Bulgaria visa requirements for Russian citizens

Bulgarian visa service centre (VFS Global) in Moscow, Kashirskoe shosse 3, building 2, structure 4 (Sirius Park business centre)

A Russian needs a visa for Bulgaria, which since 31 March 2024 has issued Schengen visas valid throughout the area. The short-stay (type C) visa is lodged by appointment at the Bulgarian visa service centre in Moscow, run by VFS Global, in the Sirius Park business centre; a free shuttle bus runs from Nagatinskaya and Kolomenskaya metro stations. Documents are received from 9:00 to 15:00, Monday to Friday. The fee is €90 and can only be paid in euros. Children under 12, family members of Bulgarian citizens or of nationals of other EU or EEA countries, Switzerland or the United Kingdom, and pupils and students travelling to study, among others, pay nothing. The long-stay (type D) visa does not go through VFS: an appointment is requested by email and the application is lodged in person at the embassy's consular section, 66 Mosfilmovskaya Street.

Official application site →

What the visa centre can and can't do →

Fee

€90

The €90 is the short-stay Schengen visa fee, set by Article 16 of the Visa Code (Regulation (EC) 810/2009) as amended by Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/1415, in force since 11 June 2024. It is not a fee set by Bulgaria: the same amount is paid at any Schengen consulate. Children from the age of 6 and under 12 pay €45, and children under 6 are exempt. Travellers entering without a visa pay no fee at all.

Processing time

Where the trip requires a Schengen visa, the consulate must decide within 15 calendar days of an admissible application being lodged. That period may be extended to a maximum of 45 calendar days in individual cases, particularly where the application needs closer examination; in justified urgent individual cases the decision is taken immediately (Regulation (EC) 810/2009, Art. 23). An application may not be lodged more than six months before the intended trip and, as a rule, no later than 15 calendar days before it; where the consulate requires an appointment, it is normally given within two weeks of being requested (Art. 9).

Required documents

• A valid passport or travel document, issued within the previous ten years and valid for at least three months beyond the date you plan to leave the Schengen area (Regulation (EU) 2016/399, Art. 6(1)(a))
• A valid visa, if your nationality requires one. It is not needed if you hold a valid residence permit or long-stay visa issued by a Schengen State (Art. 6(1)(b))
• Documents justifying the purpose and conditions of the intended stay: an accommodation booking or a declaration of invitation from your host, and a return or onward ticket (Art. 6(1)(c) and Art. 6(3), which points to the non-exhaustive list in Annex I)
• Proof of sufficient means of subsistence for the whole stay and for the return to your country of origin, or of being in a position to acquire such means lawfully. They are assessed according to the duration and purpose of the stay, by reference to average prices for board and lodging in budget accommodation (Art. 6(1)(c) and 6(4)). Cash, traveller's cheques, credit cards and declarations of invitation or of sponsorship all count as proof (Art. 6(4))

How much money you need to show

€50 per day, with a minimum of €500 per stay, plus another €50 per day for accommodation

You do not need the €50 a day for accommodation if you have a prepaid hotel booking or an invitation from a Bulgarian person or company that covers your costs. You also need a ticket out or the money to buy one, plus another €100 if you enter driving your own vehicle.

What each Schengen country asks for →

Source: European Commission, Annex 25 to the Practical Handbook for Border Guards (reference amounts notified by each State), version of 8 June 2026. Checked on 1 November 2026.

Health insurance

Mandatory to apply for the Schengen visa: minimum coverage of €30,000, valid across the whole Schengen area and for the entire length of the stay (Regulation (EC) 810/2009, Art. 15).

Which policies meet the €30,000 requirement →

When travel insurance is mandatory → Travel insurance policies ↓

How long you can stay

Schengen rule: a maximum stay of 90 days within any 180-day period across the whole Schengen area. Internal border controls between Bulgaria and the rest of Schengen were lifted on 1 January 2025; even so, a valid ID document or passport must be carried, and police may ask for it in spot checks, especially in areas near the external borders with Turkey and Serbia.

Calculate your available Schengen days →

Why isn't your passport being stamped? The EES system →