Bulgaria visa guideThe Bulgaria business visa is a Schengen short-stay visa (type C) for meetings, negotiations, trade fairs and other business visits, for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. It does not allow work. VFS Global takes applications in Chandigarh, Jalandhar, Gurugram and New Delhi, and the Embassy of Bulgaria in New Delhi decides, as a rule within 15 calendar days.
The file turns on one Bulgarian document: the Invitation-Declaration for a business visit, on the official form, signed and stamped by the inviting company, certified by a notary and then by the Migration Directorate of Bulgaria's Ministry of Interior.
Do Indians need a visa for a business trip to Bulgaria, and which one?
Yes. A meeting with a supplier in Plovdiv, a trade fair in Sofia or a factory audit in Ruse needs a Schengen short-stay visa, type C, which VFS lists as the "Business Visit" category. Bulgaria has issued Schengen visas since 31 March 2024, so the visa is valid across the Schengen area, and the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in New Delhi decides. It is not an e-visa.
You can stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs adds that the count starts from your entry into the Schengen area, Bulgaria included, so days spent on the same trip in Germany or Greece come off the same total.
A business visa is not a work permit. VFS Bulgaria says a foreigner cannot work in Bulgaria on the basis of a short-term visa. Negotiations, inspections, training sessions and fairs are business. Running a production line or delivering a contract on site is work, and paid work needs a work visa, not a business visa.
Bulgaria business visa in brief
- Visa
- Schengen type C, business visit
- Stay
- Up to 90 days in any 180
- Decided by
- Embassy of Bulgaria, New Delhi
- Nearest centres for PunjabAlso Gurugram and New Delhi
- VFS Chandigarh and Jalandhar
- Core documentNotarised and certified by the Migration Directorate
- Invitation-Declaration for a business visit
- LodgeVFS rule
- No more than 3 months before departure
Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and VFS Global Bulgaria India, checked 14 Oct 2026
Where do applicants from Punjab apply?
At VFS Global, the Embassy's partner. Bulgaria is one of the few Schengen states with centres in both Chandigarh and Jalandhar, and VFS also runs centres in Gurugram and New Delhi among its 15 in India. They are open Monday to Friday from 9 am to 2 pm. The Embassy's consular office in New Delhi also takes visa applications, Monday to Thursday.
A rule that helps frequent business travellers: the VFS checklist says that only an applicant on a first trip to Bulgaria or the Schengen area must submit in person. On later trips, a representative may submit for you with your original authorisation letter, which names the representative and their organisation or company, and a copy of their valid photo ID. You remain responsible for everything in the application.
Payment is by card, cash or UPI. VFS says its service fee is not refunded once the appointment is confirmed. Our Bulgaria appointment availability page shows how dates are opening up.
Which documents depend on your situation?
The common checklist is printed further down this page. A business file is built around one Bulgarian document, then your own proof of standing.
The Invitation-Declaration
VFS's business checklist asks for an Invitation-Declaration for a business visit of a foreigner to the Republic of Bulgaria. The rules for it are precise:
- It is prepared on the set form, Enclosure No 4 or No 6 to Bulgaria's Regulation on the procedures and conditions for issuing visas.
- It is signed and stamped by the inviting person or company.
- It is certified by a notary public.
- It is certified by the Migration Directorate of Bulgaria's Ministry of Interior, the body for administrative control of foreigners.
VFS adds that there is a set format for the invitation letter which business applicants must follow. A letter on company letterhead, however detailed, does not replace this form. Both certifications happen in Bulgaria, so ask your partner to start as soon as the dates are agreed and to send you the certified original.
The form also does a second job. VFS accepts accommodation provided by the inviting company or person in the Invitation-Declaration as proof of accommodation, so if the form names where you will stay, no hotel booking is needed.
Your side of the file
Employed
- What Bulgaria's checklist asks for
- A letter on the employer's official letterhead giving your position, years in service and the leave granted, with salary certificates for the last three months
A business owner or self-employed
- What Bulgaria's checklist asks for
- A visa request letter on your company's letterhead, with company registration papers
Bringing your spouse or children
- What Bulgaria's checklist asks for
- They apply under the tourist visa procedure, as the business checklist says
Funds come next: three months of bank statements, savings and current accounts as applicable, and income tax returns for the last three years, personal and the company's where applicable, with the ITR-V acknowledgements for those years. Bring original previous passports, or proof of their loss, and copies of the current passport's data pages and every page with earlier visas and travel.
