Announcement from the Bulgarian Embassy, London

With effect from 1 January 2006, all children entering Bulgaria will need to have their own passport. Children included in their parents' passports will only be allowed in if the passport also contains their photograph. Upon entry into Bulgaria, foreigners should declare in writing the purpose of their stay and the address at which they are staying. To this end they should fill in a registration form.

This is in accordance with changes to the regulations for the implementation of the Law on Foreigners which the Bulgarian Government approved at the end of 2005. The new regulations came into effect from 1 January 2006.

The Interior Ministry has announced that Bulgaria's border checkpoints are to introduce separate passport-control desks for Bulgarians and foreign nationals.

The move is expected to ease official checks at border passport control in the wake of adopted changes to the legislation on foreigners that oblige them to fill in a registration form.