Bulgaria (Travel Restrictions, COVID Tests & Quarantine Requirements)

This page was last updated on 16 December, 2021.

 

At a Glance

Travel Restrictions

Entry For Vaccinated Travelers: Allowed
Vaccination Requirements: Fully vaccinated travelers are allowed to enter without providing a negative PCR test.

A vaccination certificate indicating that the holder has received one or two shots of the European Medicines Agency approved vaccines (Moderna, AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Janssen). The combination of one dose of AstraZeneca with a second dose of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine is also considered as completed vaccination.

The vaccination certificate must include the name of the holder, birthdate, date of vaccination, trade and batch number of the COVID-19 vaccine, name of the manufacturer, the document’s issuing country and the competent authority’s name.
Tourist Entry: Partially Allowed
Testing: Required to present a negative COVID-19 test or quarantine for 10 days in a government facility for some countries.
Quarantine Required: Depends
Quarantine Details: Required to present a negative COVID-19 test or quarantine for 10 days in a government facility for some countries.

Local Restrictions

Lockdown in Effect: Partial
Events: Partially Allowed
Transport: Operational
Shopping: Open
Restaurants and Bars: Open with restrictions
 

Detailed Travel Advisory

Published 10.12.2021
1. Passengers must enter Bulgaria via Burgas (BOJ), Plovdiv (PDV), Sofia (SOF) or Varna (VAR).
-This does not apply to:
– passengers arriving from Romania;
– merchant seamen.
2. Passengers arriving from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Rep., El Salvador, Eswatini, Fiji, Georgia, Grenada, Guatemala, Korea (Dem. People’s Rep.), Kyrgyzstan, Lesotho, Maldives, Mongolia, Montenegro, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Oman, Panama, Paraguay, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, Suriname, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Zambia or Zimbabwe are not allowed to enter.
-This does not apply to:
– nationals and residents of Bulgaria, and their family members;
– British Nationals arriving from the Unite Kingdom;
– passengers younger than 12 years;
– students with:
– a “D” visa issued by Bulgaria; or
– a document certifying admission to an education institution in Bulgaria;
– merchant seamen.
3. Passengers arriving from Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland (Rep.), Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia or Switzerland are not allowed to enter.
-This does not apply to:
– nationals and residents of Bulgaria, and their family members;
– nationals and family members of nationals of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland (Rep.), Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland;
– British Nationals;
– passengers younger than 12 years;
– students with:
– a “D” visa issued by Bulgaria; or
– a document certifying admission to an education institution in Bulgaria;
– merchant seamen.
4. Passengers arriving from Afghanistan, Andorra, Austria, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Dominican Rep., El Salvador, Eswatini, Estonia, Fiji, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland (Rep.), Korea (Dem. People’s Rep.), Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Maldives, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Panama, Paraguay, Poland, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, Suriname, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Zambia, Zimbabwe must have a COVID-19 vaccination certificate showing that they were fully vaccinated at least 14 days before arrival. Vaccines accepted are AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria), Covaxin, Janssen, Moderna (Spikevax), Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty), Sinopharm, Sinovac and Sputnik V; or
– a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken at most 72 hours before arrival; or
– a COVID-19 recovery certificate issued at least 11 days and at most 180 days before arrival.
-This does not apply to:
– nationals and residents of Bulgaria, and their family members;
– passengers younger than 12 years;
-passengers between 12 and 18 without a negative COVID-19 PCR test, are subject to quarantine;
– nationals of Greece, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Turkey , with a document certifying admission to an education institution in Bulgaria;
– merchant seamen.
5. Passengers without a COVID-19 vaccination certificate showing that they were fully vaccinated at least 14 days before arrival. Vaccines accepted are AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria), Covaxin, Janssen, Moderna (Spikevax), Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty), Sinopharm, Sinovac and Sputnik V; or
– a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken at most 72 hours before arrival; or
– a negative COVID-19 antigen test taken at most 48 hours before arrival; or
– a COVID-19 recovery certificate issued at least 11 days and at most 180 days before arrival, are subject to quarantine for 10 days.
-This does not apply to:
– passengers arriving from Afghanistan, Andorra, Austria, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Dominican Rep., El Salvador, Eswatini, Estonia, Fiji, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland (Rep.), Korea (Dem. People’s Rep.), Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Maldives, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Panama, Paraguay, Poland, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, Suriname, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Zambia or Zimbabwe;
– passengers younger than 12 years;
– nationals of Greece, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Turkey, with a document certifying admission to an education institution in Bulgaria;
– merchant seamen.
6. Passengers could be subject to quarantine for 10 days.
-This does not apply to:
– merchant seamen;
– passengers younger than 12 years;
– nationals of Greece, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Turkey, with a document certifying admission to a higher education institution in Bulgaria;
– passengers arriving from Afghanistan, Andorra, Austria, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Bhutan, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Dominican Rep., El Salvador, Estonia, Fiji, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland (Rep.), Korea (Dem. People’s Rep.), Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Maldives, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Myanmar, Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Panama, Paraguay, Poland, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sri Lanka, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, Suriname, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uruguay or Zambia with:
– a COVID-19 vaccination certificate showing that they were fully vaccinated at least 14 days before arrival. Vaccines accepted are: AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria), Covaxin, Janssen, Moderna (Spikevax), Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty), Sinopharm, Sinovac and Sputnik V; or
– a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken at most 72 hours before arrival; or
– a COVID-19 recovery certificate issued at least 11 days and at most 180 days before arrival;
– passengers arriving from a country other than Afghanistan, Andorra, Austria, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Dominican Rep., El Salvador, Eswatini, Estonia, Fiji, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland (Rep.), Korea (Dem. People’s Rep.), Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Maldives, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Panama, Paraguay, Poland, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, Suriname, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Zambia or Zimbabwe with:
– a COVID-19 vaccination certificate showing that they were fully vaccinated at least 14 days before arrival. Vaccines accepted are: AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria), Covaxin, Janssen, Moderna (Spikevax), Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty), Sinopharm, Sinovac and Sputnik V; or
– a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken at most 72 hours before arrival; or
– a negative COVID-19 antigen test taken at most 48 hours before arrival; or
– a COVID-19 recovery certificate issued at least 11 days and at most 180 days before arrival.
7. More details can be found at https://www.mh.government.bg/media/filer_public/2021/12/01/order_01-977_en_final.pdf

