site.btaUS Visa Refusal Rate in Bulgaria Lowest in 2024 at 6.02%

Since 2006, the percentage of refused B visas (business and tourism) for Bulgarians to the US has been below 10% twice, and in 2024 it is 6.02%, which is the lowest percentage, shows a check on the US Department of State's website. One of the technical conditions for this country's inclusion in the US Visa Waiver Program is that the tourist visa refusal rate for Bulgarian citizens should not exceed 3%.

The percentage of refusals since 2006 was as follows: 2024 - 6.02%; 2023 - 11.61%; 2022 - 10.00%; 2021 - 18.40%; 2020 - 12.52%; 2019 - 9.75%; 2018 - 11.32%; 2017 - 14.97%; 2016 - 14.97%. - 16.86%; 2015 - 17.26%; 2014 - 15.2%; 2013 - 19.9%; 2012 - 18.00%; 2011 - 15.7%; 2010 - 17.2%; 2009 - 17.8%; 2008 - 13.3%; 2007 - 14.3%; 2006 - 17.5%.

The highest refusal rate of 19.9% was registered in 2013.

The percentage of refused B visas to the US for the 2024 financial year is 6.02%, the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported at the end of November last year. The Ministry launched the Visa Academy (VizaAcademy) campaign as part of the effort to include this country in the US Visa Waiver Program.

On 10 January, the US visa waiver for Romanian citizens will be officially announced. This will be done at a meeting in Washington between Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas and Romanian Ambassador to the US Andrei Muraru, the Romanian Embassy in Washington announced on Wednesday in a Facebook post.

As a result of the US federal government's decision, Romania will become the 43rd country included in the Visa Waiver Programme, which allows visa-free travel for up to 90 days for tourism or business purposes. On 27 November, the US Department of State confirmed that Romania has met the benchmark for visa refusal rate in the fiscal year 2024 (1 October 2023 to 30 September 2024), US visas were refused to 2.61% of applicants from Romania. Along with the visa refusal criterion, inclusion in the Visa Waiver Program implies meeting criteria related to the security of travel documents and the exchange of information, as well as the implementation of specific measures to combat terrorism and illegal migration.

Following Romania's inclusion in the US Visa Waiver Programme, Bulgaria and the Republic of Cyprus will remain the only European Union (EU) Member States whose citizens will require US visas. Croatia was accepted into the Visa Waiver Program in October 2021.

On 18 November, the Bulgarian caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivan Kondov highlighted the progress Bulgaria has made in meeting the criteria for inclusion in the US Visa Waiver Program at his meeting with US Deputy Secretary of State for Management & Resources Richard Verma. The US side welcomed the efforts of the Bulgarian authorities in this direction and expressed confidence that the upward trend will continue.