For a long time, Bulgaria has been striving to achieve a significant milestone in international travel—obtaining visa-free access to the United States. This step would be a major achievement for Bulgarian citizens seeking to travel to the U.S. with more ease. In this context, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ivan Kondov expressed optimism about the possibility of the U.S. lifting visa requirements for Bulgarian citizens in the near future. This came in his written response to MP Martin Dimitrov, where he discussed in detail the progress Bulgaria has made toward this goal and the challenges it still faces in meeting the criteria set by the U.S. Visa Waiver Program.
The Criteria for Visa Waiver Program
To be included in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program (VWP), countries must meet a set of conditions. The most critical requirement is that the country's visa refusal rate must not exceed 3% by September 2025. This condition applies to all U.S. visa applications submitted by citizens of the concerned country.
Notable Improvement in Refusal Rates
Although Bulgaria still needs to make further efforts to reach this ideal threshold, there has been a notable improvement in its visa refusal rate. In 2024, the visa refusal rate was 6.02%, a significant improvement compared to 11% in 2023. This progress reflects Bulgaria's ongoing efforts to meet the U.S. Visa Waiver Program standards.
Public Awareness Campaign to Reduce Rejections
As part of its efforts to achieve this goal, Bulgaria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs launched a public awareness campaign in 2023 aimed at educating citizens on the visa application process. This campaign, supported by Bulgarian actress Maria Bakalova, was designed to inform the public about how to correctly submit visa applications and the importance of adhering to the required procedures. The initiative aimed to reduce the refusal rate by teaching applicants how to improve their chances of having their applications approved.
Remaining Challenges
Despite the progress made, achieving the final goal still requires work on improving the number of accepted applications. The current refusal rate, still above the required 3%, remains a challenge for Bulgarian authorities. It may require further collaboration between the government and citizens to educate more people on how to avoid mistakes in their visa applications.
Future Expectations
Bulgaria is expected to intensify its efforts to meet the required visa refusal rate by the target date of September 2025. In addition to the public awareness campaign, the Bulgarian government may introduce more measures to further educate and motivate citizens to ensure better visa application outcomes. Improving diplomatic relations between Bulgaria and the U.S. could also help accelerate this process.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Bulgaria’s efforts to obtain visa-free access to the United States represent an important step toward facilitating travel between the two countries. While Bulgaria has made significant progress in reducing refusal rates, the road ahead remains long. With the ongoing public awareness campaign and growing citizen engagement, Bulgaria may be closer to achieving this important goal in the near future.
