The US will continue requiring visa permits for Bulgarians entering the country for at least two more years.

The visa requirement might be abolished when the US introduces an electronic system for monitoring of foreigners who leave the country, US embassy in Bulgaria consul general Daniel Perrone told private channel bTV.

Hopes that the visa requirements for the new EU members and NATO-loyal alleys would be abolished arose when the US congress approved a draft-law including certain cases in which a visa would not be required, mediapool.bg said.

Conditions that congress imposed for alleviation, including a low number of rejected visa applications, surpassed what Bulgaria has been able to meet so far.

Perrone said that even if Bulgaria joined the programme for visa abolishment, the US should first introduce a number of organisational and technical measures. Every applicant for a visa will have to submit biometric data.

The possible visa abolishment referred only to tourist visas. Any Bulgarian looking to work or study in the US would still have to apply for a visa, Perrone said.