Bulgaria is joining Schengen by air and sea from 31.03.2024. This is the big news, but it is really big news only for the foreigners, who are legally residing in Bulgaria. For Bulgarian citizens, nothing will change basically. Bulgarians are full EU citizens and have therefore unrestricted travel rights.
The foreigners however, the lucky ones with Bulgarian long-term or permanent residence permits, are the true beneficiaries of the Bulgaria’s Schengen accession.
What is changing for the legal aliens in Bulgaria
There are several questions that many foreigners in Bulgaria don’t yet find official answers to. These are mainly whether it will be possible to travel to the other Schengen member states with Bulgarian residence permit. The other most frequently asked question is whether Bulgaria will start issuing Schengen visas from April 1st. And last, but not least, many are asking whether the Bulgarian visas, issued before 31.03.2024 will be good for travel to the Schengen area.
For the answers to these and many other questions, we recommend the article by Posolstvo.eu – Bulgaria in Schengen – what it means to you. For any questions you might have, please don’t hesitate to contact my office.