EU/VFS-approved insurance company. For multiple entries, additional declaration form required.
- Means of transportationRequired
Return travel ticket OR confirmed booking (for air / surface / sea transport)
Proof of financial means — every applicant
3 items- Three months bank statement (saving + current a/c)Required
Most recent 3 months — both savings and current accounts where applicable
- Three years Income Tax Returns (ITR / ITR-V)Required
Personal AND company (if applicable) — last 3 assessment years
- Subsistence funds proofRequired
Either: minimum €50 per day of stay (or equivalent in another convertible currency, but at least €500 total); OR a letter from the inviting organisation/institution covering all expenses of the applicant's stay in Bulgaria
Proof of social and professional status (one applicable)
3 items- If EMPLOYED — Service letter from employerRequired
On company's official letterhead — establishing position, years in service, grant of leave, salary certificate of last 3 months
- If SELF-EMPLOYED / BUSINESS OWNER — Visa request letterRequired
On official letterhead with company registration / ownership papers
- If STUDENT — Letter from school / universityRequired
Confirming enrolment, grant of leave, plus copy of valid student ID
If the applicant is a MINOR (under 18)
4 items- Birth certificate (if parents are legal guardians)Required
- Decision of competent authority appointing legal guardian
If applicable
- Notarised consent — if minor travels with ONE parent onlyRequired
Original notarised consent from the OTHER parent / legal guardian, including: their personal info, the purpose, period and length of stay in Bulgaria, the period for which consent is issued, plus their signature and copy of passport / ID
- Notarised consent from BOTH parents — if minor travels aloneRequired
Original notarised consent from BOTH parents / legal guardians (same content as above)
Private Visit-specific (additional)
5 items- Invitation-Declaration from Bulgarian host (private person)Required
Original Invitation-Declaration for private stay prepared in form-sample (Enclosure No 3), signed by the inviting person, certified by a Notary Public AND by the Migration Directorate of the Ministry of Interior. See https://mvr.bg/migration/en/administrative-services
- Cover letter explaining purposeRequired
Purpose of trip, duration of stay, AND any subsequent visits if any
- Proof of accommodationRequired
Provided by the inviting person in the Invitation-Declaration
- Confirmed return / onward travel ticketRequired
Air, surface or sea transport
- For spouses / children accompanying
Tourist visa procedure to be followed for them
If applicant is family of EU / Bulgarian national — for visa fee waiver
2 items- Marriage / birth certificate proving relationship to EU / Bulgarian citizenRequired
REQUIRED for fee waiver — establishes parent / spouse / child of an EU / Bulgarian national
- Copy of EU / Bulgarian national's passport / Bulgarian ID cardRequired
Establishes the host's nationality
Required · optional / if applicable
The journey.
7 steps from intake to approval. Curved spine on the right shows the natural pace — never as linear as government sites pretend.
- 01
Secure the Invitation-Declaration from your Bulgarian host
The host prepares the Invitation-Declaration (Enclosure No 3 form-sample), gets it notarised by a Bulgarian Notary Public, then certified by the Migration Directorate of the Ministry of Interior. Process: 2-4 weeks on Bulgarian side.
- 02
Gather relationship proofs (if claiming fee waiver)
If you're family of an EU / Bulgarian citizen, marriage / birth certificate is REQUIRED to claim the visa fee waiver.
- 03
Download and complete the Bulgaria Visa Application Form
From VFS Global Bulgaria. Sign in TWO places (field 37 + last field).
- 04
Gather all mandatory documents
Use the checklist above. 3 months bank statements, 3 years ITR, travel insurance €30,000 minimum.
- 05
Get ICAO-compliant photographs
3.5 × 4.5 cm, light background, face 70-80% of frame.
- 06
Book a VFS appointment + submit
Visit visa.vfsglobal.com/ind/en/bgr. Pay ₹2,530 service charge. First trip MUST be in person.
- 07
Track and collect
Up to 15 calendar days. Status: bgconsuldelhi@yahoo.com.
What works
21 levers that flip a borderline case.
- Travel medical insurance must be issued by an APPROVED EU / VFS-listed insurer with minimum €30,000 cover. Without it your application will be rejected outright.