 

Detailed Tourist Information

Citizens and residents of most EU and Schengen member countries can travel to Bulgaria.

Arrivals from third-countries that are not considered red are permitted if tested, recovered or vaccinated.

All persons arriving from non-EU and EEA countries, and not coming from “Red” countries, are considered to arrive from “Orange” countries and are admitted to the territory of the country only upon presentation of required documents.

Non-EU, non-EEA, non-Swiss and non-UK nationals from “Red” countries holding a valid certificate for vaccination or recovery can enter Bulgaria only in specific exceptional cases and upon presentation of required documents.

As of 10 October 2021, the “Red” countries list comprises:

India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, South Africa, Botswana, Tanzania, Seychelles, Namibia, Zambia, Oman, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Mongolia, Colombia, Chile, Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Suriname, Panama, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Fiji, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Grenada, Palestine, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda Singapore, Georgia, Montenegro and Serbia.

Please double-check with official sources before planning your trip: https://coronavirus.bg/bg/az-sum/zavrashtam-se-bulgaria

Bulgaria has a Red, Orange, Green zone designation for countries based on infection rates and the spread of variants of concern. For a list of countries in each zone see this document: https://coronavirus.bg/bg/az-sum/zavrashtam-se-bulgaria

Fully vaccinated travelers are allowed to enter without providing a negative PCR test.

A vaccination certificate indicating that the holder has received one or two shots of the European Medicines Agency approved vaccines (Moderna, AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Janssen). The combination of one dose of AstraZeneca with a second dose of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine is also considered as completed vaccination.

The vaccination certificate must include the:
– name of the holder
– birthdate
– date of vaccination
– trade and batch number of the COVID-19 vaccine
– name of the manufacturer, the document’s issuing country and the competent authority’s name.

Travellers must also have:
– a document showing a positive result of a PCR or rapid antigen test for COVID-19 for persons who have recovered from COVID-19 between 11 and 180 days from the date of the positive result to the test. The document must contain the names of the person, details of the medical establishment that carried out the examination (name, address or other contact details), the date on which the test was carried out, and positive result;

– a document showing a negative result of a COVID-19 test (PCR test carried out within 72 hours before entering the country, or a rapid antigenic test carried out within 48 hours before entering the country).

Non-EU, non-EEA, non-Swiss and non-UK nationals from “Red” countries holding a valid certificate for vaccination or recovery can enter Bulgaria only in specific exceptional cases and upon presentation of a valid negative pre-departure PCR test, done up to 72 hours prior to arrival.

Those arriving from green countries, without test results or proof of vaccination, will be required to self-quarantine until testing negative.

