Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Bulgaria is 3% away from entering the US Visa Waiver Program

Photo: Facebook/Embassy of the USA

The U.S. Department of State today released the data for the refused type B visas for the financial year 2024. For Bulgaria, this percentage is 6.02%, which marks a significant decrease compared to last year, when it was 11.61%. This is the lowest refusal rate in the last 18 years, the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry announced.

"Significant efforts have been made in recent months to meet the criteria for Bulgaria's inclusion in the US Visa Waiver Program. The substantial reduction in the visa refusal rate is another step forward on the road to the successful completion of this process," Foreign Minister Ivan Kondov said. 

One of the technical conditions for our country's inclusion in the Programme is that the percentage of refused tourist visas for Bulgarian citizens does not exceed 3%. By the end of the year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will launch an information and education campaign to explain the conditions and process of applying for a visa to the US.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Pope Leo XIV appears at a Catholic celebration wearing his Bulgarian omophorion

Pope Leo XIV appeared last night in the Vatican Gardens wearing an omophorion gifted to him by Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov , the Catholic Church in Bulgaria reported. The prime minister presented the omophorion during his recent visit to..

published on 6/1/25 1:10 PM

NSI: One in four parents cannot afford to take their children on holiday

Nearly one in three children in Bulgaria lives in material deprivation, according to data from the National Statistical Institute for last year, reported by BNR’s Victoria Todorova. Children in the Roma community are the most affected, with more than..

published on 6/1/25 12:29 PM
Rumen Radev (left) and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met in Antalya last year.

Bulgarian and Turkish presidents Radev and Erdogan discuss illegal migration and joint action in phone call

President Rumen Radev and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed expanding transport, energy, and digital connectivity between Bulgaria and Turkey during a phone call, the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency reported, citing the presidential..

published on 6/1/25 10:55 AM