"Child of a Bulgarian citizen" and "person of Bulgarian origin" — these sound very similar, but in Bulgaria they are different concepts. So what is the difference between them, and in which situations does this difference become decisive?
Bulgarian origin is an ethnic rather than a legal concept, which means that a person has a certain percentage of Bulgarian blood. A Bulgarian by blood, or “лице с български произход”, may hold the citizenship of any other country, but is also entitled to obtain Bulgarian citizenship on the basis of their origin.
Documents certifying Bulgarian origin are used to obtain a permanent residence permit without meeting the condition of having previously lived in the country for 5 years on a long-term residence permit.
A person of Bulgarian origin obtains Bulgarian citizenship on the basis of Art. 15, para. 1, item 1 of the Bulgarian Citizenship Act. For this, there is no need to meet the requirements imposed on those obtaining citizenship by naturalisation — living permanently in Bulgaria for 5 years on a permanent residence permit or EU long-term resident status, knowing Bulgarian and having a source of income.
A citizen of Bulgaria is a legal concept. A citizen of Bulgaria can be a person of any ethnic origin, even if there is not a millilitre of Bulgarian blood in their veins.
Their children (only children, not grandchildren) are entitled to obtain Bulgarian citizenship, but not on the basis of “Български произход”. In this situation, the grounds for obtaining Bulgarian citizenship are set out in Art. 15, para. 1, item 3 of the Bulgarian Citizenship Act. Under this item, Bulgarian citizenship by naturalisation without knowledge of Bulgarian, a source of income or residence in the country for 5 years on a permanent residence permit or EU long-term resident status may be claimed by a person one of whose parents is a Bulgarian citizen or died as a Bulgarian citizen.
An important point: only minors can obtain a permanent residence permit on the basis of their parents’ citizenship. If an adult applicant for permanent status is not of Bulgarian origin, then their parents’ Bulgarian citizenship does not allow them to obtain a permanent residence permit on this ground.
Thus, having a parent who is a citizen of Bulgaria does not in itself mean Bulgarian origin. In disputed situations, it is advisable to consult a lawyer before submitting documents for a permanent residence permit or citizenship, in order to examine all the nuances in detail. This approach will help avoid possible mistakes in preparing the documents and, as a result, refusals of a permanent residence permit or citizenship.
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ImmigrationDocumented Bulgarian origin is an excellent foundation for legalising your status in Bulgaria and obtaining status in the European Union. In practice, however, many people make a common mistake: once they have gathered the set of documents, they immediately apply for Bulgarian citizenship.
This article describes the general procedure. Your situation almost always has specifics — tell us about it and we will point out the shortest route.
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