The change in visa rules by the Bulgarian authorities has made it more difficult for Russian tourists and property owners to enter the country. According to the decision of the authorities, entry to the country with an unopened Schengen visa was closed, that is, first the tourist will have to visit the country of its issuance, thereby activating the visa, and only then can one enter Bulgaria with such a visa.
According to Bulgarian media reports, such as the government’s State Gazette, the decision was made by the Bulgarian Council of Ministers. Now entry to the country under “pure” Schengen is prohibited, that is, the tourist will first have to visit the country that issued the visa.
Bulgaria has introduced similar measures for non-Schengen visas of other countries with which entry to the country is allowed. This applies to visas of Romania and Cyprus: you will be able to enter Bulgaria for them only after visiting the country that issued the visa.
It will be recalled that Bulgaria has not yet denied Russian tourists the issuance of their “own” visas, although technical interruptions have been observed. At the moment, according to the information of the visa center, the Bulgarian Service Visa Center accepts only applications for a short-term visa of category “C” (“C” visa can be single-entry, double-entry, or multiple-entry. The period of stay in the territory of Bulgaria under the “C” visa, regardless of the validity period visa, which cannot exceed 90 days within every 180 days).
We should also add that Bulgaria is one of the countries that “closed the sky” to Russian tourists. So you will have to go through third countries to get there in any case.