ORDER

 РД-01-374/27.05.2021, 

Pursuant to Art. 61, para. 2, Art. 63, para. 4, 5 and 11 and Art. 63c of the Health Act, Art. 73 of the Administrative Procedure Code, and in connection with Decision № 426 of the Council of Ministers of 26 May 2021 to extend the emergency epidemic situation announced by Decision № 325 of the Council of Ministers of 14 May 2020, extended by Decision № 378 of the Council of Ministers Council of 12 June 2020, Decision № 418 of the Council of Ministers of 25 June 2020, Decision № 482 of the Council of Ministers of 15 July 2020, Decision № 525 of the Council of Ministers of 30 July 2020, Decision № 609 of the Council of Ministers of 23 August 2020, Decision № 673 of the Council of Ministers of 25 September 2020, Decision № 855 of the Council of Ministers of 25 November 2020, Decision № 72 of the Council of Ministers of 26 January 2021 and Decision № 395 of the Council of Ministers of April 28, 2021 and a proposal by the Chief State Health Inspector

                                               ORDER:

I introduce the following temporary anti-epidemic measures regarding the entry into the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria, as of 27.05.2021 to 31.07.2021 as it follows:

1. I temporarily prohibit the entry into the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria of persons arriving from India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Maldives, Brazil and countries and territories in Africa, except for persons who are Bulgarian citizens and of the persons with the status of permanent, long-term or long-term residence on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria and the members of their families.

2. Bulgarian citizens and persons with the status of permanent, long-term or continuous residence on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria and their family members arriving from India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Maldives, Brazil and countries and territories in Africa, they shall be quarantined for a period of 10 days in the home or other accommodation where the person has indicated that he or she will reside, with a prescription issued by the director of the relevant regional health inspectorate or a deputy director authorized by him.

3. Exclusion from the prohibition under item 1 shall be allowed in regard of persons arriving from the Arab Republic of Egypt, the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, the Tunisian Republic, the Kingdom of Morocco, the Republic of Mali, the Republic of Niger, the Republic of Chad, the Republic of Sudan, the State of Eritrea Republic of the Republic of Gabon, Republic of the Congo, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Republic of Benin, Togo, Côte d'Ivoire, Republic of Liberia, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of the Gambia, Senegal, Republic of Burkina Faso, Republic of South Sudan, Republic of Guinea , Cape Verde, Canary Islands, Comoros, Madeira, Mauritius, Mayotte, Reunion, Sao Tome and Principe, Saint Helena, Seychelles, for which the requirements of paragraphs 5-13 apply.

4. For the purposes of this order, the State (territory) from which the person of arrival is the State (territory) - the starting point of his departure, regardless of before, related to his transit through other countries during his movement.

5. Persons, other than those under item 1, who enters the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria, regardless of their citizenship and the country from which they arrive, shall be admitted to the territory of the country, upon presentation of one of the following documents:

(a) a document showing a completed vaccination scheme against COVID-19. The completion of a vaccination schedule is considered to be the administration of an appropriate number of doses of a COVID-19 vaccine listed in Annex I 1 and the expiry of a 14-day period from the date of administration of the last dose. The combination of one dose of Vaxzevria / AZD1222 with one dose of Comirnaty / BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine) is also considered to be a complete vaccination schedule. The document must contain the names of the person written in Latin according to the identity document with which he travels, date of birth, dates on which the respective doses of vaccine were given, trade name and batch number of the vaccine against COVID-19, name of the manufacturer / the holder of the marketing authorization, the country from which it was issued and the name of the issuing competent authority;

(b) a document showing a positive result of a polymerase chain reaction test or a rapid antigen test for COVID-19 - for persons suffering from COVID-19 for the period from the 15th to the 180th day from the date of the study entered in the document. The document must contain the names of the person, written in Latin, according to the identity document with which he travels, data about the medical institution that performed the examination (name, address or other contact details), date of the examination by polymerase chain reaction reaction or rapid antigen test for COVID-19, written in Latin method (PCR or RAT) and a positive result (Positive), allowing interpretation of the document.

