Bulgaria is not a full member of the Schengen zone. To increase the attractiveness of its country for tourists, the Government of Bulgaria decided to equate the existing Schengen visas to the national Bulgarian ones. The corresponding document confirming this is posted on the official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria.

This decision, according to the press service of the country's foreign affairs agency, means that the owners of the existing Schengen visas have the right to enter the country right now, before the moment of full accession of Bulgaria to the Schengen zone, without the need to obtain a Bulgarian visa for a short stay. Short-term in this case is considered to stay in Bulgaria for up to 3 months within each six-month period.