Schengen visas in Bulgaria: refusals consulate by consulate
0.0% of applications refused in 2025 — 0 of 33.
2024: 2.5% of 650 applications (−2.5 pts). 11 Schengen consulates active in 2025.
Every consulate, fewest to most refusals
| Consulate | Applications 2025 | Refused 2025 | 2024 | Change | Multiple entry |
|---|
Under 1,000 applications — rates not significant
| Consulate | Applications 2025 | Refused 2025 | 2024 | Change | Multiple entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands — Sofia | 10 | 0.0% | 14.3% | −14.3 pts | 66.7% |
| Spain — Sofia | 7 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 pts | 0.0% |
| Germany — Sofia | 5 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 pts | 100.0% |
| Belgium — Sofia | 3 | 0.0% | 7.1% | −7.1 pts | 66.7% |
| Finland — Sofia | 2 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 pts | 100.0% |
| France — Sofia | 1 | 0.0% | 2.4% | −2.4 pts | 0.0% |
| Greece — Sofia | 1 | 0.0% | 1.4% | −1.4 pts | — |
| Hungary — Sofia | 1 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 pts | 0.0% |
| Italy — Sofia | 1 | 0.0% | 8.0% | −8.0 pts | 100.0% |
| Poland — Sofia | 1 | — | 4.0% | — | — |
| Romania — Sofia | 1 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 pts | 100.0% |
Before choosing a consulate
You do not pick your consulate. The Visa Code (Article 5) designates the one of your main destination — or of the first country of entry if no destination dominates. Applying "where refusals are lower" for a trip elsewhere is itself a ground for refusal.
A low rate is not leniency: it also reflects who applies. A consulate that mostly receives seasoned business travellers refuses less than one receiving first-time applicants. The rate shows where files fail most often — a reason to prepare yours carefully, not to change address.
Source: Commission européenne — Visa statistics for consulates, 2025 and 2024 editions, published 2026-05-28. Uniform short-stay visas; the rate is the Commission's: refusals / (issued + limited territorial validity visas + refusals).