For 1 year (note ed. October 2021-September 2022) Bulgaria has managed to reduce the percentage of refused visas for the USA by 8%, according to the data of the State Department of the States. This is among the main factors that determine when American visas for Bulgarians will expire. The issue was raised again today during an official event dedicated to 75 years since the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty, 20 years of NATO membership and 33 years of the Atlantic Club in Bulgaria, held in Sofia. It was attended by the American ambassador Kenneth Marten, the Speaker of the Parliament Rosen Zhelyazkov, retired ministers, politicians.
„When I arrived in Bulgaria nearly a year ago, our partners in the then official cabinet heard from me that I was making a commitment to work with the Bulgarian institutions in order to achieve what needs to be done so that Bulgaria meets the requirements to become part of the visa-free travel program. We took steps, we encouraged the Bulgarian government to appoint a senior official. A whole set of visa-free travel requirements have been met, but there are others that need to be met. One of the frequent comments is that the visa refusal rate in Bulgaria is quite high. There are other such countries. We hope that the increase in the country's economic well-being will reduce the rate of visa refusals in the future,” said the American ambassador to our country.
He recalled that the criteria for visa-free travel to the USA are the same for all countries in the world and this is not a political decision that is made in the USA.
„We are working with full strength to enable Bulgaria to achieve all the criteria for visa-free travel. I really want it to happen before the end of my term,”, he concluded.