The Bulgarian identity card (, , ) is a compulsory

identity document An identity document (abbreviated as ID) is a documentation, document proving a person's Identity (social science), identity. If the identity document is a plastic card it is called an ''identity card'' (abbreviated as ''IC'' or ''ID card''). ...

issued in

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

. The document is issued by the police on behalf of the

Ministry of Interior An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, th ...

and is the main form of identification on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria. All Bulgarians are obliged by law to carry their identity cards with them at all times and are subject to fines should they not. Since 1 January 2007, the Bulgarian identity card can be used for travel within the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

and the

Schengen Area The Schengen Area ( , ) encompasses European countries that have officially abolished border controls at their common borders. As an element within the wider area of freedom, security and justice (AFSJ) policy of the European Union (EU), it ...

instead of a Bulgarian passport. In addition, the Bulgarian identity card is accepted as a travel document by

European microstates A European microstate or European ministate is a very small sovereign state in Europe. In modern usage, it typically refers to the six smallest states in Europe by area: Andorra, Liechtenstein, Malta, Monaco, San Marino, and Vatican City. Andor ...

, the

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(max. 14 days),

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, North Cyprus,

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, and organized tours to

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History

The Bulgarian identity card (''лична карта'' in the Cyrillic alphabet, or "lichna karta" in the Latin transliteration of Bulgarian) is first issued and is compulsory after turning 14 years of age. The new Bulgarian ID cards were introduced in 1999. They follow the general pattern in the EU and replaced the old, Soviet-style "

internal passport An internal or domestic passport is a type of identity document issued in a passport-like booklet format. Internal passports may have a variety of uses including: # An ordinary identity document produced in a passport format (such as the modern ...

s", also known as "green passports". On 29 March 2010 Bulgarian identity cards were updated. A new model complying with the requirements of Regulation (EU) 2019/1157 was announced on 5 April 2023 and were released on 17 June 2024.

Physical appearance

The physical appearance of the Bulgarian identity card is similar to that of a credit card, the identity card is plastic and rounded-rectangular in shape. On the left side is the photograph of the bearer. On the top edge of the card, the name ''Republic of Bulgaria'' is available in two languages, Bulgarian and English, written in capital letters, below, the name of the card is available in the same two languages and also written in capital letters. The middle part of the flag of the Republic of Bulgaria and the coat of arms of the Republic of Bulgaria are also displayed on the identity card. Furthermore, the following information is contained on the front side of the card: * The unique 9-digit ID number of the card * The cardholder's full name, sex, and date of birth * The cardholder's uniform civil number (Bulgarian: единен граждански номер; abbreviated ЕГН, EGN): a unique 10-digit number that serves as national identification number * Date of expiry of the card * Cardholder's signature The back side of the identity card contains the cardholder's family name, place of birth, permanent address, height, and eye color, as well as the place where the card was issued together with the date of issue. At the bottom there is a machine-readable zone according to

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specifications.

Obtaining an identity card

In order to be issued an identity card, one needs to fill in a form, which should be taken to the Identity Documents and Passport Regime Units within the District Police Stations. The forms could be obtained at all District Police Stations. When applying a digital picture of the person is taken, and—in the case of applying for a passport at the same time—fingerprints of the thumbs of the applicant. First-time applicants (i.e. persons turning 14) must also provide a valid birth certificate. It is possible for a person to apply for a renewal of the ID card via a representative with a notary signed permit, provided there are no significant changes in his or her appearance. There are, however limitations. If you apply via a representative, you must receive the new ID yourself. Vice versa, if you applied yourself, then an authorized representative may receive your ID. This does not apply to applying for passports, as fingerprints must be taken. A monetary tax is paid for the issuing of the identity card; the price depends on the selected type of issuing which is basically the time needed for the card to be issued (the prices are listed in District Police Stations). The standard time for issuing a Bulgarian identity card is 30 days. There are, however, express services that allow you to apply for a 3-work day issuance period or even 8-hour service. The issuance fee is doubled for the 3-work day period and quintupled for the 8-hour service. If you apply for a standard 30-day service there is a great chance your ID card will be ready way before that. The Ministry of Interior has provided a
online service
that allows you to check whether your ID card is ready. For people ages 14 to 18 years, the identity cards are valid for four years, while citizens ages 18–70 are issued cards with 10-year validity; citizens over 70 years old are issued identity cards with a 10 year or optional 30 year expiry.

Gallery of historic images

File:Bulgaria identity card.gif, The front of a Bulgarian national non-biometric identity card File:Idcard.jpg, alt=Bulgarian ID card., Bulgarian identity card (until 2010) File:Bulgarian identity card.png, Bulgarian identity card (2010-2024)

References

External links