Digital Nomad Visa in Bulgaria for business owners

The Bulgarian Digital Nomad Visa programme (governed by the Foreigners Act — ЗЧРБ, Art. 24, para. 1, item 23 and Art. 24c) makes legal residence in the EU available not only to employees and freelancers, but also to entrepreneurs. This status is best suited to founders of startups, service companies and online businesses who manage operations remotely.

Requirements for the ownership stake in the company

To apply for the digital nomad visa as an entrepreneur, a businessperson must meet clear statutory criteria:

• Size of the stake: You must be a legal representative, member of a management body, owner, partner or shareholder holding more than 25% of the capital (corporate rights) of the company.
• Country of company registration: The company must be registered strictly outside the EU, the EEA (European Economic Area) and Switzerland (for example, in the USA, the United Kingdom, the UAE, Georgia, Kazakhstan, etc.).

Geography of contracts and control mechanisms

Can the company’s clients be located in the EU?

Yes, they can. Bulgarian law does not prohibit your foreign company from performing contracts and providing services to legal entities from other European Union countries (for example, Germany, France or Cyprus).

The main restriction: a complete ban on Bulgarian clients

The fundamental rule of the status is a ban on providing services and performing work for individuals and legal entities on the territory of Bulgaria. Your foreign firm may not invoice Bulgarian companies or receive payments from them.

How is compliance checked?

Control is exercised jointly by the Migration Directorate and the National Revenue Agency (NAP):

• Monitoring of bank statements: When the long-term residence permit is renewed, statements from personal and corporate accounts are reviewed. The source of incoming transfers is checked — the money must come from foreign counterparties.
• Review of invoices and contracts: The migration service requests copies of contracts with key clients. The presence of Bulgarian company details (ЕИК/БУЛСТАТ) in them immediately leads to cancellation of the status.
• Automatic interagency exchange: NAP monitors that you do not create a “permanent establishment” in Bulgaria and do not carry out unaccredited commercial activity on the domestic market.

Documentary proof of income

Obtaining the status requires supporting documents both for the company itself and for the owner’s personal income over the preceding period.

A. Company documents

• Constitutive documents: Certificate of registration, extract from the commercial register (Certificate of Good Standing/Incorp) with mandatory confirmation of your ownership stake (>25%).
• Proof of business activity: Current contracts with foreign clients, corporate bank statements for the last 12 months.

B. Documents on the owner’s personal income

The business owner must prove that during the previous calendar year he officially received personal income from his business.

Note: All documents of non-Bulgarian origin must be translated by an accredited translator and legalised (apostilled).

Step-by-step procedure

Step 1: Applying for a type D visa (Bulgarian consulate abroad)
The applicant submits the full set of documents (passport, criminal record certificate, housing in Bulgaria, insurance, company and income documents). Processing takes 30 to 60 days.

Step 2: Arrival and address registration
After receiving the type D visa you enter Bulgaria and, within 3 working days, register your address of residence at the local police office (MVR).

Step 3: Issuing the long-term residence permit card (Migration Directorate)
No later than 14 days before the type D visa expires, you file an application with Migration. After approval, the state fee (255 €) and the cost of producing the plastic card (from 23 € to 115 € depending on urgency) are paid.

Important legal and tax aspects

• Validity and renewal: The status is granted for 12 months and can be renewed only once. The maximum total period of residence on this basis is 2 years.
• Tax residence: If you reside in Bulgaria for more than 183 days in a year, you become a local tax resident. Individuals in Bulgaria are taxed at a flat rate of 10%.
• No risk for the foreign company: Remote management of a foreign company by a digital nomad from Bulgaria does not create a “permanent establishment” (Permanent Establishment) for that company in Bulgaria, which protects the corporate structure from Bulgarian corporate tax.