It is believed that upon arrival in Bulgaria it is necessary to register with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs within three or five days, and for failure to comply with this rule, foreigners are fined. Let's figure out whether this is really the case, and whether such a recommendation applies to everyone.

What is written in the law?

All the necessary information is contained in the Law on Foreigners in Bulgaria. It can be referred to in the event of a misunderstanding with the authorities. Article 28 of the Act reads as follows:

(3) A natural or legal person who has provided accommodation to a foreigner shall, within five days thereafter, notify in writing the Aliens Administrative Control Service or the District Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the address of his/her location, stating the names, date of birth, citizenship, number and series of the document certifying the identity of the foreigner.

(4) Persons who are engaged in the hotel business or their servants shall immediately register a foreigner in a special register upon check-in. Information about foreigners who have checked into the hotel is provided daily by this person until 6:00 a.m. to the service of administrative control over foreigners or to the district department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs at the location of the hotel.

Previously, the article also contained a clause that every foreigner must The five-day period to go to the MVR, but now it has been canceled. Not everyone knows this, and until now, all newly arrived foreigners are advised to go to the ISI to register. Meanwhile, the requirement of the law does not apply to property owners who have come to their Bulgarian apartments or houses.  It is relevant only for those who stay in hotels or rent an apartment.

If you come to the Migration Service after arrival, there is a chance that they will accept the documents and register them. But according to the law, there is no need for this.

And what do you need?

Foreigners who come to Bulgaria must fill out a declaration address card form at the border, which will indicate the purpose of the visit and the address of stay. This is written in Article 18 of the same law. There you can also find information that foreigners accredited as members of foreign diplomatic, consular and trade missions, as well as representative offices of intergovernmental organizations in the Republic of Bulgaria, are registered with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MVNR).

It is also indicated that when transiting through the territory of Bulgaria, foreigners may not fill out address cards.

In practice, at the entrance, customs services do not give foreigners any declarations and address cards to fill out. Those who strive to scrupulously comply with all the requirements of the law can independently present the completed card at the border when entering the country so that it is stamped. Filled address cards are sent for data processing and storage to the branch of the Migration Service of the regional directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.