The acceptance of applications and the issuance of 48-page Bulgarian passports with a validity period of 10 years are temporarily suspended, the Ministry of Interior announced.
The reason is technical - the interest in this type of passport is unexpectedly high and since the start of its offer, the documents issued have exceeded preliminary forecasts and, accordingly, the quantities of blanks for it procured at the moment by four times. The estimated quantities are set for 2018, when the procedure for building the system for a new generation of Bulgarian personal documents is launched.
The issuance of passports with a 5-year validity continues without interruption and according to the established procedure.
The necessary organization has been created so that citizens can receive their documents in a timely manner and their ability to travel outside the country is not hindered.
Citizens who have applied for a Bulgarian passport with a validity of 10 years will be issued a passport with a 5-year validity. A mechanism for compensating those affected by refunding the difference in the fee paid is to be determined. Citizens will be informed further about the procedure for compensation.