site.btaGovernment Officials Hold Meeting with Tourism Representatives to Discuss Facilitation of Issuance of Visas to Third-Country Nationals

A working meeting between representatives of the Foreign Ministry and tourism organisations in Bulgaria was held Thursday at the Tourism Ministry by initiative of caretaker Tourism Minister Evtim Miloshev. The Foreign Ministry expressed readiness to streamline the process of issuing visas to third-country nationals by strengthening the capacity of Bulgarian missions abroad.

There are increasing requests to engage workforce from countries such as India, Türkiye, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, among others. Each of the business representatives attending the meeting focused on specific issues related to attracting workforce from abroad.

The participants in the discussion agreed that the process of streamlining the issuance of visas is of a continuous nature and the effect of the measures taken will be available in the 2025 summer tourist season. The tourism industry representatives noted that it is important to secure that long-term employees could be engaged all year-round.

Miloshev added that other state institutions, including the Migration Directorate at the Interior Ministry, the Employment Agency with the Labour and Social Policy Ministry, and the State Agency for National Security, should give their opinion on the issue. The Tourism Ministry is ready to organise a meeting with the above-mentioned state institutions to better prepare for the 2025 tourist season. The amendments to the Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria Act that were adopted in May 2024 make it possible to extend the stay of short-term workers by another 90 days added to the initial 3 months. Miloshev described this as a positive step.

The meeting was attended by caretaker Deputy Foreign Ministers Ivan Kondov and Mariya Angelieva, Ivan Motev – Head of National Visa Centre Department at the Foreign Ministry, Deputy Tourism Ministers Irena Georgieva and Pavlin Petrov, as well as an expert team of the Tourism Ministry. On behalf of the tourism sector, attending were representatives of the National Board of Tourism, Bulgarian Hotel Organisation, Bulgarian Hotel and Restaurant Organisation, Bulgarian Union of Balneology and SPA Tourism, Bulgarian Tourism Association, among others.