You can apply for asylum at the border or inside the territory of the country in which you wish to seek asylum.
Submitting your application
According to EU asylum law, asylum applications can be submitted in the Member States’ territory, border, territorial waters or transit zones. The Asylum Procedures Directive explicitly excludes applications submitted in diplomatic representations of Member States outside their territory, which has also been highlighted by the Court of Justice of the European Union.
Need to be present
This means that you need to find your way to the territory or the border of the country in which you wish to seek asylum, to have access to the asylum procedure. If you contact the authorities of Bulgaria or another safe country remotely from your own country, they will not be able to process your application or facilitate your arrival.
At the border
You can express your wish to apply for asylum to a border guard at the border crossing point. The registration of an application must take place immediately after you have expressed your wish to be granted international protection.
Inside the country
You can express your wish to apply for asylum to the competent national authority inside the territory of the country, which in Bulgaria, is the State Agency for Refugees.
Relevant documents
After you have applied for asylum, the initial acts are that you are required to submit all relevant documents for identification and regarding your travel, as well as evidence justifying your application. You will then be photographed and fingerprinted, and an initial explanation will be sought from you about your arrival in Bulgaria and concerning the reasons for your asylum application.