Bulgaria visas, from Pakistan.

The uniform Schengen visa for tourism, visiting family and friends, and business travel such as meetings, trade fairs and training — up to 90 days in any 180-day period across Bulgaria and the rest of the Schengen area. The visa is the same for all these purposes; only the supporting file changes.

• Passport issued within the last 10 years, valid 3 months beyond departure, with two blank pages
• Completed Schengen application form and a biometrics appointment at the accepted visa centre
• Return flight reservation plus hotel bookings, or a host or company invitation covering the whole stay
• Last 6 months' bank statements with salary slips, FBR/NTN tax record or business registration
• Travel medical insurance valid across Schengen with at least €30,000 cover
• Proof of ties to Pakistan: employer letter with approved leave, property papers, family documents

Pakistan is on the EU list of nationalities that require an airport transit visa, so this is needed to change planes at Sofia or another Schengen airport without leaving the international transit area. You are exempt if you hold a valid EU/EEA visa or residence permit, or a residence permit from the USA, Canada, Japan, Andorra or San Marino.

• Confirmed onward ticket to a destination outside the Schengen area
• Visa or residence permit for the final destination country, where one is required
• Passport valid at least 3 months beyond the transit date
• Booking confirmation showing the transit is confined to the airport international transit area

National long-stay visa for patients admitted to a Bulgarian medical establishment for prolonged treatment, exchanged for a continuous residence permit after arrival. Short courses of treatment are handled on an ordinary Schengen Type C visa instead.

• Letter from the Bulgarian hospital or clinic confirming admission, the treatment plan and its expected duration
• Proof of funds covering treatment and living costs without Bulgarian state support
• Health insurance valid in Bulgaria for the whole period of stay
• Police character certificate, MoFA-attested, apostilled and translated into Bulgarian
• Proof of accommodation in Bulgaria: registered lease, or hospital or hotel confirmation

The long-stay national visa for full-time degree study at an accredited Bulgarian university, exchanged for a one-year renewable student residence permit after arrival. It also covers the one-year Bulgarian-language preparatory course that precedes Bulgarian-taught degrees.

• University admission letter plus the Ministry of Education certificate approving your enrolment
• Matric/FSc and any degree certificates attested by IBCC or HEC and MoFA, apostilled, then translated into Bulgarian
• Proof the first year's tuition is paid, plus living funds of roughly €4,000–€5,000 for 12 months
• Medical certificate, health insurance valid in Bulgaria and a police character certificate
• Language evidence the university requires, commonly IELTS 6.0 for English-taught programmes
• For medicine and dentistry, a pass in the university's biology and chemistry entrance exam

The EU researchers' route for doctoral candidates and researchers, based on a hosting agreement with an accredited Bulgarian university or research institute. Spouse and children can apply to accompany the researcher.

• Signed hosting agreement with an accredited Bulgarian research organisation
• Master's degree or equivalent giving access to doctoral programmes, attested, apostilled and translated
• Evidence of salary, scholarship or funds covering the whole research period
• Health insurance valid in Bulgaria and a police character certificate
• Proof of accommodation in Bulgaria with a registered lease or host confirmation

Graduates of Bulgarian degree programmes and researchers completing a project can stay on to look for work or start a business — EU rules provide at least nine months — and then switch to a single permit or EU Blue Card once employed.

• Bulgarian diploma, or written confirmation from the host organisation that the research is complete
• Application filed while your student or researcher residence permit is still valid
• Bank statements or sponsorship proof showing means of support for the job-search period
• Health insurance valid in Bulgaria
• Jobseeker registration with the Employment Agency where the Migration Directorate requires it

Bulgaria's main employer-sponsored route: one decision covering both work and residence, tied to a named employer and job. The employer applies to the National Employment Agency and normally has to show the vacancy could not be filled from the local or EU labour market.

