Visas and Residency

>Regulations for the entry and stay of EU citizens in Bulgaria
>Long-term stay conditions
>Permanent stay conditions

Regulations for the entry and stay of EU citizens in Bulgaria

A new law determines the conditions under which citizens of European Union (EU) countries, Switzerland and the European Economic Community (EEC) countries get to enter and stay in Bulgaria. The law came into force on 1st January 2007.

EU citizens need an ID card or international passport to enter and leave Bulgaria. They are allowed to stay in the country for up to three months without the issuing of additional documents.

If EU citizens decide to stay for a longer period, or permanently in Bulgaria, a police certificate is needed.

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Long-term stay conditions

Long-term stay is considered a stay of up to five years.

The police will issue a long-term permit for an EU citizen who:

>works or is self-employed in Bulgaria.
>has health insurance and sufficient financial means to make a living without relying on Bulgaria's social aid system.
>is a student in Bulgaria and has sufficient financial means to make a living.

An EU citizen who is no longer working or self-employed in Bulgaria still has the right to stay in the country for up to six months:

>in the case of a temporary inability to work as a result of illness or accident.
>if the citizen is registered at the Bureau of Labour Statistics after working for more than an year in Bulgaria.
>if the EU citizen had a work contract for up to one year but the contract was suspended, or in case the citizen had a longer-term work contract but lost the job in the first 12 months of working and is registered in Bureau of Labour Statistics.
>if the EU citizen had started professional qualification training. In that case the EU citizen is allowed to stay in Bulgaria for the whole period of the training.

An EU citizen has to present an application for a long-term stay permit to Directorate Migration of Interior Ministry, 48, Maria Louisa Bul, Sofia. The application should be presented up to three months after the EU citizen's arrival in Bulgaria. The documents needed include:

- ID card or passport

- documents proving that the EU citizen is working, self-employed, has a health insurance and sufficient financial means to make a living or is a student in Bulgaria.

- bill for paid state tax

Long-term stay certificate is issued in the same day of application. If the application documents are not in order, the applier will have seven days to present accurate documents.

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Permanent stay conditions

EU citizens receive a permanent stay permit after living for five years in Bulgaria and:

- have lived continuously in Bulgaria for three years and are working or are self-employed in Bulgaria or another EU member state but return to Bulgaria every week.

- are workers or self-employed but suffer long-term incapability of working and have lived in Bulgaria for two years

- are workers or self-employed but suffer long-term incapability of working resulting from an labour incident or a professional disease

- no longer work because of labour contract suspension but had worked for an year before the suspension; are of age or have reasons to retire and have lived in Bulgaria for more than three years.

Absence for up to six months each year, longer absence to serve military service, one leaving for up to 12 consecutive months resulting from cogent reasons or business trip are considered part of the EU citizen's stay in Bulgaria.

Bulgaria will deprive the EU citizen of permanent stay permit in case of absence exceeding two years.

EU citizens have to carry their ID or passports and stay permit or card always.

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