Legal grounds to obtain Bulgarian residence permit
???
I am non-EU citizen and have decided to relocate to Bulgaria. Can you assist me with the procedures to get immigration visa (residence permit)?
The above is one of the most frequently asked questions, which we receive many times a day. And it’s a valid question, right? Well, not really. While many non-EU foreigners have valid legal ground to obtain Bulgarian residence permit, most don’t.
You can NOT simply move to live in Bulgaria, just because you like it here and so you have decided! You must have legal ground to obtain immigration visa and residence permit. If you don’t – you need to create one. If you can’t – try Turkey instead, or Turks and Caicos, or whatever…
Are we living in a free world?
If we were living in a free world, one could choose to live anywhere he wanted to. But as of 14.07.2025 this is still not the case. So for the time being, if you fancy living in Bulgaria, you gotta make sure you have legal ground for that. And if you don’t, you might be able to create one. But for that to happen, you must be very, very careful and proceed with 100% legal compliance in mind.
So when you are contacting us next time, please make sure you know what you want. If you have legal reason to reside in Bulgaria, we will help you straight away. We may still be able to assist you even if you don’t, but you must be determined to follow the law. If you think it’s your right to reside in Bulgaria and this right should be provided to you for free, then please look elsewhere.
The most often utilized legal grounds to obtain Bulgarian immigration visa and residence permit
Most often, non-EU foreigners are trying to get Bulgarian residence status on one of the following legal grounds (click on the links to get more information):
- Marriage with Bulgarian national or with legal foreigner in Bulgaria;
- Studying in Bulgaria (students);
- Retirement in Bulgaria;
- Representatives of foreign companies (trade representative office);
- NGO activities in Bulgaria (foundation);
- Residence by investment;
- Residence on basis of Bulgarian origin;
- Work permit and EU Blue card;
- Self-employed activities;
- Purchase of real estate.
Whatever your reason might be, you can talk to us and get valuable legal advice about the available options. But please don’t waste your and our time by contacting us and insisting that you should be able to get Bulgarian long-term visa, no matter what. There are laws in Bulgaria and they need to be observed.
Foreign nationals of non-Bulgarian descent are unable to obtain permanent residence in Bulgaria correct? If the national in question has no Bulgarian origin or is not married to a Bulgarian citizen.
Hello,
Foreigners of non-Bulgarian origin can obtain residence permit, both permanent and long-term, on many different grounds. Such are for example – by investment, if they have obtained work permit, if they perform non-profit activities, if they are family members of Bulgarian citizens, etc.
Foreigners of Bulgarian origin however can obtain permanent residence permit solely on the ground of being of Bulgarian descent. It is worth mentioning that they can even apply for Bulgarian citizenship by origin.
Regards,
Posolstvo.eu
The probability of that happening is quite low however.
We don’t quite understand what you mean though.
Permanent Bulgaria residence permits are issued in the following cases:
1) to foreign nationals of Bulgarian descent;
2) to foreigners who have been married for more than five years to a foreigner who has been living on the country uninterruptedly for five years;
3) minors of foreign nationals with permanent residence in Bulgaria, who are unmarried;
4) family members of a Bulgarian citizen, when they have been living in the country uninterruptedly for five years.
If one is not of Bulgarian origin or married to a Bulgarian they can’t get permanent residency.
This clause alone:
Foreigners living more than five years to a foreigner who has been living on the country uninterruptedly for five years.
without the specified conditions mentioned above will fail.
I will advise you not to delete my comment like you did previously.
Hello,
We do not understand what are you trying to imply? Your comments should be relevant to the topic. We would also kindly ask you to provide real data, such as your email and name, as we have to comply with GDPR and other regulations.
Regards,
Posolstvo.eu
I dont no what to do it’s so stressful I reter this year I have a one conviction for theft 47 years ago I have an house in bulgaria been visiting for 20 years I would love resedancy it says on bg website no crimmenal record I’m at my wits end with it dont no what to do please could you put me at rest by giving me the true answer is it worth me applying
Hi both us parents of 2 Daughters based in the UK wish to visit us for 2 weeks in March 2023,
Do they need a visa ? And they are staying with us we have our own Bulgarian residency cards?
Hello Sandra,
What is the citizenship of your 2 daughters?
Regards,
Posolstvo.eu
would like Dvisa
Please contact Posolstvo.eu’s offices if you need assistance.