Registering your arrival :
Bulgaria
Registering your arrival
Since Bulgaria is new to the EU, the rules differ from longer standing members of the EU community.
As a British national, if you plan on staying in Bulgaria for 90 days or less, you do not need a visa unless planning on working. However, if you plan to stay longer (or to work), you will need a "Lichna Cartas". To obtain either a long term visiting visa or a work permit, you must contact the Bulgarian Embassy or Consulate. Visas are only issued to those people who's passports show validity extending 3 months beyond the date they plan to leave, and also contain blank pages. Make sure your passport meets these critera prior to applying.
Like in most situations, there are exceptions to every rule. British Citizens with the following British Passport types will need a visa regardless:
British Overseas Territories Citizen without Right to Abode
British Overseas Citizens
British Subjects without Right to Abode
British Protected Persons.
Bulgarian Embassy - Long-Term Visas (Type "D")
Bulgarian Embassy - Visas
Bulgarian Embassy - Visa Fees
Be aware that according to their embassy, visa applications can take up to 10 work days to process during non busy times. So make sure you leave plenty of time to arrange this.
Once the 3 months period expires, you either have to leave Bulgaria, or apply for an extension visa at the local police station (politseiski uchastak , or Ministerstvo na vatreshni raboti - MVR) and there will be a fee to pay. You should be aware that doing this the formal way will involve lots of queuing and paperwork. In addition to avoid any misunderstandings since the police rarely speak English, it is advisable to take a Bulgarian speaker with you.
Although we can neither condone nor recommend this, many people avoid the above bureaucracy and head for the nearest border post. They then leave Bulgaria for a few seconds (making sure that their passport is date-stamped on the way out) and then walk back across the border again, thereby qualifying for another thirty or ninety days. Border guards are so used to seeing foreigners do this that they're unlikely to bat an eyelid.
On arrival in the country, you are required to register with the local police station within 5 days. You will then be given a registration slip. Keep this on you at all times as you could be asked to show it.