Bulgaria's Foreign Ministry unveiled on March 17 2008 the new e-Visa application system, which would enable foreigners to apply for Bulgarian visas online.

The aim of the system is to simplify the visa application process and make it more transparent. According to data from Bulgaria's State Agency for Tourism, 5.2 million foreign tourists visited Bulgaria in 2007, including a big number who needed visas, Foreign Minister Ivailo Kalfin told reporters.

Expectations are that tourist interest in Bulgaria will continue to grow this year and the new e-Visa system is expected to help both tourists and employees of Bulgaria's consular services by making the visa application process quicker and more efficient.

The system is already installed at the consular service of the Bulgarian embassy in Moscow and has been working since March 14. Embassies in Saint Petersburg, Kiev and Belgrade will follow suit soon. The Foreign Ministry plans on installing the system in all Bulgarian consular services by the end of 2008.

It can be now be used only by accredited tour operators for organised tourist groups. Each accredited tour operator has its personal login code, allowing them to file group visa applications and to see at any time the progress of their application. The Foreign Ministry's officials said they expected the system would be opened to general use in several months' time, but no later than end-2008.

The e-Visa project has been developed for the Foreign Ministry by software firm Perfect Plus free of charge, deputy foreign minister Milen Keremedchiev said.

Russia is the single biggest country, whose citizens require visas. The number of visas issued by Bulgaria's consular services in Moscow rose by 10.7 per cent in 2007, as compared with 2006. The rise in Saint Petersburg and in Kiev was accordingly eight and 14.5 per cent year-on-year.

Visa figures for the first two months of this year showed strong growth during the winter tourist season. In Moscow alone, the number of visas issued grew by 47.7 per cent to just over 10 000, while in Saint Petersburg and Kiev the rates of growth were 35.4 and 58.5 per cent, respectively, according to the data provided by the ministry.