6. Bulgarian citizens, nationals of Member States of the European Union (EU), Schengen Parties (including the Republic of San Marino, the Principality of Andorra, the Principality of Monaco and the Vatican City State) and members of their families (including persons in fact coexistence with them); the citizens of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Union of Australia, Canada, the United States of America, Japan, New Zealand, the People's Republic of China, the Republic of Rwanda, the Republic of Korea, the Kingdom of Thailand, the Republic of Tunisia, Eastern Republic of Uruguay, United Arab Emirates, Georgia, Ukraine, Republic of Northern Macedonia, Republic of Serbia, Republic of Albania, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Republic of Moldova, Russian Federation, Israel, State of Kuwait, Republic of Belarus and the Republic of Belarus; the persons with the status of permanent, long-term or continuous residence on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria and the members of their families; persons holding a Bulgarian long-stay visa type "D", as well as persons holding a residence permit in a Member State of the European Union or in a Schengen country (including the Republic of San Marino, the Principality of Andorra, the Principality of Monaco and the Vatican City State) and the members of their families, except for the cases under item 1, are allowed to enter the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria, apart from presenting a document under item 5, with a submission of a document showing a negative result from a test conducted up to 72 hours before entering the country based on the polymerase chain reaction method or a negative result of a rapid antigen test performed up to 48 hours before entry into the country to detect COVID-19, as of the date of the study entered in the document.

7. The document under item 6 must contain the names of the person, written in Latin, according to the identity document with which he travels, data about the medical institution that performed the examination (name, address or other contact details), date on which performed the test, written in Latin method (PCR) or rapid antigen test of those listed in Annex № 2 and a negative result (Negative), allowing interpretation of the document.

8. By the meaning of the order of items 6 and 7 on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria may enter persons, regardless of their citizenship, arriving from countries other than those under items 1, which are:

a) medical professionals, medical researchers, social workers and their supervisors, where the purpose of the journey is related to the profession they are pursuing;

 b) workers involved in the supply of medicinal products, medical devices and personal protective equipment, medical equipment, including its installation and maintenance;

c) officials (heads of state, members of governments ) and the members of their delegations, as well as diplomats, members of the administrative and technical staff of foreign missions, employees of international organizations, servicemen, employees of the security and public order services and humanitarian workers in the performance of their duties, as well as members of the their families;

d) persons traveling for humanitarian reasons within the meaning of § 1, item 16 of the additional provisions of the Law on Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria;

e) representatives of the trade, economic and investment activities and persons directly related to the implementation of projects certified under the Investment Promotion Act, analyzes of projects of potential investors and other activities relevant to the economy of the country, as well as the members of their families, certified by a letter from the Minister of Economy; persons directly involved in the construction, maintenance, operation and safety of the strategic and critical infrastructure of the Republic of Bulgaria, as well as persons engaged in shipbuilding and ship repair, as well as their family members, certified by a letter from the Minister responsible for the respective activity. The letter of the respective minister shall be submitted to the border control bodies;

f) seasonal agricultural and tourism workers;

g) persons traveling for educational purposes as well as persons participating in examination boards, in cases when the examination cannot be conducted remotely in an electronic environment;

h) organizers and participants in international sports competitions - for the time of the respective sports event, athletes from abroad coming to the country for a certain trial period; athletes and coaches from abroad arriving in the country to participate in training camps, family members of foreign athletes and coaches, holders of Bulgarian long-stay visa type "D", certified by a letter from the Minister of Youth and Sports, which indicates the names of the persons and the place (address) of their residence in Bulgaria. The letter shall be submitted to the border control authorities;

i) foreign citizens, for receiving a decree under the Bulgarian Citizenship Act for acquired Bulgarian citizenship, certified by a letter of the Ministry of Justice;

j) organizers and participants in international cultural events - for the time of the respective cultural event, certified by a letter from the Minister of Culture, in which the names of the persons and the place (address) of their residence in Bulgaria are indicated. The letter is submitted to the border control authorities.

