The Bulgarian Health Minister Stoycho Katsarov on Thursday issued an order with new rules for entry in Bulgaria from May 1, according to novinite.com.
Individuals arriving from India, Bangladesh, Brazil as well as countries from Africa will be temporarily banned from entry into Bulgaria. The exception will apply to Bulgarian citizens and persons with permanent or long-term residence in Bulgaria and their family members, and they will be allowed to enter but will be quarantined for 10 days.
All other persons arriving in Bulgaria, regardless of their citizenship and the country from which they come, will be required to present one of the following documents: a document for a completed vaccination against COVID-19 and following the expiration of a 14-day period after the administration of the last vaccine dose; a document proving a past COVID infection result (positive PCR test or a rapid antigen test for the period from the 15th to the 180th day from the date of the test); or a negative PCR test done no more than 72 hours before arrival or a fast antigen test done no more than 48 hours before arrival.
This last option is applicable only to Bulgarian citizens, citizens of EU member states, Schengen countries and their family members; citizens of the UK, Australia, Canada, the US, Japan, New Zealand, China, Rwanda, the Republic of Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, Eastern Uruguay, the United Arab Emirates, the Republic of Northern Macedonia, Serbia, Albania, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Moldova, Russia, Israel, Kuwait, Belarus and Turkey; persons with permanent or long-term residence in Bulgaria and the members of their families; persons holding a Bulgarian long-stay visa, type „D”, as well as persons holding a residence permit in an EU member state or in a Schengen country (including San Marino, Andorra, Monaco and the Vatican) and members of their families.
Where such arrivals fail to present the required document, they will be placed in 10-day quarantine which may be called off upon presentation of a negative PCR or fast antigen test done no later than 24 hours from the entry in Bulgaria.