Bulgaria moves to ease visa delays for Turkish applicants

ISTANBUL

Bulgaria plans to deploy eight additional consular officers in Türkiye and introduce a centralized digital appointment system to reduce waiting times for Turkish citizens applying for Schengen visas.

Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova outlined the measures after visiting Bulgaria’s consulate general in Istanbul on Nov. 12.

Speaking to the Bulgarian news agency BTA, she said the additional officers would be assigned to consular offices in Istanbul, Ankara, Edirne and Bursa.

The new staff are expected to be appointed by the end of 2026, while the digital appointment system is scheduled to become operational by mid-2027.

Petrova said existing staff were working intensively but faced growing demand that could no longer be accommodated within their current capacity.

The additional personnel would allow the offices to accept and process more applications.

She also raised concerns about transparency in the allocation of appointments, including the criteria determining who receives an earlier slot.

The planned digital system would centralize bookings and apply clear rules for allocating appointments, with access available regardless of the type of visa sought.

Bulgaria’s consular office in Istanbul, its busiest in Türkiye, received nearly 40,000 visa applications in 2025, BTA reported.

Petrova said applications were expected to increase as trade and economic ties expanded and more Turkish tourists sought to visit Bulgaria.

The minister also addressed difficulties facing Turkish truck drivers under Schengen rules limiting short stays to 90 days in any 180-day period.

The issue contributed to queues at the border in late October.

Petrova said a temporary arrangement had been agreed to allow drivers who had exhausted their permitted stay to continue crossing the border for a limited period.

A longer-term solution would require coordination with other Schengen countries and the European Commission, she said.