Bulgaria: The procedure to obtain a passport, whether one must explain the absence of one's old passport prior to obtaining a new one

Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
Author Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada
Publication Date 12 May 2000
Citation / Document Symbol BGR34410.E
Reference 2
Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Bulgaria: The procedure to obtain a passport, whether one must explain the absence of one's old passport prior to obtaining a new one, 12 May 2000, BGR34410.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ad4b44.html [accessed 17 September 2023]
DisclaimerThis is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

On 5 May 2000 an official at the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in Ottawa stated the following, with respect to Bulgarian passports:

Only Bulgarian citizens can apply for Bulgarian passports (i.e. formerly called external passports). There are two major groups:

– those who possess old passports have to present them and have also to fill in an application form.

– In the cases when the person has never had a passport, he or she must present a birth certificate and fill in an application form.

In cases when applicants have lost their passports or the passports have been stolen, they have to submit a copy of the police report that their passports had been reported lost or stolen so that they will not be charged a fine. If they cannot present a police verification for the loss or theft reported, they do not have to explain why the old one is missing but will have to pay a fine and can re-apply for a new passport.

According to some recently adopted amendments in the regulations, applicants can authorize someone through Powers of Attorney to apply for a passport on their behalf.

The procedure has not changed in substance since 1991.

Information on Bulgarian passports can also be found in the attachments to BGR20662.E of 8 May 1995.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria, Ottawa. 5 May 2000. Correspondence.

Copyright notice: This document is published with the permission of the copyright holder and producer Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB). The original version of this document may be found on the offical website of the IRB at http://www.irb-cisr.gc.ca/en/. Documents earlier than 2003 may be found only on Refworld.

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