With improving economic performance over the past decade, Bulgaria has emerged as a business destination attractive for Start Up Companies, Outsourcing, Job Mobility and more. This is also due to the affordable labour costs, low taxes and the availability of highly qualified employees. Also, since joining the EU in 2007, Bulgaria has become increasingly popular among Western European countries as a place for early retirement, developing creative ideas, or a place for a fresh start. Many foreign companies have moved in full or in part of their commercial activity to Bulgaria, which set ups the ground for labour mobility for EU citizens.
Since our country is an EU member, all citizens of the Union enjoy the right of free movement and establishment. A simplified administrative procedure is provided for the exercise of this right which is resolute with the issue of a certificate of long-term or permanent residence.

I. Residence of EU citizens in Bulgaria:

The citizens of the European Union / the countries of the Agreement on the European Economic Area and of the Swiss Confederation, as well as the members of their families, enter and leave the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria with a valid identity card or a valid passport and can freely stay on the territory of the country for up to 3 months.

I. If they wish to stay longer than 3 months, EU citizens must apply for a certificate of long-term or permanent residence and fulfil one of the following conditions:
1. The EU citizen is hired by Bulgarian company or is a self-employed person and conducts freelance or commercial activity in the Country;
2. The EU citizen holds health insurance and the necessary funds to cover the costs of living during his / her stay and those of his / her family members, without relying on the social assistance system;
3. The EU citizen is enrolled at a training establishment, including vocational training, and meets the conditions under item 2.

The application for issuance of a certificate of long-term residence shall be submitted to the Migration Directorate at the Ministry of Interior, the Sofia Directorate of Internal Affairs or the Regional Directorates of the Ministry of Interior within three months from the date of entry into the Republic of Bulgaria.The application with the accompanying documents may be filed personally by the EU citizen or by a proxy with notary certified a power of attorney, who must however present the applicant’s national identity document on the day of filing the application.

The following documents should be attached to the application:
1. A valid identity card or a valid passport;
2. Documents based on which the EU citizen will reside (Employment contract with Bulgarian employer, Proof of health insurance and the necessary financial means to cover the costs of the stay, Certificate that the applicant is admitted to the educational establishment, etc.)
3. Document for paid state fee.
4. Notary deed, respectively another document proving the ownership, or a lease, or another document proving the use of the property of accommodation. When submitting a rental agreement, a notary declaration certified by the owner is required to provide a residence address.
The application shall be reviewed by the competent officials within 24 hours, but the practice shows that the certificate is issued on the next business day from the day of filing. The EU citizen must appear in person in front of the officials in order to obtain the long-term residence permit, confirm in writing the correctness of the information requested and to take the biometric data. If the person is refused a certificate, he / she shall have the right to appeal the refusal to the competent court within 14 days of service of the refusal.

The certificate shall be received personally by the EU citizen or his / her proxy after it is issued. The long-term residence permit is issued for up to 5 years. If a shorter time for settling in Bulgaria is allowed, the EU citizen may, after expiry, extend the deadline if he presents to the Migration Directorate – the Ministry of Interior, the SDVR or the regional directorates of the Ministry of Interior proof that conditions are still present.
The fee for the issuance of the certificate is 7 BGN. If the EU citizen declares that he / she wishes permission to be issued on a card, he / she will have to pay another BGN 18 for a normal order or BGN 36 for a quick order / within 3 working days /.

II. Permanent residence
The issuance of a permanent residence certificate to a citizen of EU is related to the length of his stay in Bulgaria. An EU citizen or family member of an EU citizen may be granted a permanent residence permit if he / she has been legally resident for five consecutive years in the Republic of Bulgaria or if he / she meets one of the following conditions:
1. Worked during the last one year at the time of termination of the contract as a worker or his activity as a self-employed person who has reached retirement age or there is a reason for early retirement and has resided continuously in the Republic of Bulgaria more from three years;
2. Employee or is a self-employed person who does not work due to permanently reduced working capacity and has resided continuously in the Republic of Bulgaria for more than two years;
3. Employee or a self-employed person has incapacity for work Due to an accident at work or an occupational disease;
4. Employee or a self-employed person who, for three years, has continuously resided and worked in the Republic of Bulgaria and works as such in another Member State while retaining his place of residence in the Republic of Bulgaria and returning at least once a week to that country .
It is important to note that the permanent residence status may be withdrawn by the person to whom it was issued if it is absent from the Republic of Bulgaria for a period longer than two consecutive years.

* If you have questions about the procedure for issuing a long-term / permanent residence certificate or assistance in applying for the certificate, feel free to contact us by e-mail: office@pravensavetnik.bg or by mobile: 0892 05 94 83.