Visas

Restoring the free movement of people in Europe and opening internal borders is crucial to rescue the 2020 summer season. Tens of millions of jobs and family livelihoods are at stake as the coronavirus threatens to fatally damage the tourism sector.

The European Commission on May 8 proposed extending restrictions on travel to the EU until June 15.

EU countries in mid-March adopted restrictions on non-EU nationals entering bloc territory in order to contain the spread of COVID-19, and extended the ban in April.

The European Union (EU) executive on Friday backed keeping curbs on travel to the continent in place for another 30 days until mid-June as part of extraordinary measures to limit the spread of coronavirus but also hurting trade and tourism.

France ceases all flights outside the Schengen area, French Transport and Environment Minister Elisabeth Borne said on Tuesday, quoted by Reuters.

"There are no more international flights outside the Schengen zone," Borne told French RTL radio.

The European Union's industry chief Thierry Breton said on Tuesday he wanted all EU member states to have the same access to financing and credit.

Breton also told French BFM TV he expected the Schengen zone to stay closed over the summer due to the new coronavirus. 

Bulgaria closes its borders until April 17. The measure applies to all non-European citizens or arrivals from the following EU Member States and Schengen countries: Italy, Spain, France, the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland.

Germany shut down its borders with France, Denmark, Austria and Luxembourg in an effort to curb the spread of the Covid-19 epidemic at home. Spain and other European Union countries are doing the same. The closure of the Schengen border raises more barriers to individual movements within the EU. 

The United States has refused to issue entry visas for 9.75% of all applications submitted by Bulgarians in 2019, according to the European Commission. Statistics show a steady decline in refusals - from 17.3% in 2015, 16.9% in 2016, 14.97% in 2017 and 11.32% in 2018, BNR reported.

It is forbidden to enter the territory of Bulgaria from 00.00 on March 20 until April 17, inclusive, to all third-country nationals at all border crossings by aircraft, sea, rail and road. This is reported by the press centre of the Ministry of Interior, BNR reported.

Health Minister Kiril Ananiev issued an order banning the entry of third-country nationals into our country. This was reported by the Ministry of Health.

It shall enter into force on 20 March (midnight) and shall apply until 17 April inclusive. The ban applies to all types of vehicles - air, car, rail and passenger cars.