Bulgaria, as a member state of the EU, has a visa-free agreement with Ukraine. It guarantees Ukrainians the opportunity to enter Bulgaria only on the basis of a biometric passport and to stay in the country without processing documents for up to 90 days. Therefore, it is not necessary to obtain a visa before traveling.

You can enter Bulgaria with any of the following documents:

• A biometric passport.
• Passport of the old sample, if its validity period has not yet expired (in accordance with paragraph 2 of the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dated 07.05.2014 No. 152 ).
• Ukrainian ID. According to the DPSU, currently only citizens of Ukraine evacuating from occupied territories or territories where hostilities are taking place can leave Ukraine with an internal passport, the list of which is approved in accordance with the Order of the Ministry on Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine of April 25, 2022 No. 75 . Citizens from other territories must have a biometric passport to travel abroad.
• Children under the age of 16 traveling with their parents must have a birth certificate. Children have the right to cross the border with one parent (without the official permission of the other parent). If the child is traveling with acquaintances or relatives, she/he needs to have a travel permit from one of the parents, certified by a notary.

In order to prove family/marital status, birth certificates and a marriage certificate are required.

The telephone number of the DPSU hotline ("Trust" Service) is 1598. You can use it for questions of a consultative nature within the competence of the State Border Service of Ukraine.

For more information about the documents with which you can cross the border, and about the categories of citizens who are allowed to travel outside Ukraine, see here .

Ukrainians who have obtained temporary protection status can stay in Bulgaria. In the country, such a document is called "Registration card of a foreigner granted temporary protection". The maximum period of stay in the country was extended until March 2024 according to the EU recommendation.

To apply for the status of temporary protection, it is necessary to apply to the Border Police, the State Agency for Refugees or other bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (migration, police). The full list of institutions is at the link . The registration procedure lasts from 5 to 15 minutes.

Ukrainians in Bulgaria can also apply for refugee status. A person decides on the appropriateness of this procedure independently. You can learn about the difference between temporary protection status and refugee status here .

After the registration in Bulgaria and the receipt of the Registration Card of a foreigner who has been granted temporary protection by law, several important rights arise, without the need to obtain other registrations or permits. These rights apply for the duration of the temporary protection granted to them:

• to remain on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria;
• right to work and vocational training;
• appropriate accommodation or means of accommodation if necessary;
• social assistance;
• medical care in emergencies;
• to return freely to their country of origin;
• free education for children under 18;
• free kindergarten for children up to 6 years.

You can get to the capital or other major city by bus, car or train. We are not aware of the allocation of free tickets for refugees by the Bulgarian government.

You can also travel by airplane, bus, car or train to different countries.

Currently, you are free to stay in Bulgaria without a visa for up to 90 days within a six-month period.

Furthermore, you can request temporary protection, which is valid until March 2024.

Those eligible for temporary protection include:

• Ukrainian citizens residing in Ukraine before 24 February 2022 and members of their families;
• Nationals of other third countries (other than Ukraine) and stateless people who have used their right to international protection or another equivalent type of national protection in Ukraine before 24 February 2022, and members of their families;
• Persons with foreign citizenship or statelessness who left the territory of Ukraine as a result of hostilities and entered and remained on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria, if they explicitly state that they want to enjoy the status of temporary protection.

Children under 18 years of age, who are travelling alone or with other adults with whom they have no family relationship, and who declare at the Bulgarian border that they wish to enter and seek international protection must be admitted in Bulgaria and handed over to the social services. The asylum and protection application may be submitted to any Bulgarian public authority, including border police officers. The Bulgarian border police is obliged to provide information on how to submit such an application.

There are no restrictions on entry to the Republic of Bulgaria due to the COVID-19 epidemic.

Ukrainians who have obtained temporary protection status can stay in Bulgaria. In the country, such a document is called "Registration card of a foreigner granted temporary protection". The maximum period of stay in the country was extended until March 2024 according to the EU recommendation.

To apply for the status of temporary protection, it is necessary to apply to the Border Police, the State Agency for Refugees or other bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (migration, police). The full list of institutions is at the link . The registration procedure lasts from 5 to 15 minutes.

Those eligible for temporary protection include:

• Ukrainian citizens residing in Ukraine before 24 February 2022 and members of their families;
• Nationals of other third countries (other than Ukraine) and stateless people who have used their right to international protection or another equivalent type of national protection in Ukraine before 24 February 2022, and members of their families;
• Persons with foreign citizenship or statelessness who left the territory of Ukraine as a result of hostilities and entered and remained on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria, if they explicitly state that they want to enjoy the status of temporary protection until 31 March 2022.

Refugees from Ukraine must submit an application for reissuance of a registration card with an up-to-date address of residence by March 31.

You can re-register:

• in the nearest regional office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs;
• in the registration and reception centers of the State Agency for Refugees - in Sofia, the village of Banya, Harmanly and the village of Pstrohor.

Find out more detailed information on the spot in the centers.

After the registration in Bulgaria and the receipt of the Registration Card of a foreigner who has been granted temporary protection by law, several important rights arise, without the need to obtain other registrations or permits. These rights apply for the duration of the temporary protection granted to them:

• to remain on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria;
• right to work and vocational training;
• appropriate accommodation or means of accommodation if necessary;
• social assistance;
• medical care in emergencies;
• to return freely to their country of origin;
• free education for children under 18;
• free kindergarten for children up to 6 years.

