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India

Last update 08 November 2023Diplomatic missions

Risk index

Level 3: Increased level of risk (recommendation not to travel in certain areas of the country unless necessary)

3

Select passport type

Regular passport: visa not required

Diplomatic passport: visa not required

Official passport: visa not required

The Republic of India

Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in the Republic of India
Address: 16/17 Chandragupta Marg, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi – 110021
Telephone: +911126115550, +911126115549 ; +911124121054
Out-of-hours hotline: +919910999498
Fax: +911126876190
E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]
Website: www.mfa.bg/embassies/india
Consular Office:
Telephone for visa related information, appointments and consular matters: +91 966 776 5100
Working hours: 09:00 to 18:00 (local time)
Opening hours:
Monday to Thursday from 10:00 to 15:00 (local time) - acceptance of applications for visa and consular services; Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 12:00 to 13:00 (local time) - delivery of issued visas and consular services documents.
Appointments only by e-mail.
E-mail: [email protected]
 
Bulgarian Honorary Consuls in the country
Mr. Vishambhar Saran, Honorary Consul of the Republic of Bulgaria in India
 Kolkata (Calcutta), Consular District: territory of the states of West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha
Address: VISA House, 8/10 Alipore Road, Kolkata 700027, West Bengal, India
Telephone: +9133 30119000
Fax: +9133 30119001
Е-mail: [email protected]

Dr. Yadugiri Kiran Kumar
Hyderabad, Consular District: State of Andhra Pradesh
Address: 50-B, Journalist Colony, Near Apollo Cross, Film Nagar, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500 096, Andhra Pradesh, India
Telephone: +91 40 6613 5000; +91 40 6613 6000
Fax: +91 40 6613 9000
Е-mail: [email protected]

Mr Vinay R. Patil
 Mumbai, Consular District: State of Maharashtra
Samruddha Resources Limited
6th Floor, ‘A’ Block, Shivsagar Estate
Dr. Annie Besant Road, Worli
Mumbai – 400 018
Telephone. No.: 022 – 66619000
Fax No.: 022 – 66619090
Email : [email protected]
Website: www.samruddha.net

Embassy of the Republic of India in Sofia, the Republic of Bulgaria
Address: 4 Alfred Nobel St, Geo Milev, Sofia – 1113
Telephones: +359 2 963 56 75/ +359 2 963 56 76/+359 2 963 56 77
Fax: +359 2 963 56 86
Email: [email protected] 
On consular matters: [email protected], [email protected] & [email protected]
Website: https://www.indembsofia.gov.in/

General information

Security level:
In general the situation in India is relatively calm, though the cases of public protests, sitting strikes, etc. are frequent.
There is high threat from terrorist actions at public places, such as crowded trade centres and markets, tourist sites and places of interest, cinemas, trains, buses, occult places, etc.
Frequently committed crime against foreigners is small stealing. Cases are registered where foreigners have been drugged with narcotic substances through food and/or drinks proposed to them by unfamiliar people. Hence such proposals have to be declined.
During the past few years some cases have become known of kidnapping, violence and killing of foreigners, on religious basis included.

Healthcare:
India government does not require mandatory vaccines, except for vaccine against yellow fever for people having visited in the last 6 days countries where this disease is spread (mainly African and Latin-American countries).
Dysentery, hepatitis, HIV/SPIN, infectious diseases, malaria, Denge-fever, etc. are common diseases in India. Some of them have seasonal character.
In the big Indian cities many private clinics are functioning which maintain high standards of service but remain relatively expensive.

Traffic on roads:
Traffic follows the left road lane.

