Embassy of the United States Sofia, Bulgaria

General Information

Any Bulgarian citizen or third country national residing permanently in Bulgaria who wishes to immigrate to the United States must apply for an immigrant visa.  U.S. immigration law provides for the issuance of immigrant visas in three general categories:

• Family-based
• Employment-based, and
• The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (sometimes known as the "green card lottery”)

For family-based immigrant visa applications, a U.S. citizen or Legal Permanent Resident must file an I-130 petition with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service.

For employment-based immigrant visa application, the U.S. employer must file an I-140 petition with USCIS. 

Diversity Visa applications must be submitted electronically during the registration period – which usually occurs in the autumn each year.  Please note:  the Embassy will advertise the opening of the registration period on its website at http://bulgaria.usembassy.gov   Only those selected may apply for immigrant visas.  (Caution: please be aware that there are non-U.S. government sites claiming to provide accurate information about this program who have defrauded applicants.)

Effective February 1, 2013, all individuals issued immigrant visas overseas must pay a $165.00 USCIS Immigrant.  Fee before traveling to the United States.  Only prospective adoptive parents whose child(ren) is/are entering the United States under either the Orphan or Hague Process, Iraqi and Afghan special immigrants who were employed by the U.S. government, returning residents, and those issued K visas are exempt from the new fee.  The below USCIS website has more details on the new fee, including contact information for USCIS, if there are further questions: http://www.USCIS.gov/immigrantfee

All immigrant applicants must appear at the consular section for a personal interview.  If a petition has been filed with USCIS, the interviews are scheduled by the National Visa Center in Portsmouth, NH.  Diversity Visa interviews are scheduled by the Kentucky Consular Center.  For all other types of visas, the applicant will be instructed to schedule an interview directly with the Embassy by telephone at (359 2) 937-5444 Monday through Friday between the hours 09:00 – 12:00 or via e-mail by sending a request for appointment to iv_sofia@state.gov.

Entrance to the Embassy will not be permitted more than 15 minutes before your scheduled appointment time.

As the Embassy cannot give assurances that a visa will be issued until after the personal interview, applicants are strongly advised not to buy tickets or make any final travel arrangements, not to dispose of their property, and not to give up their jobs until their visas have been issued.