Bulgaria suspends issuance of 10-year passports due to shortage

The Bulgarian Ministry of Interior has announced a temporary suspension of applications and issuance for 48-page Bulgarian passports with a 10-year validity period.

The suspension is due to technical reasons, as demand for this specific passport type has exceeded initial forecasts by fourfold. The current stock of blank documents, which was projected based on 2018 estimates, has been depleted due to this unexpected interest.

Issuance of 5-year validity passports will continue without interruption. Citizens who have already applied for a 10-year passport will instead receive a 5-year passport. The Ministry is working on a mechanism to compensate affected individuals by refunding the difference in the application fees and will provide further information on this process soon.