How much is the Bulgaria business visa fee?
The visa fee is €90, listed by VFS as ₹9,900 for Indian citizens on 14 October 2026, plus a VFS logistics charge of ₹2,530 per applicant, GST included. Visa fees are not refundable, and the VFS charge is non-refundable once the appointment is confirmed. Our filing fee is shown at the top of this page.
How long does it take, and when should you apply?
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says a decision is taken within 15 calendar days of an admissible application, and in individual cases within up to 45 calendar days. The VFS business checklist allows up to 30, or at most 60, calendar days where more scrutiny is needed. Plan on the VFS figure.
Three timing rules for business trips:
- Not too early. The VFS checklist says applications cannot be submitted more than 3 months before departure, even though the Ministry allows six. Lodge within three months.
- Not too late. The Ministry sets 15 days before the trip as the latest point. VFS warns that a file lodged later than that cannot be completed on time with any certainty.
- The Bulgarian paperwork first. The notary and the Migration Directorate both have to act before the original reaches you. Count that time before you book the VFS slot.
Do not chase the Embassy early: VFS says status queries are answered only after the processing time has passed.
Why do Bulgaria business visas get refused for Indian applicants?
The refusal form is the EU's standard one, and the VFS checklist warns that incomplete or faulty documentation can itself lead to refusal. Business files usually fail here.
An ordinary letter instead of the Invitation-Declaration
A partner's email or a letterhead invitation is not the certified form. Without the notary's and the Migration Directorate's certification, the file lacks its main proof of purpose.
Dates that do not line up
The Invitation-Declaration, your cover letter, the employer's leave and the return booking must give the same dates and the same place of stay. A one-day mismatch between Bulgarian and Indian papers invites questions.
Thin company or personal finances
Bulgaria asks for three years of ITRs, personal and company, and three months of statements. A new company with little trading history, or an account topped up just before applying, weakens the business case.
A visit that reads as employment
Weeks at one plant, hands-on technical work or an open-ended stay suggests a job, which a short-term visa does not allow. Keep the programme to meetings and events with a fixed return.
The full set of refusal grounds is explained on our Schengen refusal reasons page. The Ministry says a refusal can be appealed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Sofia or to the Administrative Court Sofia-City, and the refusal form states the time limit.
Tips for a stronger business file
- Cover letter. Explain the purpose, the duration of stay and any later visits you expect, as the business checklist asks.
- Agenda. Attach a programme with company names, addresses and meeting dates that match the Invitation-Declaration.
- Insurance. From one of the approved insurers on VFS's list for India, valid for Bulgaria for the whole stay, with at least €30,000 of cover. For multiple entries, cover the first visit and sign the statement on the prescribed form.
- Photo. One recent professional colour photo, 3.5 × 4.5 cm, light background, face filling 70 to 80 per cent of the frame, no dark glasses.
- Form. In English or Bulgarian, names in Latin letters as in the passport, signed by you in field 37 and the last field.
- Transport. A return ticket or confirmed booking.
Can I get a multiple-entry business visa for Bulgaria?
Yes, if your history supports it. Under the EU's cascade rules for Indians, after two Schengen visas obtained and lawfully used within the previous three years, a two-year multiple-entry visa can be issued, normally followed by a five-year one if the passport has enough validity. In the cover letter, ask for multiple entries and show why: a distribution agreement, regular audits or a supply contract.
Once you have travelled, later applications can be lodged by an authorised representative, which saves trips to the centre. For other kinds of trip, see the Bulgaria tourist visa guide and the Bulgaria country page.
Official sources
- Visa for Bulgaria, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria
- Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in New Delhi, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- VFS Global Bulgaria India: business visit checklist, fees and processing
- VFS Global Bulgaria India: visa application centres
- European Union adopts more favourable Schengen visa rules for Indians, EU Delegation to India