9. On the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria may enter, without the need to present a document under item 5 or 6, persons who are:

a) bus drivers and stewards engaged in the international carriage of passengers;

b) truck drivers who perform or terminate international transport of goods and goods upon entering the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria;

c) members of the crews of vessels and persons engaged in the maintenance of vessels who, on entering the territory of The Republic of Bulgaria performs their official duties;

d) members of the crew of an aircraft operating flights to and from airports for public use on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria and the persons engaged in aircraft maintenance;

e) frontier workers (persons living in the Republic of Bulgaria and traveling daily or at least once a week to a Member State of the European Union, the Republic of Turkey, the Republic of Serbia or the Republic of Northern Macedonia, in order to pursue an employed or self-employed activity person, as well as persons who live in the indicated countries and travel daily or at least once a week to the Republic of Bulgaria for the purpose of exercising activity as an employed or self-employed person);

f) pupils and students living in the Hellenic Republic, the Republic of Turkey, the Republic of Serbia, the Republic of Northern Macedonia and Romania and traveling daily or at least once a week to the Republic of Bulgaria for study purposes, as well as pupils and students living in the Republic of Bulgaria and travel daily or at least once a week to the Hellenic Republic, the Republic of Turkey, the Republic of Serbia, The Republic of Northern Macedonia and Romania for study purposes;

g) persons passing in transit through the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria, in the cases when an immediate departure from the territory of Republic of Bulgaria can be guaranteed;

h) children up to 5 years of age, who are family members of persons under item 6;

i) (supplemented – Order RD-01-377) nationals of the Republic of Romania and Bulgarian citizens arriving from the Republic of Romania.

10. Bulgarian citizens and persons with the status of permanent, long-term or continuous residence on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria and members of their families who do not present a document under item 5 or 6 shall be placed in quarantine for a period of 10 days at home or other place of accommodation in which the person has indicated that he / she will reside, with a prescription issued by the director of the respective regional health inspectorate or a deputy director authorized by him.

11. The director of the respective regional health inspection may revoke the issued prescription for quarantine of the persons under item 10, upon presentation of a document showing a negative result from a polymerase chain reaction test conducted within 24 hours of entry into the country for proving COVID19 or by a rapid antigen test as specified in Annex № 2. The prescription shall be revoked within 24 hours of the presentation of the document showing a negative test result.

12. The persons under items 1, 3, 5, 6, 8 and 10 shall be admitted on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria through the following border checkpoints (BCP): Burgas Airport Border Checkpoint; Varna Airport Border Checkpoint; Plovdiv Airport Border Checkpoint; Sofia Airport Border Checkpoint (Terminal 1 and Terminal 2); Border Checkpoint "Port of Burgas"; Port of Varna border checkpoint; Vidin border checkpoint; Vrashka Chuka border checkpoint; Durankulak border checkpoint; Gueshevo border checkpoint; Ilinden border checkpoint; Kalotina border checkpoint; Kapitan Andreevo border checkpoint; Captain Petko Voivoda border checkpoint; Kulata border checkpoint; Lesovo border checkpoint; Makaza border checkpoint; Malko Tarnovo border checkpoint; Oltomantsi border checkpoint; Oryahovo border checkpoint; Ruse border checkpoint; Stanke Lisichkovo border checkpoint and Somovit-Nikopol border checkpoint.

13. The restriction under item 12 shall not apply to the persons under item 9.

14. The Road Infrastructure Agency shall determine the place where the lorry and the driver must stay until the relevant ban is lifted in cases where the drivers of lorries transporting stocks and goods destined for other countries due to a ban by a state, which is a border of the Republic of Bulgaria, cannot leave the country.

15. When establishing a passenger with COVID-19 on board an aircraft that has landed on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria, the cabin crew members serving the passenger with COVID-19 shall not be planned for the next flight and are respectively quarantined for term of 10 days with a prescription issued by the director of the respective regional health inspection or by his deputy director.

II. Order № RD-01-354 of 18.05.2021, supplemented with Order № RD-01-366 of 21.05.2021 is revoked.

III. The order enters into force on 27.05.2021.

IV. The order ought to be published on the website of the Ministry of Health.

The order is subject to appeal within one month from the publication on the website of the Ministry of Health, in front of the relevant administrative court under the Administrative Procedure Code.

Annex № 1 to item 5, letter "a"

Appendix № 2 to item 7