Permitted arrivals from red countries will be required to self-quarantine for 10 days, regardless of test results.

Individuals can shorten quarantine by presenting a negative PCR test taken within 24 hours after the arrival.
 

Lockdown Details

I. With regard to the introduced anti-epidemic measures on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria:

I . The following temporary anti-epidemic measures are introduced on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria, as of 21.10.2021:

1 . Visits to personal development support centers, children’s centers, clubs and others providing organized group services for children are suspended. An exception is allowed only for special educational support centers.

2 . The holding of congress-conference events, seminars, symposia, trainings, competitions, exams and other events of such nature is suspended.

3 . Teambuilding and other organized group events of this nature in work teams are suspended.

4. The holding of all mass events, such as music and other festivals, fairs, folklore initiatives and others of such nature, shall be suspended.

5. The group visits to centers, schools and other sites for dance and music art are suspended.

6 . The present learning process in the higher schools is terminated.

7 . Attendance at school in all municipalities with a 14-day morbidity of over 750 per 100,000 population has been suspended.

8 . The attendance of 50% of the classes in the schools in the municipalities with a 14-day morbidity between 500 and 750 per 100,000 population has been suspended. Attendance training is carried out according to a schedule approved by the Minister of Education and Science.

9 . Attendance of 50% of the classes in the schools in the municipalities with reached 14-day morbidity between 250 and 500 per 100,000 population is terminated, in the absence of more than 20% of the students in the respective school and / or quarantine of more than 30% from the classes. Attendance training is carried out according to a schedule approved by the school principal.

10 . The decision for transition to distance learning in electronic environment under items 7-9 shall be taken by the Minister of Education and Science under the conditions and by the order of art. 105, para. 6 and 115a, para. 1, 4 and 5 of the Preschool and School Education Act.

11 . Classes in schools and kindergartens in face-to-face training are carried out in compliance with the Guidelines for training and action in emergencies in schools and kindergartens, approved by the Minister of Education and Science and the Minister of Health and published on the website of the Ministry of education and science.

12 . All students from fifth to twelfth grade, as well as all pedagogical and non-pedagogical staff in schools wear a protective face mask during their stay and training in schools.

13 . Physical education and sports classes are held outdoors.

14 . When conducting group extracurricular activities and activities, activities of interest, activities and others, organized in a school environment, mixing students from different classes is not allowed.

15 . The holding of face-to-face group classes for adults in language centers, educational centers and other training centers and schools is suspended.

16 . Conducting face-to-face group classes for children in language centers, educational centers and other training centers and schools is allowed while providing a physical distance of at least 1.5 m and not more than 5 people in a room, wearing protective face masks, hand hygiene, regular airing every hour and disinfection.

17 . Visits to museums, galleries, cinemas, theaters, circus performances, concerts and other indoor performances are suspended.

18 . Indoor team sports are suspended, with the exception of trainings and competitions for registered athletes at licensed sports federations.

19 . The holding of sports competitions for registered athletes at licensed sports federations is allowed without an audience.

20 . Visits to fitness centers, gyms and clubs, swimming pools and complexes, balneotherapy (medical SPA) centers, SPA centers, wellness centers and thalassotherapy centers are suspended.

21 . Visits to gambling halls, casinos and restaurants and entertainment establishments within the meaning of Art. 124 of the Tourism Act, including those to the places of accommodation.

22 . Private gatherings (baptisms, weddings, etc.) are allowed with the participation of no more than 15 people indoors and 30 people outdoors.

23 . All natural and legal persons who own or manage commercial, administrative or other sites that provide services to citizens, create an organization to control the number of customers in the site, not allowing more than 1 person per 8 sq m.

24 . In all markets, marketplaces, bazaars and open-air exhibitions, an organization for one-way traffic shall be established, providing control of the entrants and admission of not more than 1 person per 8 sq m and providing a physical distance of at least 1.5 m between visitors. Workers and visitors are required to wear a face mask.

25. Visits to Mall-type shopping centers, shops with a net retail area of ​​over 300 sq m, bazaars and indoor exhibitions shall be suspended. Exceptions may be made for shops offering mainly foodstuffs, pharmacies, drugstores, opticians, pet shops, banks, postal and courier service providers, insurers, payment service providers and telecommunications operators’ offices, whether independent or located in a shopping center type Mall. An exception is also allowed for the medical establishments and vaccination points located on the territory of the shopping centers.
 

Sources

https://reopen.europa.eu/en/map/BGR
Data Source: covidcontrols.co