Bulgaria visa for Saudi 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 Saudi Arabia (Riyadh) received 1,058 applications for short-stay Schengen visas and issued 459. The refusal rate was 55.4%. The refusal rate rose by 15.9 points from 39.5% in 2024, a sharp increase. Applications rose by 41% compared with 2024 (751).

For comparison, all Schengen states together refused 5.2% of the applications lodged in Saudi Arabia that year. Bulgaria’s consulates worldwide refused 12.5%. Bulgaria was the 16th most applied-for Schengen state in Saudi Arabia.

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 Saudi Arabia, by any nationality: mostly citizens, but also residents from other countries.

For a trip from Saudi Arabia 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). The advice is aimed at each government’s own nationals.

How long Saudi citizens can stay in Bulgaria

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

How Saudi citizens apply

Bulgaria has no embassy or career consulate in Saudi Arabia. Saudi citizens apply through a mission of Bulgaria accredited to Saudi Arabia 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 Saudi citizens travel in all Schengen states; apply to Bulgaria when it is the main destination of the trip.

Bulgaria’s neighbours for Saudi citizens

Turkey admits Saudi citizens visa-free. North Macedonia, Greece, Romania and Serbia require Saudi citizens to obtain a visa in advance.

Bulgarian citizens travelling to Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia issues Bulgarian citizens a visa on arrival for stays of up to 90 days, so nothing has to be arranged in advance.