• Signed Bulgarian employment contract on the same pay and conditions as local staff
• Employer's labour-market test: advertised vacancy and Employment Agency referral results, unless exempt
• Degree or trade certificate for the role, attested, apostilled and translated into Bulgarian
• Employer's application filed with the National Employment Agency before you apply for the D visa
• Employer within the legal cap on third-country nationals as a share of its workforce
• Police character certificate and medical certificate

The highly qualified employment route for graduates with a Bulgarian job offer paying at least 1.5 times the national average gross salary. No labour-market test applies, and family members can apply at the same time rather than waiting a year.

• Employment contract of at least 6 months meeting the Blue Card salary threshold — 1.5× the national average gross wage, recalculated from official statistics (roughly €2,000+ a month at 2026 levels; we confirm the figure in force)
• Higher education qualification of at least three years, or the professional experience accepted for the role
• Recognition of your foreign degree where the profession is regulated in Bulgaria
• Health insurance covering the period until Bulgarian social insurance starts
• Police character certificate, apostilled and translated into Bulgarian

For managers, specialists and trainee employees transferred from a Pakistani company to its Bulgarian branch, subsidiary or group company, with the employment relationship with the sending company kept in place.

• Documentary proof that the sending company and the Bulgarian entity belong to the same group
• Continuous prior employment with the sending company immediately before the transfer (typically 6–12 months depending on category)
• Assignment letter stating post, duration, salary and the return arrangement at the end
• Qualifications matching the manager, specialist or trainee category, attested and translated
• Health insurance and a police character certificate

For agriculture, food processing, hotels and tourism. Work of up to 90 days needs only employer registration with the National Employment Agency plus a Schengen Type C visa; work from 90 days up to 9 months in any 12-month period needs a seasonal worker permit and a Type D visa.

• Seasonal employment contract in a listed sector at local pay rates
• Employer's registration or seasonal-permit application with the National Employment Agency
• Accommodation named in the file, meeting Bulgarian standards, with the rent disclosed
• Health insurance for the full period of stay
• Passport valid for the whole season plus a return ticket or evidence of ties in Pakistan

Long-stay residence for the representative of a foreign company's trade representative office registered with the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The office may promote the parent company but cannot trade or earn revenue in Bulgaria, so this is a residence route, not an income route. A separate ground exists for owners of a Bulgarian company employing at least ten Bulgarian nationals.

• BCCI certificate registering the trade representative office, or Commercial Register filing for the company route
• Board resolution of the foreign company appointing you as its representative, apostilled and translated
• Parent company registration, NTN and accounts showing it is genuinely trading
• Registered lease or property deed for an address in Bulgaria
• For the company route, payroll and NRA records for at least 10 Bulgarian employees
• Health insurance, proof of means of support and a police character certificate

For the spouse, minor unmarried children and, in narrow cases, dependent parents of a non-EU national who already holds a continuous, long-term or permanent residence permit in Bulgaria.

• Nikah nama plus NADRA computerised marriage and birth certificates, MoFA-attested, apostilled and translated into Bulgarian
• Sponsor's Bulgarian residence permit, usually after one year of lawful residence (EU Blue Card holders' families can apply sooner)
• Sponsor's employment contract, payslips and tax records showing stable income for the whole family
• Registered lease or title deed for accommodation adequate for the family size
• Health insurance for each family member and police character certificates for adults
• Prior opinion of the Migration Directorate before the D visas are issued

For the spouse, children and dependent parents of a Bulgarian citizen, or of an EU/EEA national living in Bulgaria. Where EU free-movement rules apply, the entry visa is issued free of charge on an accelerated basis and there is no prior-residence waiting period for the sponsor.

• Marriage or birth certificate proving the relationship, apostilled and translated into Bulgarian
• Bulgarian ID card or EU/EEA passport of the sponsoring family member
• Evidence the relationship is genuine and subsisting: photographs, communication records, joint documents
• Registered lease or title deed for accommodation, plus proof of means of support in Bulgaria
• Police character certificate from Pakistan, attested and apostilled