site.btaBulgaria, US Establish Enhanced Partnership in Field of Border Security

Foreign Minister Ivan Kondov met with US Ambassador to Bulgaria Kenneth Merten on Friday. Merten offered congratulations on behalf of the US Embassy and on his own behalf on the successful completion of the process of full integration of the Republic of Bulgaria into the Schengen area. The US Ambassador presented Minister Kondov with gifts from the Schengen Village in Luxembourg.

The Bulgarian Foreign Minister expressed gratitude to Merten and used the occasion to present the US Ambassador with a diplomatic note informing him that the Bulgarian government has approved the establishment of an enhanced partnership in the field of border security between the Republic of Bulgaria and the US. With this act, Bulgaria fulfills one of the most important technical conditions for inclusion in the US Visa Waiver Program and completes all actions to create the necessary legal framework for its future inclusion, said Kondov.

The establishment of an enhanced partnership in the field of border security between Bulgaria and the United States comes days after the US Department of State published data for the 2024 fiscal year, according to which the percentage of tourist visas denied to Bulgarians during the year was only 6.02% compared to 2023, when it was 11.61%. This is the lowest level in the last 18 years and, together with the enhanced partnership, represents a significant achievement for Bulgaria and an important indicator of the progress in the work of Bulgarian institutions to meet the criteria for inclusion in the US Visa Waiver Program.

In this process, several more technical criteria need to be met, one of which is that the percentage of tourist visas denied to Bulgarians in 2025. should drop below 3%. The information and training campaign, which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs launched on December 15 this year will be a joint effort by institutions and society so that Bulgaria can be included as soon as possible in the US Visa Waiver Program, and for Bulgarian citizens to have the opportunity to travel as tourists without a visa to the United States.

The Foreign Ministry campaign will last three months and will take place both in traditional media and on social networks. It will also involve a number of well-known and beloved individuals who will engage the audience's attention and provide useful advice related to the US visa application process.