The Bulgarian authorities have decided not to allow entry into the country to tourists with a multi- or double-entry Schengen visa who have not previously visited any Schengen country on it. At the same time, the period of their visit should not exceed 90 days within six months from the date of the first entry.
The Council of Ministers of Bulgaria has banned the entry of foreign tourists with previously unused double or multiple Schengen visas. They will be able to visit the country only on the condition of first entry into another country of the agreement. The decision, which entered into force on April 21, was published in the official publication of the republic, the Democratic Newspaper.
Bulgaria is not part of the Schengen area, but the country allows entry with Schengen visas. According to the representation of the diplomatic mission of Bulgaria in the UK, subject to the conditions of entry into the republic, travelers can stay in the country during the validity of the visa and 90 days within 180 days from the date of the first entry.
Earlier it was reported that in 2022, Russians filed 687,000 applications for Schengen visas. Spain became the leader in terms of the number of visas issued to Russians last year, having issued about 144,000 documents at the consulate in Moscow and 11,000 at the diplomatic mission in St. Petersburg. Also, the top five countries that most often issued documents to travelers included Italy, Finland, Greece and France. Consulates of Malta, Iceland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Luxembourg issued the least Schengen visas last year
Source: forbes