A residence permit (issued by the Migration Office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Bulgaria) is a necessary permit that allows foreign citizens to legally stay in Bulgaria for more than 3 months.
Types of residence permits
There are two types of residence permits in Bulgaria:
Extended residence permit
Long-term residence permit
Permanent residence permit.
Permit for the extended residence
To apply for a permit for the extended residence, applicants must first obtain a long-term D visa. This type of permit (also known as a long-term residence permit or continuous residence permit) is valid for up to 1 year. An extended residence permit can be renewed annually, if there are grounds for granting it.
Who is eligible for an extended residence permit?
Applicants eligible for employment
Applicants residing in Bulgaria and considered highly qualified migrant workers/specialists
Foreign citizens who have all the necessary grounds for permanent residence
Representatives of the company intended to speak on its behalf and / or provide certain services and works
Financially independent parents of a Bulgarian citizen or a foreigner with permanent residence in the country (documents confirming this connection are required)
Patients who need medical therapy or treatment in a medical facility
Accredited representatives of the news media (for example, foreign news correspondents, journalists) who are responsible for reporting news from the country
Foreign citizens/pensioners who have sufficient funds to support themselves in Bulgaria
Family members of a foreign citizen who has been granted a long-term or permanent residence permit (documents confirming this connection are required)
Private household assistants or household members of a foreign citizen who has been granted a long-term or permanent residence permit on the basis of diplomatic or consular immunity
Volunteers who have been offered unpaid work for a recognized religious/non-profit charity
Foreign citizens who have invested in real estate more than 600,000 Bulgarian Lev.
When a marriage is dissolved on the basis of death or divorce, foreign applicants may be granted a one-time extended residence permit (given that he/she has already received an extended or long-term residence permit)
Students who have received a Bulgarian D visa or are accepted as students in another EU country
EU blue card holder and family members.
Family members of a foreign national who have been granted temporary protection or asylum, refugee or humanitarian status under the provisions of the asylum and Refugees Act.
What documents should I submit?
Completed residence permits application form
Valid passport - your passport must be valid for the entire duration of your stay in Bulgaria
A bank statement or other proof that can serve as proof of sufficient personal savings to support yourself during your stay in Bulgaria
Proof of housing-lease agreement
Health insurance that covers all expenses for emergency medical care and emergency medical care for the period specified in the permit (at least 12 months)
Criminal Background Check-details of any immigration, criminal, or civil offenses you may have committed
Paid residence permit fee for processing documents through the Migration Service.
Long-term residence permit
If you are an EU citizen (or a non-EU citizen who is a family member of an EU citizen) and have a valid passport or identity card, you have the right to stay in Bulgaria continuously for up to three (3) months after entering the country. After that, you must apply for a long-term residence permit in the EU by submitting the documents to the Migration Department of the Ministry of the Interior.
What are the requirements for obtaining a long-term permit?
The basis for applying for long-term residence may be:
Employment or self-employment
Self-sufficiency
Study in Bulgaria
Family relations, both EU and non-EU, with an EU citizen.
What documents are required?
Completed long-term residence application form (the residence permit application form is available at your local migration office)
A valid European identity document (official European identity card or passport)
Pre-existing long-term residence permit, if any (required only for renewal)
Proof of residence of a family member (required only when applying as a family member of an EU citizen)
Proof of payment of the application.
What is the deadline for applying for a long-term residence permit?
Application documents must be submitted no later than three (3) months after entering the country. Applications are usually processed within a day.
What is the validity period of a long-term permit?
A long-term UE residence permit can be valid for up to five (5) years. However, the validity period of the residence card may vary depending on the validity period of the documents provided at the time of application. If the relevant requirements are met, it can be extended.
The permit of the permanent residence
A permit of the permanent residence in Bulgaria is valid for up to five years and can be extended until the end of its validity period.
When is a permanent permit granted?
The permit is issued in one of the following cases:
If you have lived in Bulgaria with a permit of the permanent residence for at least 5 years
During this time, you should not leave Bulgaria for more than three months.
If you are married to a Bulgarian citizen
Non-EU applicants who are married to a Bulgarian National can obtain permanent residence three years after obtaining a long-term residence permit.
What are the advantages of obtaining permanent residence in Bulgaria?