- Bank statements must show last 3 months of activity — both saving + current accounts where applicable.
- Three years of ITR / ITR-V are mandatory — personal AND company (if you are self-employed).
- Application form MUST be signed in TWO places: field 37 + the last field. A common mistake.
What kills cases
Top 3 refusal triggers we see.
- 1Invitation-Declaration not in the prescribed Enclosure No 3 form-sample
- 2Invitation-Declaration not properly notarised + Migration Directorate-certified
- 3Relationship proof inadequate (for fee waiver)
Download official forms
Each link opens the official Bulgaria page on VFS Global (we never host third-party forms): pick your visa category there and use its "Download Form" section for the current version.
VFS application centres
Schengen Tourist Visa Eligibility Check
Answer 10 quick questions to see your likelihood of approval. This is not a guarantee — final decision is always with the Embassy — but it flags common weak spots so you can address them before applying.
What's the primary purpose of your trip?
How long do you plan to stay?
Have you previously visited any Schengen country?
Have you ever been refused a Schengen (or any country's) visa?
Past refusals must be disclosed — they show up in VIS database across Schengen countries.
Do you have confirmed travel bookings?
Reservations are enough — don't buy tickets until visa approval.
What's your current employment status?
What's your typical 3-month bank balance?
Schengen needs ~₹700/day covered. For a 10-day trip, minimum ₹70,000 stable balance.
How many years of Income Tax Returns (ITR) can you show?
What are your strongest ties to India (return-intent)?
Embassies want evidence you'll come back — not overstay.
Who are you travelling with?
Indicative only — final decision is always with the Embassy.
Frequently asked
Questions, answered straight
Yes — but only if you provide relationship proofs (marriage / birth certificate) AND the host's nationality proof (EU passport / Bulgarian ID) at submission. The ₹2,530 VFS service charge still applies in all cases.
Enclosure No 3 to the Regulation on procedures and conditions for issuing visas — a prescribed form-sample. The host prepares it, gets it notarised by a Bulgarian Notary Public, then certified by the Migration Directorate of the Ministry of Interior. See https://mvr.bg/migration/en/administrative-services for the form and process.
Up to 15 calendar days from Embassy receipt. The Invitation-Declaration prep takes 2-4 weeks on the Bulgarian host side, so plan 6+ weeks total.
Each traveller applies separately. For spouses and children accompanying, the Tourist visa procedure is followed (not Private Visit). You file together as a family but each pays the fees.
Up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the Schengen area (since Bulgaria joined Schengen on 1 January 2025). The Embassy may grant a single, double, or multiple-entry visa based on profile and travel history.
Yes. We've handled multiple EU-family visa fee-waiver cases. We coordinate documentation, verify the relationship paper trail, and guide your Bulgarian host through the Invitation-Declaration process.
Reviewed by Sherbir Singh Grewal, SureshotVisa — a government-licensed consultancy (Licence 849/DC/PTA/PLA/LC-3/2024). Verify us.
How we get it done
Your Bulgaria Family / Friend Visit Visa — Private Visit, from your first message to your passport back.
5 questions about this visa specifically. The first two are open — tap any other to read it.
Refused? Our full service fee comes back.Government and visa-centre fees are the one part nobody can refund.
+My relative in Bulgaria is inviting and sponsoring me. What do they need to send?
An invitation naming you and the relationship, proof of their own status in Bulgaria (residence permit, passport or citizenship), proof of address, and — if they are paying — their income evidence and a formal undertaking. Several countries have a specific sponsorship form; using a plain letter where a prescribed form exists gets the file bounced. Send us their documents together with yours: the two sides have to agree with each other, and mismatched addresses or dates between sponsor and applicant are one of the quietest refusal causes.
+Does having close family settled abroad make my visa harder?
It is the question officers probe hardest on a family visit, because a visitor visa turns on whether you will come back. It is not a bar — thousands of these are approved every month — but it has to be answered rather than ignored. The answer is your own life here: your job or business, your dependants, your property, your bookings. A file that names the relative and then says nothing about your ties invites the officer to assume the obvious.
+How long does a Bulgaria Family / Friend Visit Visa — Private Visit take, start to finish?
