Russian visa for citizens of Bulgaria

If you fancy traveling to Russia, whichever purpose you have – be it tourism, guest visits, work or study – you might want to know whether you need a visa to enter Russia, and how to get one.

Do citizens of Bulgaria need a visa to Russia?

Yes, they do.

Apart from holders of diplomatic and service passports, ordinary Bulgarian citizens require a visa to enter Russia. Read on and learn how to go about the entire visa application process, find a handy step-by-step guide to get your Russian visa in a quick and economical way.

Let’s crack on!

Step 1. Choose a visa type for your trip 

There exist several main Russian visa types. First of all, you should determine the dates of your trip and figure out which visa will suit your purpose best of all. 

Russian visa types overview

Visa types	Validity period	Travel purpose
Tourist visa	30 days	tourism and leisure
Private visa	90 days	private guest visits. Not recommendable: see why here
Business visa	30 -90 days (up to 1 year max)	conducting business in Russia, looking for partners, negotiating, investing etc.
Transit visa	3 -10 days	crossing Russian territory on your way to another country
Student visa	90 days and above	studying a course in a Russian school or university
Work visa	90 days and above	working under contract for a Russian employer
Electronic visa	8 days	short tourist, business or humanitarian visits

RUSSIAN TOURIST VISA FOR BULGARIANS

You need it if:

• You are going to enter Russia as a tourist to do sightseeing or go on excursions. (If you enter by road vehicle you’ll need the Auto-tourism visa type)
• You need to make a brief business visit or attend a doctor. (Aim tourism type)
• You are going to stay no longer than 30 days. You are planning to enter Russia once, twice or multiple times during your trip
• You have bought a package tour, or use the services of a registered Russian tour operator to get the required tourist confirmation issued in a certain form, presented in a copy or original. You can order this document from us: Get Visando visa support

RUSSIAN BUSINESS AND HUMANITARIAN VISA FOR  BULGARIANS

You need it if:

• You are entering Russia with business purposes to participate in business events, meetings, exhibitions; negotiate or sign agreements with Russian partners; provide technical maintenance;
• You need to attend cultural, sports, political, religious, charity and other events (Humanitarian visa type)
• You are going to stay no longer than 90 days out of 180 days period. A visa itself can be valid for 1 year. 
• You are planning to enter Russia once, twice or multiple times
• You are invited by a registered Russian company in the form of a written statement, or the invitation issued through the MIA or MFA of Russia following a request by the host company. If your Russia host can’t supply you with the necessary invitation, order it from us here: Get Visando visa support

RUSSIAN GUEST VISA FOR BULGARIANS

You need it if:

• You intend to visit your friends or relatives in Russia
• You require urgent medical treatment
• You are going to stay no longer than 90 days
• You are planning to enter Russia once or twice during your trip
• Your Russian host has obtained for you the legal invitation through the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia (MIA)

RUSSIAN STUDENT VISA FOR BULGARIANS

You need it if:

• You are going to study at an authorized Russian school, college or university; or participate in a short-term student exchange program
• You are going to stay 90 days or longer. This visa can be extended further in Russia
• You are planning to enter Russia once, twice or multiple times
• You are officially invited by the Russian educational establishment through the MIA of Russia

RUSSIAN WORK VISA FOR BULGARIANS

You need it if:

• You are going to do paid work under an official employment contract for the Russian employer
• You are going to stay 90 days or longer in accordance with the contract terms. A work visa can be issued for 90 days and be extended in Russia, or for 3 years at once for Highly Qualified Specialists
• You are planning to enter Russia once, twice or multiple times
• You have an original invitation issued by the MIA of Russia upon request of your employer

RUSSIAN TRANSIT VISA FOR BULGARIANS

You need it if:

• You are going to make a transit trip through Russia on your way to another country; or make a connecting flight at a Russian airport with the need to leave transit zone. In case you stay within transit zone, you don’t require any visa
• You are going to stay no longer 3 days in case of air connection or up to 10 days in case of crossing Russia by road or railroad
• You are planning to enter Russia once during your trip. 
• You have prepaid entry and exit tickets to show your route

