Bulgaria halts 10-year passport issuance after blank forms run out

Bulgaria's Ministry of Interior has temporarily suspended applications and issuance of 10-year passports after demand exceeded forecasts and the stock of blank documents ran out.

According to both Dariknews and Mediapool, the ministry announced the suspension on Friday, citing a technical rather than a policy reason. The number of 10-year passports issued since the format was introduced has reportedly surpassed initial forecasts by four times. Those forecasts date to 2018, when the government began building the system for a new generation of Bulgarian identity documents, meaning projections were set nearly a decade before actual demand could be measured.

The result: blank forms for the 48-page, 10-year passport have been exhausted. The ministry has not announced when new stocks will arrive or whether procurement steps have been taken, a gap that Mediapool specifically flagged as unanswered.

What this means for Bulgarians at home and abroad

Five-year passports continue to be issued without interruption. The ministry says it has organized the process so that no one's ability to travel outside Bulgaria should be blocked.

Those who already submitted an application for a 10-year passport will instead receive a 5-year document. The difference in fees paid will be refunded. Details on how and when that compensation will be processed are still being finalized, and the ministry says citizens will be informed separately.

For Bulgarians living abroad, renewing a passport from overseas already requires a consulate visit, time off work, and advance planning. Receiving a shorter-validity document than the one applied and paid for adds uncertainty for diaspora members who had chosen the 10-year option specifically to reduce the frequency of consulate trips.

Dariknews reports the 5-year passport route remains fully open. The ministry has given no timeline for when 10-year forms will return to stock.