HOT: » Which party would you vote for (if you could) in the upcoming snap vote in Bulgaria on April 19?
Send to Kindle
Bulgaria's Interior Minister, Tsvetan Tsvetanov, will hold a phone conversation with the German company Siemens to clarify problems with the personalization software, leading to delays. Photo by BGNES
Bulgaria's Interior Minister, Tsvetan Tsvetanov, has requested an urgent phone conversation with a high-ranking employee of the German company Siemens over software problems with the biometric ID system.
The information was reported by the Interior Ministry's press center.
By 6pm Tuesday 17 000 applications have been submitted all over the country from citizens wishing to renew their ID documents, 13 600 of them for biometric international passports. 22 000 passport and 32 000 ID cards applications have been submitted since March 29 when the system was first introduced.
On Tuesday, Bulgaria also began processing express ID orders.
It was established in the process that the personalization software is experiencing serious problems in the printing of the ID documents on time. The glitches can be fixed only by the manufacturer – the German Siemens. The Interior insists these problems are not the result of the poor organization of the work flow at local offices.
The conversation with Siemens will take place Wednesday while the Interior appeals to citizens, who do not need to urgently replace their passports and/or ID cards, to delay their applications, especially the express ones.
The Bulgarian passport offers its holders visa-free access to 178 countries and territories, placing it 11th globally for travel freedom and expedited border crossing, according to Henley & Partners.
British nationals who also hold another citizenship will soon be required to enter the United Kingdom exclusively with British documentation, as regulatory changes take effect from February 25
Starting January 2026, the cost of obtaining a new Bulgarian ID card will rise
The Bulgarian passport has solidified its position among the world’s most powerful travel documents
Ireland leads the world in passport power in 2025, according to the latest ranking by tax and immigration consultancy Nomad Capitalist
The Henley Passport Index for 2025 reveals that Singapore holds the top spot for the most powerful passport
Bulgaria has secured a six-month extension of the Lukoil waiver, following a decision by the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)
The Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) has decided to increase the countercyclical capital buffer to 2.25%, in a move aimed at easing pressure on the rapidly growing housing credit market and strengthening the resilience of the banking system.
Energy expert Boyan Rashev has warned that Europe could be moving toward what he described as an “energy lockdown” scenario if fuel supply pressures continue to worsen
Fuel prices in Bulgaria have continued to edge upward, with diesel and gasoline both registering increases in the days following the Easter holiday
Bulgaria’s tourism sector has never been stronger and has been achieving steady growth for the past few years.
Industrial output in Bulgaria posted a modest monthly increase in February 2026, but continued to decline sharply on an annual basis, according to preliminary, seasonally adjusted data from the National Statistical Institute.
Aniventure Comic Con Returns to Bulgaria with Star Guest Christopher Judge!
Global Fuel Shock: Oil Jumps Over 40% Since Iran War Began