Practical advice:
Recommendable is that the Bulgarian citizens visiting India shall register themselves at the Embassy in Delhi in person, by phone or by e-mail.
Recommendable is concluding of medical insurance with higher cover.
Special attention shall be paid for avoidance of stealing of personal documents, cash and valuables. Recommendable is making of photocopies of your passport, Indian visa and airplane ticket which shall be kept at a place different from the storage place of the originals.
In connection with the terrorist threat in India, in all bigger hotels, tourist sites, etc. strengthened security measures are applied, including personal check and checking of personal items. In such cases the Bulgarian citizens shall provide their assistance to checking officials.
Recommendable is the avoidance of crowded places, demonstrations, meetings of civil or religious character. You should be watchable in respect of suspicious packages and other objects, as well as in contacting Indian or other citizens.
Avoided shall be any occasional contacts, visits of dark and deserted places, especially in the dark hours. Recommendable is to move in a group, not individually. Clothes shall be rather conservative, especially of women in connection with cases of sexual violence against women foreigners.
Special permit from the Indian government is requested for travelling in the Indian states of Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram, for the Andaman and Nikobar islands, as well as for some regions in the Indian states of Dzhammu and Kashmir, Radzhastan and Himachal Pradesh. The applications for obtaining of such permit shall be filed upon applying for visa at the Indian Embassy a considerable time in advance (not less than two months) before the planned journey. Filing of an application for such permit is possible also after arrival in India at the Ministry of Interior of India or at some of the FRRO offices.
Bulgarian citizens who travel in the Indian state of Dzhammu and Kashmir, at the regions close to the Pakistan boundary and in the north-eastern Indian states shall inform themselves well in advance about the particular situation there and the eventual security problems.
During your stay in India you should consume only plant-bottled water or boiled water, as well as ice from such water. Fruits and vegetables shall be carefully washed out and dried before consumption. Not recommendable is the consumption of food which has not been thermally processed. You should avoid low-hygiene restaurants and fast food pavilions on the street.
Recommendable is avoidance of contact with street animals as they may be bearers of serious diseases. You should be especially careful for monkeys who may be very aggressive while trying to steal food or items.
Upon visiting of occult places, you should wear appropriate clothes covering your shoulders and feet; shoes shall be taken away before entering of the occult place. In most cases photo shooting of religions sites is not allowable.
Holding hands in public is prohibited.

Local currency:
Indian rupee (INR)

Travel papers and visas

For holders of common passports requested is visa for entering India, which may be obtained from the Embassy of India in Sofia.

As of July 2, 2009  holders of valid Bulgarian diplomatic and official passports may enter, exit and pass transit through the territory of India without visa for short-term visits with stay of up to 90 (ninety) days within the limits of each 6 (six) months.

According to Indian legislation, alteration of visa type (for example, from tourist to student’s one, or business visa, and vice versa) cannot be carried out at place in India. Where such alteration is requested, foreigners shall leave the country and apply again for the respective visa type at an India Embassy.

In special cases and after proving of necessity, the stay with the relevant visa may be extended at place at Foreigner’s Regional Registration Office (FRRO), before expiry of visa’s period of validity.

Tourist visas in India are issued for a period of 3 to 6 months. PeoplePeople wishing to use India as a starting point for visiting other neighbour countries of India shall obligatory state this upon applying for tourist visa and shall submit at the Indian Embassy bookings of flights and a detailed schedule of planned visits in India and in the neighbouring countries, so that they can obtain a tourist visa with permitted two or three entrances in India, depending on the submitted documents. 

All peoplepeople visiting India with a tourist visa to whom there has been permitted a second entering in India before the expiry of the two-months period from their last departure from India shall be obliged to register themselves at FRRO within 14 days.

Foreigners entering India with a student’s, business, research, medical or missionary visa with period of validity longer than 180 days, are obliged to register themselves at FRRO within 14 after their entering in India irrespective of how many days they intend to stay in India.

