Sofia · Bulgaria · March 2025
Visas issued at Sofia in March 2025
The reports below contain preliminary data which are subject to change. Beginning with FY 2020, individual monthly issuance reports should not be aggregated, as this will not provide an accurate issuance total for the fiscal year to date. Instead, refer to our annual Report of the Visa Office for final full Fiscal Year statistics.
Nonimmigrant classes
| Class | Description (State Department) | Mar 2025 | Share | Feb 2025 | Mar 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J1 | Exchange visitor | 1,452 | 55.7% | 328 | 1,055 |
| B1/B2 | Temporary visitor for business and pleasure | 973 | 37.3% | 1,082 | 1,084 |
| C1/D | Combined transit and crewmember visa | 75 | 2.9% | 70 | 59 |
| H2B | Temporary worker performing other services | 47 | 1.8% | 1 | 43 |
| B1 | Temporary visitor for business | 12 | 0.5% | 11 | 15 |
| NATO2 | Other representative of member state to NATO and immediate family; dependents of member of a force entering under the NATO agreements; members of such a force if issued visas | 9 | 0.3% | 17 | 4 |
| E2 | Treaty investor, spouse or child | 6 | 0.2% | 1 | 2 |
| L1 | Intracompany transferee (executive, managerial, and specialized personnel continuing employment with international firm or corporation) | 5 | 0.2% | 2 | 2 |
| L2 | Spouse or child of intracompany transferee | 5 | 0.2% | 0 | 3 |
| F1 | Student in an academic or language training program | 4 | 0.2% | 1 | 8 |
| G4 | International organization officer or employee, and immediate family | 3 | 0.1% | 5 | 1 |
| H1B | Temporary worker of distinguished merit and ability performing services other than as a registered nurse | 3 | 0.1% | 3 | 1 |
| I | Representative of foreign information media, spouse and children | 3 | 0.1% | 1 | 1 |
| A2 | Other foreign government official or employee, or immediate family | 2 | 0.1% | 2 | 1 |
| H2A | Temporary worker performing agricultural services | 2 | 0.1% | 1 | 1 |
| H4 | Spouse or child of H-1B/B1/C, H-2A/B, or H-3 | 2 | 0.1% | 0 | 0 |
| J2 | Spouse or child of exchange visitor | 2 | 0.1% | 0 | 0 |
| C1 | Alien in transit | 1 | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| NATO6 | Member of a civilian component accompanying a force entering under the NATO agreements, and their dependents | 1 | 0% | 3 | 0 |
| O1 | Person with extraordinary ability in sciences, arts, education, business or athletics | 1 | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| O2 | Person accompanying and assisting in the artistic or athletic performance by O-1 | 1 | 0% | 1 | 0 |
Immigrant classes
| Class | Description (State Department) | Mar 2025 | Share | Feb 2025 | Mar 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IH3 | Child adopted abroad by U.S. citizen under Hague Convention | 4 | 26.7% | 4 | 1 |
| DV | Diversity immigrant (DV1, DV2, DV3) | 3 | 20% | 5 | 14 |
| IR1 | Spouse of U.S. citizen | 2 | 13.3% | 1 | 1 |
| SQ3 | Child of SQ1 | 2 | 13.3% | 0 | 0 |
| CR1 | Spouse of U.S. citizen (conditional status) | 1 | 6.7% | 0 | 0 |
| IR5 | Parent of U.S. citizen at least 21 years of age | 1 | 6.7% | 3 | 11 |
| SQ1 | Certain Iraqis or Afghans employed by or on behalf of the U.S. Government | 1 | 6.7% | 0 | 0 |
| SQ2 | Spouse of SQ1 | 1 | 6.7% | 0 | 0 |
Context
| March 2025 | Sofia | All posts |
|---|---|---|
| Nonimmigrant visas | 2,609 | 1,006,227 |
| Change on previous month | +70% | +10% |
| Change on same month a year earlier | +13% | +5% |
| Immigrant visas | 15 | 51,574 |
Nearest wait-time reading on or before the end of Mar 2025 (5 Mar 2025): B1/B2 next available 12 days; F, M, J 12 days; H, L, O, P, Q 12 days.
Other months at this post: Sep 2025 · Aug 2025 · Jul 2025 · Jun 2025 · May 2025 · Apr 2025 · Feb 2025 · Jan 2025 · Dec 2024 · Nov 2024 · Oct 2024 · Sep 2024 · Aug 2024 · Jul 2024 · Jun 2024 · May 2024 · Apr 2024 · Mar 2024 · Feb 2024 · Jan 2024 · Dec 2023 · Nov 2023 · Oct 2023. Back to the Sofia page.
Questions and answers
How many visas did Sofia issue in March 2025?
2,609 nonimmigrant visas and 15 immigrant visas, per the State Department's monthly tables for March 2025. That was the 73th largest nonimmigrant count among 216 posts that month.
How did March 2025 compare with the month before and a year earlier at Sofia?
February 2025: 1,535 nonimmigrant visas (+70% to Mar 2025). March 2024: 2,300 (+13%).
Which classes made up the month?
J1 1,452 (55.7%), B1/B2 973 (37.3%), C1/D 75 (2.9%), H2B 47 (1.8%), B1 12 (0.5%).
Provenance
Source: U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs, Monthly Nonimmigrant Visa Issuances by Post and Visa Class and Monthly Immigrant Visa Issuances by Post and Visa Class for March 2025, public domain. Data through 30 Sep 2025. See corrections.