RUSSIAN ELECTRONIC VISA FOR BULGARIANS

• You are going to enter Russia for a brief tourist, business or humanitarian visit to one of the 3 regions: 

• Saint Petersburg and Leningrad region
• Kaliningrad and Kaliningrad region
• Vladivostok and the Far East

You are allowed to enter and leave through the same border point only and not leave the region which you entered. If you want to travel more freely, consider going on a regular tourist visa instead

• You are going to stay no longer 8 days out of the 30 days visa validity period
• You are planning to enter Russia once during your trip.
•  You have duly filled in the electronic visa application form at kdmid website 4 days prior to your trip, got your visa approval and printed it to display at the border control

Step 2. Get your documents in order for the application process

Have you decided on the visa type you need for your trip? Then let’s move on to the documents you’ll require for your application. Read the list below and collect what you should.

• International passport in original and a copy of its bio page.The passport should be valid for 6 months beyond your expected Russian visa expiry date, and have minimum two blank pages for a visa stamp
• Visa support/ invitation from Russia. Refer to the visa types description above and check who should provide you with the requested document.

• Filled online visa application form. Go to visa.kdmid.ru, fill in the form, print out on both sides of the paper, sign, date, glue your color photo in the marked field. See photo specifications here: Russian visa photo specifications
• For E-visa applicants it’s crucial to complete the form without any mistakes, get our professional assistance here: Contact Visando
• Medical insurance policy. You can obtain it in any insurance company office or online service. It should be valid on the territory of Russia for the entire period of your trip and have coverage of no less than 30000 euro.
• If you want to study or work in Russia staying longer than 90 days, you’ll need to take a blood test for HIV/ AIDS, get the certificate stating you are negative and include it in your list of documents. It’s valid for 90 days from the issuance.
• If you are applying for transit visa – instead of the invitation, submit your purchased tickets to and from Russia, as well as the valid visa to the country of your final destination if you need one

Step 3. Apply for a Russian visa in Bulgaria

Citizens of Bulgaria can submit their visa applications to one of the following places:

• Consular Section of the Russian Embassy in Sofia in person by booking an appointment at http://sofia.kdmid.ru/
• VFS Global Russian visa center in Sofia in person with or without prior booking

Find the contacts here:  Russian Consulates and Embassies

If you choose to apply at the Consulate you’ll only pay the Consular fee for your visa processing without any extras. But you should be very certain all your documents are correctly prepared. If there’s any mistake the consular officer won’t notify you, they’ll just reject your application.

When you apply at the visa center, you also pay for their services, but your documents will be proofread and you’ll be able to purchase some additional services like photocopies, premium application, courier delivery of your passport back.

The choice is yours.

Visa fees

Obligatory Consular fee:

Visa type	Standard processing 10 working days	Urgent processing in 3 working days
Tourist, Business, Private, Transit	70 BGN	140 BGN
Student, Humanitarian visa	free	free
Work visa single entry	140 BGN	280 BGN
Work visa double entry	420 BGN	840 BGN
Work visa multiple entry	420 BGN	840 BGN

A Visa Center also charges 50 BGN extra for their work.

Visa fees are paid during the submission of your documents by credit/debit card or in cash. You’ll be given a receipt which you should present when you come back to collect your passport with visa.

Important: Visa fees are compulsory and non-refundable

Step 4. Collect your passport back and check your visa details

After the process of your application has finished, you can collect your passport back. Attentively examine the visa stamp. If has the following data on it:

Should you notice any mistakes, apply for correction before your trip. If everything is fine, prepare your luggage and start planning your trip and working out your route.

Step 5. Come to Russia and get registered

After you have arrived to the Russian border you’ll be given a migration card to fill. Save this document after having it stamped and carry along in your passport throughout the trip. You’ll need to return it back at the immigration control when leaving the country. It looks like this:

If you intend to stay in Russia over 7 working days you’ll also need to get yourself a Registration. Hotels will provide it for you. If you lodge at a private accommodation, agree with the owner that he’ll make it at the local post/police office department within the 7 days after your arrival. Carry it with you during your stay. It looks like this:

Now you have the necessary instructions and can start planning your trip to Russia and getting your Russian visa. If you still need some info, contact us by email and get a free consultation.

Have a nice trip and discover Russia!