Detention

By Bulgarian law, detaining people should be the last resort. Authorities should only be able to detain you if they’ve already used other less coercive punishments or if they cannot apply these measures to your specific case.

However, in practice, if the police stop you for a check and you don’t have the proper documents, they’re more likely to detain you before considering other options. You will probably not have the opportunity and time to apply for an alternative measure.

If you are in Bulgaria as a foreign national, there are two kinds of detention you should know about —— you could end up in either, even if you haven't committed a crime.

1. Immigration detention

You could be placed in immigration detention if the authorities decide to remove you from Bulgaria, for example, if you entered Bulgaria illegally or no longer have permission to stay in Bulgaria.

There are 2 immigration detention centers in Bulgaria: