Married with Bulgarian in Cyprus

Fake marriages from Cyprus are flooding¹ Bulgaria from the beginning of 2021

¹ foreigners, married with Bulgarian nationals in Cyprus (falsely, only in order to obtain EU resident status), are trying to apply for visa D.

The Bulgarian authorities are receiving unprecedented amount of applications for visa D by foreigners who have married Bulgarians in Cyprus. And it appears, the majority of these marriages are fake… Not “fake” as if they have never been concluded. On the contrary, all these marriages are perfectly legal, from administrative point of view. But these marriages are concluded with the sole purpose to enable the foreign citizen to obtain long-term residence permit in Bulgaria. And this is illegal.

Worst of all, participating in such schemes (marriages) constitutes crime in Bulgaria. Consequently, both partners can be sentenced under the terms of the Bulgarian penal code.

Massive rejections to issue visa D to foreigners with marriages in Cyprus

Logically, the Bulgarian authorities have already learned about the sheer number of sham marriages in Cyprus. And it comes as no surprise that the percentage of rejections for visa D is overwhelming.

In particular, if any of the following applies to the married in Cyprus couple, visa D will be most likely rejected:

• The wife is older than the husband;
• The husband is much older than the wife;
• The Bulgarian partner (either wife or husband) has been married before;
• The Bulgarian partner is on social welfare in Bulgaria or has been receiving social benefits in the past (at any time) in the EU;
• The foreign partner has been rejected Bulgarian or Schengen visa previously;
• The Bulgarian partner has criminal background (even for petty crime);
• The partners don’t speak common language;
• Any close family member of the Bulgarian partner (ie sister) has been married in Cyprus too;
• The foreign partner has been rejected entry in Bulgarian university.

Avoid marrying in Cyprus

There is a saying in Bulgaria that “when they say that your sister is a w**re, it is almost impossible to prove that you don’t even have a sister“. The same goes for marriages in Cyprus. If you are a foreigner and are genuinely planning to marry Bulgarian national, doing it in Cyprus may ruin your chances to obtain visa D and consequently Bulgarian residence permit. Simply, because the authorities deem all these marriages as “suspicious”, least to say. In other words, if you have the option to marry elsewhere – go for it.

In case that you have already married Bulgarian in Cyprus and need to apply for visa D, do it wisely. Try to prove to the authorities that your marriage is genuine. Let your Bulgarian partner call the Bulgarian embassy and explain the situation so the officials may eventually treat you differently. And of course, for any assistance you might need (only in case that your marriage is genuine), please contact our offices.