For Immediate Release to Media
From The United States Embassy in Sofia Bulgaria
March 31, 2023
Notice of fee increase for certain nonimmigrant visa applications
The United States Department of State has updated the cost schedule for consular fees after a review of the costs associated with the provision of visa and other services around the world. The slight increases to the costs of some fees reflects the rising costs of the inputs associated with the services provided by consular sections around the world.
Most relevant to our consular applicants in Bulgaria: the fee for business or tourism visas (B1/B2s), and for other non-petition based nonimmigrant visas – such as student and exchange visitor visas – will increase from $160 to $185. The fee for certain petition-based nonimmigrant visas for temporary workers (the H, L, O, P, Q, and R visa categories) will increase from $190 to $205.
Visas for work and tourism are essential to President Biden’s foreign policy, and we recognize the critical role international travel plays in the U.S. economy. The State Department works hard to keep the costs associated with visas to a minimum, and the Department only recovers the costs of providing these consular services. To learn more about the fee increases, which were published in the United States Federal Register, click here: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/03/28/2023-06290/schedule-of-fees-for-consular-services-nonimmigrant-and-special-visa-fees
