Obtaining Bulgarian citizenship – many problems down the road
In this article, we will pinpoint some of the problems during the application for Bulgarian citizenship by origin. Virtually the same problems arise also when applying for Bulgarian citizenship in general.
Today we had a call from a prospective client, who believed to be of Bulgarian origin. He had his grandfather’s birth certificate, stating that he is “Bulgarian“. In general, this is the eligibility requirement to obtain Bulgarian citizenship by origin. But is such document sufficient to obtain citizenship by origin?
The dilemma
The prospective client, being a lawyer himself, seemed to be aware of the difficulties in obtaining Bulgarian citizenship. Still, he wanted to know why shouldn’t he simply apply, with the documents he had, at the Bulgarian embassy and get Bulgarian citizenship.
True or false?
I know very well that if I am meeting all legal requirements, the Bulgarian authorities can not deny me the right to obtain Bulgarian citizenship!
The statement of the prospective client, that he wanted to “verify” with us
In all honesty, if the above statement was true, then there wouldn’t be thousands of clients to line up in front of our offices. So let’s see what are the challenges one will face throughout the process of naturalization.
The realistic chances to obtain Bulgarian citizenship?
From our huge experience of assisting foreigners to obtain Bulgarian citizenship, we can estimate that:
The chances of the average candidate to obtain Bulgarian citizenship (without professional support) are less than 0,5%.
Yes, you read it correctly. According to our professional estimates:
Out of 200 people, who believe to be eligible for Bulgarian citizenship, only one will be eventually approved! That is if the application is done without legal support by highly experienced lawyers!
But why is this shocking estimate? Why is it so difficult to obtain Bulgarian citizenship?
Why is it so difficult to get approved for Bulgarian citizenship?
Below, we will list only the top three reasons for the rejection of the majority of citizenship applications:
Fake or untrustworthy documents
There are millions of fake documents, showing one is of Bulgarian origins. These are mainly birth certificates, originating from Russia, Ukraine, Macedonia, etc. The scammers on the internet, often luring the victims with advertisements in Russian, are printing fake papers day and night. Even though that your document, proving your Bulgarian origin, may be legitimate, it will drown in an ocean of fakes.
You will have to prove to the authorities, without a trace of doubt, that you are of Bulgarian origin indeed. Counting on one magic word only – Bulgarian, written on an old document, is not enough. You can’t expect from the authorities to honor a foreign document, stating that your great grandfather, born in say 2020, is of Bulgarian origin. It takes much more than that.
Legal caveats
The Bulgarian citizenship legislation is complicated. For instance, the decision of the Citizenship Council to recommend you or not to the President, can not be appealed in court. See why and what you can eventually do in our article (in Bulgarian). So whatever the Citizenship Council says, that’s it, you have no chance to prove your point. The ultimate decision of the President is also not possible to be disputed. Basically, you are left at the mercy of the authorities. And unless you can really convince them that you should be naturalized, the rejection is the most likely outcome.
Difficult administrative compliance and bureaucracy
Bureaucracy is a killer in the EU. And Bulgaria, as proud EU member, is no exception. The preparation of the documents for citizenship application is a nightmare. If you thought that you can pass with a birth certificate only, then think again. The amount of documents you will need to prepare, legalize, translate and then legalize again is mindblowing.
The Bulgarian state policy
And last, but not least, Bulgaria doesn’t seem to need any new citizens. When applying for Bulgarian citizenship, you will have to fight the whole might of the state machine, firing at you with its bureaucratic arsenal. And if you want to win the battle and get Bulgarian passport, you will need three things for sure:
- Resources;
- Patience;
- Perfect legal support.
We know there will be many readers who will dislike what we have written. Because YES, Bulgarian citizenship is hard to get. But being a true EU citizenship, it is definitely worth the hassle. Please contact us for professional support if you believe you deserve to become Bulgarian citizen fast.
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