Bulgaria visa for Palestinian citizens

For the tourist visa, Bulgaria’s official sources give a standard fee of €90. Processing time, as Bulgaria states it: 15 calendar days as a rule; up to 45 days if more checks or documents are needed. Longest stay on the tourist visa: Up to 90 days in any 180-day period.

In 2025, Bulgaria’s embassy and consulates in Palestine (Ramallah) received 385 applications for short-stay Schengen visas and issued 286. 22.8% of applications were refused. In 2024 it had been 5.8%: the rate rose by 17.0 points, a sharp increase. Applications rose by 169% compared with 2024 (143).

For comparison, all Schengen states together refused 16.7% of the applications lodged in Palestine that year, from 11.8% at the consulates of Germany to 41.0% at those of the Netherlands. Bulgaria’s consulates worldwide refused 12.5%. Bulgaria was the 4th most applied-for Schengen state in Palestine.

You apply to the Schengen state that is your main destination (the longest stay or the main purpose; the state of first entry only when there is none), so a lower rate elsewhere is no reason to apply there. Bulgaria only began issuing Schengen visas on 31 March 2024, so its 2024 figures cover part of the year. The figures cover applications lodged in Palestine, by any nationality: mostly citizens, but also residents from other countries.

For a trip from Palestine to Bulgaria, the published travel advice reads as follows: the US State Department rates Bulgaria at Level 1, exercise normal precautions (updated 8 October 2025), the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office does not advise against travel to Bulgaria (updated 11 August 2026) and the German Foreign Office has no travel warning for Bulgaria (updated 13 October 2026). Each ministry writes for its own citizens.

How long Palestinian citizens can stay in Bulgaria

How long Palestinian citizens may stay in Bulgaria is set by the visa issued, and the visa type must match the purpose of the trip.

How Palestinian citizens apply

Bulgaria has no embassy or career consulate in Palestine. Palestinian citizens apply through a mission of Bulgaria accredited to Palestine from abroad, or through another Schengen state that represents Bulgaria for visas; the official visa portal of Bulgaria names the right place.

Bulgaria and the Schengen area

A Schengen visa issued by Bulgaria lets Palestinian citizens travel in all Schengen states; apply to Bulgaria when it is the main destination of the trip.

Bulgaria’s neighbours for Palestinian citizens

North Macedonia, Greece, Romania, Turkey and Serbia require Palestinian citizens to obtain a visa in advance.

Bulgarian citizens travelling to Palestine

Palestine admits Bulgarian citizens without a visa.