Sofia, Bulgaria: Anglo-American School of Sofia: 2020-2021 Fact Sheet
![Bulgaria [Shutterstock]](https://2017-2021.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Bulgaria-2560x1387.jpg)
International Travel Information
What you need to know before you go: visas, Embassy & Consulate locations, vaccinations, etc.
International Travel Information: Learn MoreHighlights
U.S. Relationship
U.S.-Bulgaria Relations
The United States established diplomatic relations with Bulgaria in 1903. The first American Consular Agent in Bulgaria was actually a Bulgarian national, Asen Kermekchiev (later Ace Kermek), a businessman, physician, and journalist. Kermekchiev served the United States Government even while working as a field doctor for Bulgaria in the First Balkan War, and was praised for protecting American lives and property while at the front. He also founded the first American Chamber of Commerce in Sofia. Bulgaria was allied with Germany in World War II, and became a satellite of the Soviet Union at the war’s end. As Bulgaria emerged from communism in the 1990s, the United States moved to encourage development of multi-party democracy and a market economy.
U.S. Assistance to Bulgaria
U.S. Government investment in modernization and NATO interoperability for Bulgaria’s military helps create stronger, more effective Bulgarian military units that can deploy alongside U.S. forces when needed.
Bilateral Economic Relations
Bulgaria is a member of the European Union. Upon its accession to the EU, the country adopted regulations and standards that conform to EU norms. U.S. companies conduct business across the major industry sectors. The United States and Bulgaria have a treaty on avoidance of double taxation and a bilateral investment treaty. U.S. citizens traveling on a U.S. passport for business or tourism purposes can enter and stay in Bulgaria for up to 90 days in a 6-month period without requiring issuance of a visa.
![Bulgaria Flag: three equal horizontal bands of white (top), green, and red; the pan-Slavic white-blue-red colors were modified by substituting a green band (representing freedom) for the blue. Note: the national emblem, formerly on the hoist side of the white stripe, has been removed. [CIA World Fact Book]](https://2017-2021.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/bu-lgflag.gif){kind=small}