MARRIAGE BETWEEN U.S. AND BULGARIAN CITIZENS

Getting Married in Bulgaria

If you are a U.S. citizen and wish to marry a Bulgarian citizen in Bulgaria, the Bulgarian authorities require that you make a statement before a U.S. consular officer, swearing that you are legally eligible to marry. The fee for notarization of this statement is $30. This service is conducted at the Consular Section on Mondays through Thursday, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Please call in advance to arrange a specific time. The statement must include the full name of the American citizen (please bring your U.S. passport) and the full name, date of birth and current address of the Bulgarian citizen spouse. This statement is not required if the American citizen spouse holds dual citizenship and is also a Bulgarian citizen.

The sworn statement must then be taken to the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to be authenticated, before you may get married. Once the marriage has taken place, in many cases a petition for immigrant status for the new spouse may be filed and processed at the Consular Section. See the Family-Based Petitions section for details.

Getting Married in the United States

If you are a U.S. citizen and wish to have a Bulgarian citizen come to marry you in the United States, you must file an I-129F (fiancé) petition with the Bureau of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in the United States. The Consular Section cannot process I-129F petitions. Please contact USCIS to obtain the proper forms and instructions. Once USCIS has approved the petition, you and your fiancé(e) will be notified and the petition will be sent directly to the Consular Section in Sofia. Once the petition has been received in Sofia, you may schedule an interview appointment for the Bulgarian fiancé(e) by telephoning the Immigrant Visa Unit at +359-2-937-5100, weekday afternoons from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Please note that these interviews are scheduled for Wednesday or Friday mornings.