Bulgaria moves closer to US visa waiver program

Foreign Minister of Bulgaria Velislava Petrova met on Tuesday at the Foreign Ministry with a high-level delegation from the US Department of Homeland Security led by John Gountanis, Deputy Under Secretary for Strategy, Policy and Plans. Representatives of the US Department of State also attended the meeting.

Petrova said the visit was a significant recognition of Bulgaria's progress in meeting the technical security requirements for inclusion in the US Visa Waiver Program. She noted that lifting tourist visa requirements for Bulgarian citizens would reflect the strategic partnership between Bulgaria and the United States while ensuring balanced and mutually respectful consideration of both countries' priorities, CE Report quotes BTA.

The two sides discussed the final steps in the process of Bulgaria's accession to the Visa Waiver Program, including the fulfilment of the remaining legal requirements. The last outstanding condition is reducing the US tourist visa refusal rate for Bulgarian applicants to below 3%, Petrova said.

Photo: Foreign Ministry of Bulgaria