Ukrainians who have obtained temporary protection status can stay in Bulgaria. In the country, such a document is called "Registration card of a foreigner granted temporary protection".

If you have received temporary protection, you can return to Ukraine for a short period of time without any negative consequences. Before leaving the country that has given you temporary protection, we recommend that you notify the state social security authorities.

If you hold a biometric passport, you will be able to travel within the EU countries. You can also stay in any city in Bulgaria for as long as your temporary protection status lasts.

Ukrainians in Bulgaria can also apply for refugee status. A person decides on the appropriateness of this procedure independently. You can learn about the difference between temporary protection status and refugee status here .

Ukrainians who have obtained temporary protection status can stay in Bulgaria. In the country, such a document is called "Registration card of a foreigner granted temporary protection". The maximum period of stay in the country was extended until March 2024 according to the EU recommendation.

To apply for the status of temporary protection, it is necessary to apply to the Border Police, the State Agency for Refugees or other bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (migration, police). The full list of institutions is at the link . The registration procedure lasts from 5 to 15 minutes.

The registration procedure lasts from 5 to 15 minutes. The document "Registration card of a foreigner granted temporary protection" will be issued within a few days.

Since the first days of the full-scale invasion, Bulgaria has greatly simplified the requirements for documents. Ukrainians can enter the country on the basis of any document confirming their identity: an old-style international passport, a passport of a citizen of Ukraine, a driver's license, and for children under 14 - a birth certificate.

You can register the birth of a child only at the consulate. There, the determination of his origin and the assignment of his surname, first name, and patronymic are carried out.

The application for registration must be submitted immediately, but no later than one month after the birth of the child, and in the case of a stillborn child - no later than three days.

The registration process takes place at the place of birth or at the place of residence of the child's parents or one of them (with a written application). At the same time, in case of illness, death of the parents or for other reasons it is impossible to register the birth - the application can be submitted by relatives or other persons authorized by the representative of the health care institution in which the child was born or is currently.

What is required for registration?

• a document from a medical institution about the birth of a child, passports certifying the identity of the parents;
• application (written or addressed orally) to enter information about the father.

Registration is free, and based on its results, parents are issued a birth certificate.

How to return to the homeland with a child born in the Bulgaria?

In order for Ukrainians to return home with a child born in the Bulgaria, they must have with them:

• a document certifying his identity;
• a child's birth certificate issued by a consular institution.

Is the status of a citizen of Ukraine preserved during the birth of a child in the Bulgaria?

A newborn Ukrainian in the Bulgaria retains the status of a citizen of Ukraine. Data on citizenship and nationality in the act record of birth and certificate are not filled in, which is why a corresponding entry is made in the column "For marks".

In addition, a person whose parents or one of his parents were citizens of Ukraine at the time of his birth is a citizen of Ukraine. The place of birth of the baby does not affect the possibility of him acquiring Ukrainian citizenship.

There are several steps involved in the process of body repatriation from abroad to Ukraine:

1. Notify the authorities.

The first step of body repatriation from abroad to Ukraine is to contact the local authorities in Bulgaria, so you can register the death. Ukrainian embassy should also be able to help you in the process of registering the death abroad.

2. Arrange the correct documents.

You’ll need to have all the right paperwork before you can repatriate your loved one home from abroad to Ukraine. If you are repatriating a body to Ukraine for burial or cremation, the documents you will need include:

• Death Certificate.
• Certificate or Affidavit from the local health authorities stating that the cause of death of the individual to be shipped to Ukraine was not a communicable disease or infections.
• A Document about the absence of any excessive objects inside the casket or urn with the ashes.
• The Certificate of Cremation issued be the Funeral home or Cremation office.

All the mentioned documents should be authenticated, legalized and translated into Ukrainian by the certified translator. The originals of abovementioned documents and notarized translations, must accompany the casket containing the deceased, or urn with ashes, to Ukraine.

The passport of the deceased person should be sent to the Embassy of Ukraine along with a notarized and authenticated copy of the Certificate of Death, and a translation from Bulgarian to Ukrainian. The Embassy is to make correspondent procedures with the passport and can forward it back if it is required to accompany the casket containing the deceased, or urn with ashes, to Ukraine.

The Embassy is to be informed of the date, time, and the place of delivery of the casket containing the deceased, or urn with ashes, to Ukraine. Only the next of kin relatives of the deceased, or persons correspondingly authorized by them, can receive the casket or urn.

3. Transport the deceased to Ukraine.

The casket containing the body, or urn with ashes, must be sealed by the Funeral Home. There are no strict requirements with respect to the urn with ashes; however, the body should be transported in a metal casket, made of zinc-plated steel or tinplate not more than 0,4 thick.

For the air cargo transportation, it is necessary to specify a cemetery in Ukraine as well as Ukrainian Funeral Home which will take care of the casket, or the urn with ashes, in Ukraine. Both are a subject of private choice by the relatives or friends of the deceased person. Source .

There are numerous shops that offer such services. Look for photo studio & copy centers as they can provide you with this.

You can translate your documents at any translation agency in your city. Search for «превод на документи» on Google.

A1 Bulgaria is donating prepaid cards with mobile internet to refugees from Ukraine. More information here .

Yettel Bulgaria provides free calls to Ukraine and free roaming to its customers in Ukraine. Also Yettel is donating prepaid cards with included mobile internet to refugees from Ukraine residing in Bulgaria. More information here and here .