Bulgarian Passport Offices to Be Closed on Saturdays in August

Glitches in Siemens software for the new Bulgarian biometric IDs caused public outrage and forced people to line up for days in front of passport offices. Photo by BGNES

Applications for the issuing of Bulgarian biometric passports and new ID cards in Sofia will not be accepted on Saturdays during the month of August, the Interior Ministry announced.

Some of the passport offices across the country might, however, open on Saturdays in August at the discretion of their directors, who are mandated to notify citizens in a timely manner.

The central office on “Maria Louisa” boulevard, the Office of the Traffic Police in the “Darvenitsa” district and counters at all police precincts in Sofia will be open only on weekdays with regular weekday business hours, the press release informs.

The Interior is also continuing for the time being the order to keep passport offices open during workdays for an additional two hours before the opening and after closing time if there is a line at the counter.

The policy to accept ID documents application on Saturdays is to be reinstated in September.

Following its launch on March 29, the new electronic system for issuing personal identity documents was overwhelmed by the number of users online and temporary and sporadic delays in servicing citizens’ needs occurred, with the Interior blaming mostly the German Siemens, which manufactured the software.

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