If you hold Bulgarian nationality and live within reach of Washington, this is the office your paperwork goes through. Consular work is unglamorous and exacting, and knowing what this post does before you turn up saves the wasted morning that catches most people out.
Below you will find the contact details on record, what the office typically handles, how appointments work and the questions people ask most before travelling to Washington.
📞 Quick Contact
- Address: 1621 22nd ST NW, Washington
- Phone: (202) 387-0174
- Official website: http://www.bulgaria-embassy.org
- Type of office: Embassy
🛂 Services normally available
What follows is the usual range for a embassy of this size. The office itself is the authority on what it actually does:
- Passports: the most common reason people come here. Expect an appointment, a visit in person, and a wait while the document is produced elsewhere.
- Documents: legalisation and certification. Ask the office that will receive the paper which certification it accepts before paying for any of it.
- Powers of attorney: authorising someone to act for you back in Bulgaria — selling property, dealing with a bank, handling an estate.
- Civil status: births, marriages and deaths occurring here have to be entered in the home register, and that is done through the consulate.
📅 Appointments and waiting times
Most consular procedures need an appointment, and at a busy embassy the wait for one is usually the longest part of the whole process.
Use the office’s own channel. Sites that charge for slots are intermediaries, and consulates warn against them regularly.
If you are travelling a long way, telephone first to confirm the appointment still stands. Closures are announced at short notice.
🤝 Before you make the trip
Check the consular district before anything else. The map that matters is the one the country drew, not the one on your phone.
Names are the other recurring problem. Where the spelling on an American document differs from the Bulgarian record — accents dropped, surnames ordered differently, a married name — expect to be asked for evidence explaining the difference.
Consular processing is slower than any commercial service and the timetable is not negotiable. Start early.
Before you travel to the embassy in Washington
Where can I check the official information?
On the office’s own site at www.bulgaria-embassy.org, which is the source to follow.
Does this office handle passports?
It usually does, by appointment and with personal attendance for biometrics. Ask whether the booklet is collected at the counter or posted out.
Where exactly is this embassy?
At 1621 22nd ST NW, in Washington. Check the floor or suite number before travelling — it is the detail that ruins more visits than anything else.
How do I get hold of this office?
By telephone on (202) 387-0174. Note who you speak to and what you are told, because requirements differ between posts of the same country.
What if I lose my passport days before a flight?
That does not go through the ordinary appointment queue. Call and say it is an emergency: for imminent travel most networks issue a travel document valid for a single journey.
Does this embassy cover my state?
Consular districts are drawn by each country, and the nearest office is not always the competent one. Confirm the district before booking anything in Washington.
Do I need a visa to visit Bulgaria?
That depends on your nationality and the length of the trip. Where Bulgaria does require one, it is increasingly applied for online rather than at a counter.