Bulgaria residence permit

What a Bulgarian residence permit gives you

• With a Bulgarian residence permit you can live in Bulgaria for a year and enter and leave as often as you like without visas.
• You can issue invitations to the country for guests staying at your property.
• Schengen visas are no longer needed: with a Bulgarian permit you can stay in other Schengen countries for up to 90 days in any 180 days.
• Working or living long-term in another Schengen country requires that country's own permit.

Two types of residence

For permanent residence, absences over the 5 years must not exceed 10 months in total or 6 months in a row.

Grounds for residence in 2026

All grounds require housing, health insurance, a criminal record certificate and proof of means.

Digital nomad permit

A dedicated ground for remote workers was introduced in 2025. You must work for a foreign employer, foreign clients or your own foreign company. The permit is issued for 1 year with one renewal, up to 2 years. Work for Bulgarian clients is not allowed.

Timelines and fees

First a national type D visa is issued at a consulate, then you apply for residence in Bulgaria. Bulgaria has used the euro since 1 January 2026; lev amounts are converted at 1.95583 leva per euro. Dollars at the Google rate of 17.10.2026, rounded up.

From residence to citizenship

General naturalisation is possible 5 years after obtaining permanent residence, so in practice about 10 years after moving. Bulgarian language, income in the country and renouncing your previous citizenship are required. The fee is $58 (51.13 euros). People of Bulgarian origin have a faster route; see repatriation to Bulgaria.

Taxes

You become tax resident after 183 days in the country within 12 months or if your centre of vital interests is in Bulgaria. Personal income tax is a flat 10% on worldwide income. More on the Bulgaria taxes page.

What a Bulgarian residence permit costs

The largest amounts are not fees but proof of means for the chosen basis: a pension from $700 (620 euros) a month, nomad income of at least 50 minimum wages a year, or a property investment. We calculate the budget for your basis and family.

Documents and where to get them

• Passport and a type D national visa, obtained at a Bulgarian consulate before entry.
• Proof of housing in Bulgaria: a lease with notarised signatures or a title extract.
• Health insurance covering Bulgaria for the whole term of the permit.
• A police certificate from the country of citizenship, apostilled and with a certified Bulgarian translation.
• Proof of means: bank statements, a pension certificate or a pension fund statement translated into Bulgarian, client contracts and tax returns, depending on the basis.
• Documents for the basis: a property purchase contract, company documents or an employment contract.
• For a family, marriage and children's birth certificates, apostilled and translated.

How to get approved the first time

• The pension or income is below the threshold, or is shown in documents without translation and legalisation.
• The lease is not notarised, or the address does not match other documents.
• The insurance does not cover Bulgaria or ends before the permit.
• The applicant arrived without a type D visa and tries to apply from tourist status.
• Breaches of Schengen stay rules or a criminal record.

Before filing we check amounts, dates and addresses across all documents so the application does not go to a further request and lose months.

Step by step and timelines

1. Choosing the basis and checking income, pension or investment, a week or two.
2. Collecting documents: police certificate, apostilles, translations, insurance, lease, usually 3-6 weeks.
3. Type D national visa at a Bulgarian consulate.
4. Entry and filing with the Migration Directorate or a regional office of the Ministry of Interior.
5. Review from 14 to 60 days, up to 120 days in complex cases, then the card is issued.
6. Renewal in advance, before the permit expires.

Checks on Russian citizens usually take longer, so allow extra time.

Where to live in Bulgaria

Sofia is the capital with the widest choice of jobs, schools and international services. Plovdiv is calmer and cheaper, with rents noticeably lower than in the capital, while Varna and Burgas are seaside cities where many foreigners live year-round. Since 1 January 2026 Bulgaria uses the euro and the minimum wage is $700 (620 euros) a month, so many amounts in laws and contracts are now in euros. The city affects the budget and the lease needed for residence, so we choose it before filing.

Alternatives to Bulgaria

Bulgaria wins on a low threshold for pensioners and on residence that allows Schengen travel, while Serbia has softer requirements but no Schengen.

Where to start

Send us in the chat the basis on which you want to move and documents on your income or pension. We check whether the amount meets the 2026 threshold, suggest which consulate is more convenient for the type D visa and draw up a document list for each family member. If you do not qualify on the chosen basis, we suggest another, such as your own company, or another country.

Schengen travel with Bulgarian residence

Days in Bulgaria on a residence permit do not count towards the Schengen limit. In other Schengen countries a holder of Bulgarian residence may stay up to 90 days in any 180 days, counted across all those countries together. You cannot work in another Schengen country or live there longer on Bulgarian residence: that requires its own permit. If you travel around Europe often, we help keep track of days so you do not breach the limit or lose the right to renew.

Renewal and the path to permanent residence

The long-term residence permit is renewed in advance, before it expires, with the same set of documents: housing, insurance and means for the basis. If the basis changes, for example a nomad finds a Bulgarian employer, a new permit is applied for on the new basis rather than renewing the old one. After 5 years of continuous life in Bulgaria you can apply for permanent residence if absences did not exceed 10 months in total and 6 months in a row. So we advise planning long trips outside Bulgaria with these limits in mind from the first year.

What we do

We choose the ground, check income and documents, prepare the type D visa and the file for the migration service, and help with housing, insurance and renewal. We quote the fee after a free consultation and fix it in writing.

Benefits of a Bulgarian residence permit

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