Owners of permanent residence in Bulgaria can work in Bulgaria without a work permit
Non-EU citizens and their families (wife and minor children) can obtain permanent residence in Bulgaria. It should be noted that permanent residence gives the same rights as Bulgarian citizens, with the exception of voting
Permanent residence in Bulgaria for five years entitles you to apply for Bulgarian citizenship
Opportunity to become a resident of the European Union. Easy access to EU countries - without a visa
Having a permanent place of residence, a foreigner has the right to enter and leave the country as many times as he wants without a visa
Free education and medical system across the EU
Tax residence in Bulgaria. By becoming a permanent resident, you can easily qualify as a tax resident of Bulgaria.
What documents do you need to submit to obtain a permanent residence permit?
Completed application form for permanent residence (the application form for a residence permit can be obtained from the local migration department)
A valid passport
A valid identity document or passport
A valid EU long-term residence permit or extended residence permit or a previous permanent permit, if any (required only for renewal)
Paid application form.
What is the deadline for applying for a permanent residence permit?
Documents for submitting an application must be submitted no later than 2 months before the expiration of the existing permit.
How long does the permit of the permanent residence continue?
An extended residence permit is issued for a period of up to five (5) years (depending on the validity period of the submitted documents) and can be extended indefinitely.
What do holders of the permit of the permanent residence have the right to do?
Holders of a permanent residence permit have the same rights and obligations that are granted with Bulgarian citizenship, with the exception of those that are expressly prohibited (for example, participation in the political process by registration and voting, joining the police or the military). A permanent residence permit is one of the key requirements for obtaining Bulgarian citizenship.
If you are applying for a permit of the permanent residence in Bulgaria, you must apply to the central office of the civil registration and migration department.
Golden Visa of Bulgaria
As of March 25, 2022 year, Bulgaria abolished the Golden Visa Program, which previously allowed foreign citizens to obtain a residence permit in Bulgaria if they invested a minimum of 500,000 euros, and citizenship if they invested a total of one million euros.
There are different ways to apply for Bulgarian citizenship depending on your occasions:
Bulgarian citizenship by origin
Bulgarian citizenship by marriage
Bulgarian citizenship by naturalization
Citizenship by genesis
Section 15 of the Bulgarian Citizenship Act provides that foreign nationals can obtain Bulgarian citizenship on the basis of their Bulgarian origin.
Who can apply for Bulgarian citizenship by origin?
A person of Bulgarian genesis
A person adopted by a Bulgarian citizen on the terms of full adoption
A person whose father is a Bulgarian citizen or has died as a Bulgarian citizen.
Important: Bulgarian language skills are now required to obtain Bulgarian citizenship by descent or by having a citizen parent!
What documents do I need to submit?
Application form
Certificate of Bulgarian genesis issued by the state agency for Bulgarians abroad
Birth certificate
Proof of Bulgarian genesis of the applicant's height
Certificate of passing a police check.
What is the term for obtaining citizenship by Origin?
Applications for Bulgarian citizenship by origin are considered within nine months from the date of application.
Where to apply?
You can apply to the nearest embassy or Consulate General of Bulgaria, personally to the Ministry of Justice in Sofia, or on the website of the Ministry of Justice: https://publicbg.mjs.bg/BgSubmissionDoc
Citizenship by marriage
What are the requirements for obtaining citizenship by marriage?
The person must be over 18 years of age
A person should not be convicted. Bulgarian court for premeditated crime of a general nature
A person has an income and occupation that allows him/her to support himself / herself in the Republic of Bulgaria
The person speaks Bulgarian, which is subject to verification in accordance with the procedure established by the order of the Minister of Education and Culture.
Citizenship by naturalization
What are the requirements for obtaining a naturalization permit?
A person to complete a naturalization application must:
be over 18 years of age
have permanent residence for the last 5 years
have no crimes
have enough funds to be financially self-sufficient
confirm sufficient proficiency in Bulgarian
renounce your current citizenship
has Bulgarian genesis, be adopted by a Bulgarian National in accordance with the legal framework for adopting a child, or have at least one of the parents who is/was a Bulgarian national.
What documents do I need to submit?
Completed citizenship application form
State-issued identity card or passport
Photo
Criminal Background Check - details of any immigration, criminal, or civil offenses you may have committed
If the change of surname occurs as a result of marriage in the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria, you do not need to provide any evidence.
Paid application form.
You will also need to provide a certified translation of any documents that are not in Bulgarian. Keep in mind that this is not a complete list of documents. Contact me for a complete list according to your situation or circumstances.
Additional information on obtaining naturalization
After naturalization, the persons agree to accept all the duties of a Bulgarian citizen. Instead, they are rewarded with all the rights and benefits that are part of citizenship. Since Bulgaria is an EU member state, Bulgarian citizens are also EU citizens and thus have the right to freedom of movement within the EU and have the right to vote for representatives of the European Parliament.