Balgarianovinite.com The backlog in issuing 10-year passports could be cleared quickly if a promised shipment of blank passport booklets arrives on September 29, Deputy Interior Minister Kaloyan Kaloyanov told MPs on Thursday.
The parliamentary Committee on Policies for Bulgarians Abroad discussed with Interior Ministry representatives the temporary suspension of applications for and issuance of 10-year Bulgarian passports, the financial implications for affected citizens and the timetable for fully restoring the service.
Kaloyanov said September 29 was the date given by the contractor in its correspondence for the large delivery and that resuming the service depended on it meeting its commitment.
Blank passport booklets for Bulgaria’s new generation of identity documents are supplied under a contract signed in 2022. The Interior Ministry began issuing 10-year passports in April 2026 and by mid-June detected delays and a reduction in the quantities delivered.
At the end of August, the delivery schedule was disrupted without the Ministry being notified in advance. A small consignment of blank passport booklets was delivered on August 24, and the contractor replied that technical difficulties prevented it from making the urgent delivery requested by the Ministry by August 28. With a delay of more than a month expected and stocks depleted, the Ministry stopped accepting applications for 48-page passports valid for 10 years on August 27. All applications submitted under the fast-track and express services were processed on time, Kaloyanov said.
People who applied for a 10-year passport through the standard service may opt to receive a five-year document. The difference in the state fee will be transferred to a bank account they designate. Those who decline a five-year passport will receive a full refund of the EUR 29 fee.
Applicants will be notified by telephone or email. Police officers will personally visit applicants who did not provide contact details.
Kaloyanov said that in the first month after the new passports were introduced, 10-year documents accounted for 65% of applications and five-year documents for 35%. The same pattern continued.
The Interior Ministry ordered additional quantities under an agreement, with deliveries due to begin in October. Kaloyanov said the immediate cause of the problem was the contractor’s failure to meet the regular delivery schedule.
Sufficient blank passport booklets were set aside in advance for applications submitted by Bulgarian citizens abroad, Kaloyanov said.
The Interior Ministry will seek the penalties provided for under the contract over the contractor’s non-performance, and its lawyers are preparing the necessary steps, Kaloyanov said.
Bulgaria’s new passport production system uses centralized personalization to provide greater security.
The Bulgarian passport ranks 11th in the 2026 Henley Passport Index, offering visa-free access to 178 destinations. Bulgaria shares the position with Romania.
Deputy Interior Minister Kaloyanov: 10-Year Passport Backlog Could Be Cleared after September 29 Delivery 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-09-03 19:49:53
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БЪЛГАРИЯ НОВИНИТЕ – ИНФОРМАЦИОННА АГЕНЦИЯ 2009-2026 2026-09-03 19:49:53