04.02.2021
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT COVID-19 FOR TRAVELERS TO BULGARIA
Consulting Center - Berkovitsa publishes the information prepared by the Ministry of Health on the most frequently asked questions by people who are about to travel to Bulgaria in the conditions of COVID-19.
For the citizens of which countries/persons with acquired status does the temporary ban on entering the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria introduced until 30.04.2021 not apply?
- Bulgarian citizens and their family members;
- citizens of the Member States of the European Union and members of their families;
- nationals of Schengen Parties (including the Republic of San Marino, the Principality of Andorra, the Principality of Monaco and the Vatican City State) and members of their families;
- citizens of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Union of Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Rwanda, the Republic of Korea, the Kingdom of Thailand, the Republic of Tunisia, the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, the United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, the Republic of Northern Macedonia The Republic of Albania, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, the Republic of Moldova, Israel, the State of Kuwait, the Republic of Belarus and the Republic of Turkey;
- persons with the status of permanent, long-term or long-term residence on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria and the members of their families;
- persons holding a Bulgarian long-stay visa type "D";
- persons who are authorized to reside in a Member State of the European Union or in a Schengen country (including the Republic of San Marino, the Principality of Andorra, the Principality of Monaco and the Vatican City State) and their family members.
Is there a requirement to submit a document for a negative result from a PCR test?
All persons, regardless of their starting point of departure, are admitted to the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria after submitting a document showing a negative result from a test conducted up to 72 hours before entry into the country by the method of polymerase chain reaction to detect COVID-19 (PCR test), as of the date of the study entered in the document.
Are there exceptions to the requirement to provide a document for a negative PCR test result?
- bus drivers carrying out international passenger transport;
- drivers of lorries that perform or complete international transport of goods and goods upon entering the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria;
- members of the crews of vessels;
- the crew members of an aircraft operating flights to and from airports for public use on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria and the persons engaged in aircraft maintenance;
- frontier workers, regardless of their nationality;
- persons passing in transit through the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria.
What are the requirements for the document for a negative result of a PCR test, which should be submitted to the border health control?
The document must contain the names of the person according to the identity document with which he/she is traveling, data about the laboratory that performed the test (name, address or other contact details), date on which the test was performed, written in Latin method (PCR) and negative result (Negative), allowing interpretation of the document. The document can also be provided in electronic format on an electronic device (mobile phone, tablet, etc.).
What can I expect if I do not submit a document for a negative result from a PCR test?
Bulgarian citizens and persons with the status of permanent, long-term or long-term residence on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria and their family members shall be placed under quarantine for a period of 10 days in the home or other accommodation where the person has indicated that he will resides, with a prescription issued by the director of the respective regional health inspectorate or a deputy director authorized by him.
Can I, after entering the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria, take a PCR test and submit it to the relevant regional health inspectorate in order to have my quarantine prescription revoked?
To the Bulgarian citizens and persons with the status of permanent, long-term or long-term residence on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria and the members of their families, who arrived on the territory of the country in the period from 29.01.2021 to 30.04.2021, the director of the respective regional health inspection may revoke the issued prescription for quarantine, upon presentation of a document showing a negative result of a test conducted within 24 hours of entry into the country by the method of polymerase chain reaction for the detection of COVID-19 (PCR test).
The prescription shall be revoked within 24 hours of the submission of the document showing a negative result of the polymerase chain reaction test for the detection of COVID-19.
Are there exceptions to the requirement to present a document for a negative result from an age-based PCR test (eg: babies, young children)?
To date, no such exceptions have been introduced in view of the possibility of an asymptomatic course of the infection and the associated epidemiological risk of import, transmission and spread of the disease.
It should be borne in mind that PCR testing is performed by sampling various clinical materials, such as nasopharyngeal secretions, throat secretions or lavage, saliva, etc., according to the methodology and equipment used, which helps to obtain appropriate material from all age groups. .
Are there exceptions to the requirement to provide a negative PCR test based on the presence of antibodies after COVID-19 or a vaccine against COVID-19?
No such exceptions have been introduced so far. All travelers should be aware that due to the lack of accumulated scientific data on the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines in preventing infection and asymptomatic transmission of the new coronavirus to susceptible individuals, as well as the duration of post-vaccination immunity, vaccination certificates are currently available. against COVID-19 do not serve as evidence of entry into the country and respectively to cancel the quarantine or to replace the PCR test requirement.