Competitive service

What the consular officers may do for you:
- protection of the rights and interests of Bulgarian citizens, Bulgarian legal entities and people with Bulgarian origin in India and in the other countries of accreditation – Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka, in conformity with the Bulgarian legislation and the international treaties valid for R. Bulgaria, within the limits permissible by the international law and customs, as well as the legislation of India and the other countries of accreditation;
- consulting of physical people and legal entities on matters in the sphere of the consular activities or of significant public interest, or of Bulgarian citizens found in trouble;
- consulting of Bulgarian physical people and legal entities on the representation of their interests upon investigation and court procedures/cases, upon imposed restrictions on entering the territory of India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka, upon searching of inheritants , etc. on the territory of the countries of accreditation;
- acceptance, processing and communicating to the competent Bulgarian authorities of applications for issuing of Bulgarian identity documents (passport, personal identification card and driver’s license);
- acceptance and processing of declarations for declaring invalid Bulgarian personal identity documents; acceptance of invalid Bulgarian personal identity documents and informing of the competent Bulgarian authorities thereof;
- acceptance and processing of applications for issue of temporary passports to Bulgarian citizens with lost or stolen documents, and of certificates for return to Bulgaria to a foreigner; issue of substituting documents for travel after obtaining of the respective permit from the competent Bulgarian authorities;
- comprising of acts on established administrative breaches under the Law on Bulgarian personal identity documents;
- drawing of certificates, official notes etc. within the limits of the Embassy’s competence;
- acceptance and processing of applications for verification/establishment of Bulgarian citizenship and PIN in “Population” NBD and for selection/change of permanent and current address in R. Bulgaria;
- acceptance and processing of applications for adoption or renewal of Bulgarian citizenship or for release from Bulgarian citizenship;
- acceptance and processing of notifications on civil status and of documents on concluding of civil marriage at the Embassy;
- performance of translations and verification of the translator’s signature under civil status documents and verifications of the translator’s signature under other documents and papers in conformity with the stipulated competences;
- notary verifications of signatures and transcripts/ copies;
- acceptance and processing of applications for issue of Bulgarian visas;
- submission of information on the order and conditions for issue of visas;
- acceptance of requests and rendering assistance to Bulgarian citizens and foreigners found in trouble on the territory of India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka;
- protection of the interests of Bulgarian physical people and legal entities under extreme circumstances (natural calamities, terrorist attacks, etc.) and of the rights of Bulgarian citizens – victims of traffic aiming sexual or other form of exploitation, etc.;
- providing of information to Bulgarian citizens who are arrested and/or imprisoned on the territory of the countries of accreditation;
- representing the interests of under-aged and non-full-aged people and people of limited physical capability or physically incapable people within the frames of the international customs and the legislation of India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka;
- tracing down/investigation of Bulgarian citizens or of people with Bulgarian origin on the territory of India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka on the request of Bulgarian physical people or legal entities upon the availability of legal interest and within the frames of the international customs and the legislation of these countries;
- rendering of assistance to the crews of sea and river ships fleeting under the banner of R. Bulgaria and to aircraft registered in R. Bulgaria, within the frames of the international customs and the legislation of the hosting countries; upon necessity – acceptance of declarations for traveling on ships, comprising of shipping documents and settlement of disputes between the captain, sailors and passengers, as far as provided by the legislation of R. Bulgaria;
- provision of information about suffering, detained, deceased or perished Bulgarian citizens on the territory of India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka;
- provision of information on the procedures and necessary documents and rendering of assistance for repatriation to Bulgaria or for the execution of funeral/ official funeral in these countries in case of death of a Bulgarian citizen;
- in case of arresting – visit of the consular official at the detained Bulgarian citizen; provision of information and rendering of assistance to the relatives of the detained person to visit him/her in prison; paying efforts to guarantee the same attitude to the detained Bulgarian citizen as to the citizens of the hosting country;
- submission of topical information upon travel to and from the countries of accreditation;
- acceptance of requests for access to public information and provision of information on matters connected with Bulgarian personal identity documents (passport, personal identity card, driver’s license), on the possibilities for renewal or adoption of Bulgarian citizenship, civil status, citizenship, Apostilles, legalization, translation of documents and verification of the translator’s signature and other notary activities in conformity with the stipulated competences;
- in extreme situations, for Bulgarians found in disaster and after their relatives transfer the requested amount at the cashier’s desk of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Embassy will pay to the person the relevant amount.

Certification and Legalisation:
Bulgaria and India are parties under the Hague Convention on the abolishment of the requirement for legalisation of foreign public documents dt. 1961. Thus, the documents/deeds comprised in each of the two countries shall be provided with a seal – “Apostille” of the relevant Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as translated and verified under the relevant order, to serve in front of the competent authorities of the other country.

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