Sat, Feb 04 2012

FOREIGN MINISTRY MULLS SIMPLIFIED VISA RESTRICTIONS FOR SCHENGEN VISA HOLDERS

Thu, Oct 25 2007 13:00 CET

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Pending the drop in tourist numbers from countries such as Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia, Bulgaria's Foreign Ministry is mulling a simplified visa regime for non-EU citizens with no ban for entry to the country.

Restriction waiver for non-EU citizens with a valid Schengen visa is also in the making. From November 1 2007, all foreign citizens with a valid Schengen visa for a period of one year or more would be able to get a Bulgarian entry visa automatically without special authorisation from the Sofia visa centre.

Namely, the plan tackles increasing tourism numbers from neighbouring countries and Russia and entails visa issue with no coordination with the visa centre in Sofia, Bulgaria's Deputy Economy Minister Milen Keremedchiev told Wednesday representatives of the Union of Investors in Tourism in Bulgaria.

At present, the simplified regime is valid only for the summer season. Plans are to waive restrictions whatsoever in a bid to promote Bulgaria as a year-round tourism destination.

The meeting comes days after the State Tourism Agency (STA) announced that the number of tourists coming from Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia has decreased by 72-73 per cent on average in the first nine months of the year.

The goal of the Wednesday meeting was to discuss difficulties stemming from the visa regime with Russia, Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia.

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