Three things sit between today and your trip: preparing the file properly, waiting for an appointment, and the mission's own processing. Bulgaria currently states Up to 15 calendar days from when the Embassy receives your complete application. May extend to 30 or up to 60 calendar days when further scrutiny is needed. VFS centres outside Delhi forward to the Embassy promptly. Applications cannot be lodged less than 15 calendar days before departure or more than 3 months ahead. for the decision itself. We control the first, which is usually days. The middle depends on slot releases. The third is entirely the mission's and no consultant can shorten it — anyone telling you otherwise is selling something they cannot deliver. Tell us your travel date and we will tell you honestly whether it is realistic.
+How much of what I pay for the Bulgaria visa is actually your fee?
Most of it is not ours. The Bulgaria government fee (currently ₹9,900) goes to the mission and the visa-centre fee goes to VFS — both charged to you at cost, never marked up, and shown as separate lines on one GST invoice in the registered company name. Our service fee is the only part we set, and it is published rather than quoted case by case.
+How does SureshotVisa handle my Bulgaria Family / Friend Visit Visa — Private Visit, from first message to passport back?
You send what you have on WhatsApp and a licensed consultant says the same working day whether the case is ready. We build the file around your profile, check every document against the others, write the cover letter to match them, and hold the file complete so the first workable appointment can be taken the moment it appears. You attend biometrics; we track the file to the decision (Bulgaria currently states Up to 15 calendar days from when the Embassy receives your complete application. May extend to 30 or up to 60 calendar days when further scrutiny is needed. VFS centres outside Delhi forward to the Embassy promptly. Applications cannot be lodged less than 15 calendar days before departure or more than 3 months ahead.). Government and visa-centre fees (₹9,900 for this visa) are charged at cost; our own fee is published, and if the visa is refused that fee comes back in full.
Before you file
A Bulgaria Family / Friend Visit Visa — Private Visit goes one of two ways.
Filed on a guessed checklist, the government fee is gone on a refusal and the refusal follows every future application. Filed after a licensed consultant has read the papers against each other, the file answers the officer's questions before they are asked. Same Bulgaria rules, different outcome. How we do that is written once, in full, on the method page rather than repeated here.
Other Bulgaria Visa Types
Tourist Visa (Short-Stay, Type C)
Apply for a Bulgaria Tourist Visa from India — Short-Stay (Type C). ₹9,900 visa fee + ₹2,530 VFS service. 15 calendar days processing. Complete document checklist + photo spec.
View guideBusiness Visa (Short-Stay, Type C)
Apply for a Bulgaria Business Visit Visa from India — Short-Stay (Type C). For meetings, conferences, trade shows. ₹9,900 + ₹2,530 VFS. 15 calendar days. Requires Invitation-Declaration from Bulgarian host.
View guideSports / Cultural / Artistic / Scientific Visa (Short-Stay, Type C)
Bulgaria visa for cultural events, sports competitions, artistic performances, scientific exchange. Short-Stay (Type C). ₹9,900 + ₹2,530 VFS. Requires invitation from the Bulgarian organising body.
View guideMedical Treatment Visa (Short-Stay, Type C)
Apply for a Bulgaria Medical Treatment Visa from India — Short-Stay (Type C). Requires Bulgarian medical facility certificate + treatment plan. ₹9,900 + ₹2,530 VFS.
View guideTransit Visa (Short-Stay)
Bulgaria Transit Visa for travellers passing through Bulgaria en route to a third country. ₹9,900 + ₹2,530 VFS. Up to 3 transit passages × 2 days each.
View guideAirport Transit Visa (Short-Stay)
Bulgaria Airport Transit Visa for travellers staying in the international transit zone at a Bulgarian airport en route to a third country. ₹9,900 + ₹2,530 VFS.
View guideLong-Term Visa (Type D, >90 days)
Apply for a Bulgaria Long-Term Visa (Type D) from India — for stays >90 days for work, family reunification, study, or other long-stay purposes. ₹11,000 visa fee + ₹3,080 VFS.
View guideSource & Disclaimer
Data on this page is sourced from the official VFS Global Bulgaria website and Embassy of Bulgaria. Last verified 2026-04-29. Always verify with the official embassy before applying — fees and requirements change without notice.
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