Bulgaria will permit US military aircraft to stay at Sofia Airport only until June 30, 2026, citing the United States’ failure to grant visa-free travel for Bulgarian nationals [1, 2].
The Bulgarian Council of Ministers initially authorized the deployment of up to 15 US military aircraft and 500 support personnel at Vasil Levski Sofia Airport on March 4, 2026, under Decision No. 205 [2]. The original agreement allowed the US aircraft to remain until the end of May 2026 [1].
On May 19, 2026, Prime Minister Rumen Radev formally requested the suspension of the US visa system for Bulgarian nationals in response to the visa issue [1, 2]. He said, "I fully understand the complexity of the regulatory procedures and the need for time, but we also have our priorities and procedures, and we cannot respond positively to the request for long stays of aircraft and tanks at the Sofia airport" [1].
Following this, the Bulgarian government announced on May 29 that the US military aircraft's stay would be extended only until June 30 to allow Washington time to adjust its activities [1, 2]. Radev added that "the Council of Ministers would approve an extension of the aircraft's stay until the end of June in order to give our allies the opportunity to reschedule their activities and find another location" [2].
The limit caps the presence at 15 US military aircraft and 500 support personnel as authorized by the Council of Ministers [2].
The June 30 deadline sets a clear endpoint for the current arrangement, leaving the US to either resolve visa issues or curtail deployments after that date.
