As a returning international student, you should keep in mind that your Bulgarian ID card is canceled if you are not currently enrolled at AUBG – on Leave of Absence, exchange (except for students on Erasmus exchange), withdrawn, suspended, or dismissed.
In order to continue your education at AUBG, you need to obtain a long-term student visa (type D). This requirement applies to ALL international students from countries that are not members of the EU. To get this visa, you need to apply at the Bulgarian embassy in the country of your permanent residence, not earlier than three months before traveling and not later than one month before that date.
Because the visa process is slow and time-consuming, you must allow time for it. Please keep in mind that you should apply for a visa no later than June 1 if you are returning for the fall semester and no later than October 1 if you are returning for the spring semester. It takes at least 30 working days for the Bulgarian Embassy to issue the visa.
Here is an outline of the process:
Step one
Please pay the AUBG non-refundable confirmation deposit of USD 450. The deposit will go towards your tuition or other fees on your return. To find information on how to pay, go to aubg.edu/payments.
Step two
Complete and email the attached Returning Student Data Sheet to [email protected].
Step three
Send a scanned copy of the front page of your international passport to the International Student Services Office. The page should include your full name written in the Latin alphabet and your date and place of birth. Your passport must be valid for at least a year and a half after the date on which you apply for a visa.
Step four
Only after that AUBG will issue a certificate, stating that you are accepted at AUBG, you will live on campus, and you will have insurance upon arrival.
Step five
If the Bulgarian embassy requires a document about paid tuition, please contact [email protected] to request it. The document can be issued ONLY if you have paid your tuition.
Step six
The AUBG certificate will be express mailed to you. Please give the exact mailing address and a telephone number. Note that the mailing charges will be charged to your student bill.
Step seven
If you are 18 years and over, you should have a Police clearance report issued in your home country, certifying that you have never been convicted.
- If your country has signed the Hague convention (Albania, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Montenegro, Turkey, or USA), you must get an “Apostille” before translating the documents. An “Apostille” certificate is needed to legalize a document for use in another country. You may find the competent authority providing “Apostille” at hcch.net
- If you are from a country that is not a member of the Hague convention (Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, or Kosovo) the documents must be first verified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and then translated by the Bulgarian Embassy.
- If you are from Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Macedonia, Mongolia, Russia, Serbia, Ukraine, or Uzbekistan the documents do not need legalization with an Apostille or Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Important:
You will need a Police clearance report for your D visa application and for your Bulgarian ID card to be issued after you come to Bulgaria but you may use it only within 6 months after the issuing date unless there is a shorter validity specified on the document.
Please double-check with the Bulgarian embassy at which you apply, what documents are required for your visa application, and collect them.
You may also complete the application form here.
Step eight
All students applying for a D visa and then for a Bulgarian ID card should have a document proving that they will be able to cover their living expenses – a valid bank account with the equivalent of 4,000 BGN. Please double-check with the Bulgarian Embassy what documents you need for the visa application and collect them.
Step nine
When you receive the documents from AUBG, take them and the other documents required for a long-term visa to the Bulgarian Еmbassy in your country (or in a neighboring country if your country has no Bulgarian embassy or consulate) for your visa to be issued.
Step ten
When the visa is ready, go to the Bulgarian embassy to get it. Make sure you carry your passport with you.
Step eleven
You may travel to Bulgaria after the visa is entered into your passport. Upon arrival on campus, you must be issued a new Bulgarian ID card. You need to return the old one to the police although it has expired.
