Canada lifts short travel visa requirements for Bulgarians, effective 1 December 2017
27 November 2017 News
As of 4:00 p.m. Bulgarian time on 1 December 2017, Bulgarian citizens will no longer need a visa to travel to Canada for stays of up to six months for tourism, to do business or to visit family and friends.
Bulgarians travelling to Canada by air will have to obtain approval in the form of an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) in advance. Approved eTAs will be valid for up to five years.
Those who already have a valid Canadian visa can continue to travel to Canada with that visa and do not need to apply for an eTA. Those who already have an eTA can continue to fly to Canada with that eTA until it expires.
Bulgarian citizens entering Canadian territory by land or sea do not need approval in the form of an eTA in advance.
Visa-exempt travellers are authorised to stay for up to six months. The actual length of the stay is determined by a Canadian border services officer at the port of entry in the country.
Bulgarian citizens can apply for an eTA only on the Government of Canada’s official website, at Canada.ca/eTAwww.canada.ca/eTA. The online process takes just minutes to complete. An eTA applicant needs a valid passport, a credit or debit card to pay a fee of 7 Canadian dollars, and a valid e-mail address.
Most eTAs are approved within minutes. However, some requests can take several days to process if applicants are required to submit supporting documents.
Further information is available in English at: www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/news/2017/11/important_informationforbulgarianandromaniancitizenstravellingto.html
and in French at: www.canada.ca/fr/immigration-refugies-citoyennete/nouvelles/2017/11/renseignements_importantsalintentiondescitoyensbulgaresetroumain.html
These electronic addresses are temporary and will be replaced by permanent ones on 1 December 2017.
Working in Canada
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria notes that the lifting of visa requirements applies only to Bulgarians travelling to or staying in Canada on a short-term basis. The new rules do not apply to persons wishing to work or study in that country.
Bulgarian citizens who want to work legally on the territory of Canada can obtain detailed information in English about the document requirements at: http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/romania-roumanie/visas/work_temp_travailler.aspx?lang=eng
Work permits are issued by the Canadian Department of Citizenship and Immigration and, to this end, applications have to be submitted to the Canada Visa Application Centre (CVAC) in Sofia or online.
Illegal workers are fined and in cases of re-offence they are deported from the country.