Bulgaria will pay the taxes for tourist visas of foreigners, funding them with the national budget. This was decided by the government at it’s regular assembly last Thursday.

The concession for the tourism sector, which was heavily hit by the ongoing financial and economical crisis, was promised by the foreign minister Ivailo Kalfin nearly a month ago.

At the moment, such taxes are demanded only for Russian tourists. Since March, Russian tourists can apply for a visa at the Bulgarian consulate in Moscow and a separate visa center. The service is performed by a private company which charges 11 euro for each visa. After the changes in the law, Bulgaria will fund these taxes with about 1,5 million euro per year, said Kalfin.