When making short-term trips up to 72 hours, is it necessary to present a new document for a negative result of a PCR test performed on the territory of the country from which I am returning, or can I use the one issued on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria?
For short trips, it is not necessary to perform a new PCR test if 72 hours have not elapsed before entering the country, as of the date of the study entered in the document. However, the Ministry of Health recommended that individuals monitor their health upon return and limit their non-essential contacts.
Is a rapid antigen test allowed instead of a PCR test?
As a condition for entering the country, the presentation of a negative result from performed rapid antigen tests is not allowed, due to their lower specificity and sensitivity, compared to those of PCR tests.
Rapid antigen tests should be performed only under the conditions specified in the Criteria for application of rapid antigen tests for SARS-CoV-2 (Appendix № 2 to item 6 of Order № RD-01-724 of 22.12.2020 of the Minister of healthcare).
What is a frontier worker?
In Art. 1 (f) of Regulation (EC) № 883/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on the coordination of social security systems, a legal definition of the term "frontier worker" is given, is any person pursuing an activity as an employed or self-employed person in one Member State and residing in another Member State to which he returns, as a general rule, on a daily basis or at least once a week. For the purposes of implementing the anti-epidemic measures introduced, the definition of frontier worker may also apply to persons arriving from the Republic of Turkey, the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Northern Macedonia.
Who is a family member of a foreigner?
According to Art. 2, para. 3 of the Law on Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria, family members of a foreigner are the persons who live with him in a household and are his spouse, children of the foreigner and his spouse, including the adopted children who have not reached 18 years of age. years of age and have not married and the children of the foreigner or his / her spouse, who have not married, who have reached the age of 18, when serious health reasons require personal care for them or for such reasons are objectively unable to provide for themselves.
Who is a family member of a European Union citizen?
According to § 1, item 1 of the Additional Provisions of the Law on the Entry, Residence and Departure of the Republic of Bulgaria of Citizens of the European Union and Members of Their Families, a family member of a citizen of the European Union is a person with whom the citizen of the European Union is married or de facto cohabiting, descending to a citizen of the European Union and not having reached the age of twenty-one, or being a dependent, ascending, dependent on the citizen of the European Union and his / her spouse or person, with which he is in actual coexistence.
Who is a family member of a Bulgarian citizen?
According to Art. 2, para. 6 of the Law on Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria, members of the family of a Bulgarian citizen are the persons who live with him in one household and are a spouse, descendants who have not reached the age of twenty-one and have not married, descendants who have reached the age of twenty-one, but do not have their own income due to the fact that they are unable to provide for themselves, or serious health reasons require the Bulgarian citizen to take personal care of them, ascending to the Bulgarian citizen or his / her spouse, as well as other members of his household who were entirely dependent on him in the country of origin or in the country of their usual residence or serious health reasons require the Bulgarian citizen to take personal care of them.
When are there humanitarian reasons?
According to § 1, item 16 of the additional provisions of the Law on Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria, "humanitarian reasons" are present when the non-admission or leaving the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria of a foreigner will create a serious danger to his health or life due to objective circumstances, or for the integrity of his family, or the best interests of the family or the child require his admission or stay on the territory of the country.
The journey should be taken in exceptional circumstances of an urgent nature in order to protect the health or life of the traveler or his relatives.
Which authority can provide me with information on what documents are needed to prove citizenship, acquired status, the status of a family member or the existence of humanitarian reasons?
The border control activity with regard to entry and residence on the territory of the country is carried out by the border control bodies at the Ministry of Interior.
Are border health controls carried out at all border checkpoints?
Border health control is carried out at the following border checkpoints in the country, to which all travelers must be directed:
- Vidin border checkpoint
- Vrashka Chuka border checkpoint
- Gueshevo border checkpoint
- Durankulak-Vama Veke border checkpoint
- Zlatarevo-Novo Selo border checkpoint
- Ilinden-Exohi border checkpoint (available)
- Kalotina border checkpoint
- Kapitan Andreevo-Kapakule border checkpoint
- Kapitan Petko Voyvoda-Ormenion border checkpoint
- Kulata-Promahon border checkpoint
- Burgas Airport Border Checkpoint
- Varna Airport border checkpoint
- Plovdiv Airport border checkpoint
- Sofia Airport Border Checkpoint (Terminal 1 and Terminal 2)
- Makaza-Nymphaea border checkpoint (available)
- Malko Tarnovo border checkpoint
- Border checkpoint Ruse-Danube bridge
- Stanke Lisichkovo border checkpoint
- Strezimirovtsi border checkpoint
