EU long-term resident status in Bulgaria: 10 years wasted?

EU long-term resident status in Bulgaria: a status that is hard to obtain — and even harder to keep until citizenship

EU long-term resident status (дългосрочно пребиваване) in Bulgaria has traditionally been seen as the “highest level” after a long-term residence permit — the status of an EU long-term resident, which opens up access to freer movement within the European Union. Formally, this is indeed the case: after 5 years of residence, a person receives not merely a Bulgarian status, but recognition at EU level. That is exactly why many people initially build their strategy around EU long-term resident status, especially if they are considering a move to another European country in the future.

However, in 2025–2026 the approach to this status has effectively changed. Whereas previously EU long-term resident status could be seen as a final point — “you get it and live in peace” — it is now a status that is under constant scrutiny. And for most applicants the problem is no longer obtaining it, but keeping it until the moment they apply for citizenship.

The scrutiny is not selective, but systemic. State authorities have started actively cross-checking data with one another: the National Revenue Agency (NAP) analyses actual income, company turnover and whether the declared activity matches the real one. Whereas previously a company or an activity could be maintained formally, “for show”, such models are now easily detected. If a person has no employment contract or clear income, the logical question is: what do they live on? Particular attention is paid to actual residence: entries and exits are analysed, and it is checked where the person really lives and whether they have a genuine connection with Bulgaria.

Former “trade representatives” are currently subject to especially strict checks. In many cases, after the EU long-term resident status is obtained the trade representation effectively disappears: no activity is carried out, there is no turnover, and the parent company remains a formality. At the same time, the person cannot confirm what they live on. In such a situation the state assesses not the past grounds, but the reality of current life — and this is precisely where the main risks arise.

Even renewing the EU long-term resident card, which many still consider a technical procedure, has ceased to be a formality. At this stage the entire case may be reviewed again and, if discrepancies are found, refused. And this is exactly where many face an unexpected problem: a status considered “guaranteed” turns out to be vulnerable.

A separate risk is linked to moving to other EU countries. EU long-term resident status does indeed provide a simplified opportunity to obtain a residence permit in another country, for example in Germany, but this does not mean that the Bulgarian status is retained automatically and unconditionally. If a person effectively stops living in Bulgaria and moves their life entirely to another country, over time they lose their connection with the country that granted the EU long-term resident status. The law sets specific limits on absence, but in practice something else matters more — actual integration is assessed. Formal, occasional visits no longer always save the situation.

Nevertheless, EU long-term resident status can be retained even while holding a residence permit in another EU country, if the strategy is built properly. It is important not to be outside the EU for more than 12 consecutive months, to return to Bulgaria periodically and to maintain a genuine connection with the country: an address, activity, taxes. The key word here is “genuine”. In 2025–2026, formal arrangements increasingly fail the checks.

The most serious problems arise not at the stage of obtaining EU long-term resident status, but closer to citizenship. A person goes through a long path — 8–10 years of residence, builds a strategy, calculates the timeframes — and it is precisely at the moment of application, or shortly before it, that problems surface. Lack of real activity, living in another country, a weak tax history — all of this can lead not simply to a refusal of citizenship, but to a harsher scenario: annulment or the impossibility of renewing the EU long-term resident status. As a result, the entire strategy is reset to zero and the process has to be started over.

Against this background, it is becoming increasingly clear that for those who genuinely plan to live in Bulgaria and obtain citizenship, a permanent residence permit (permanent residence) turns out to be a more stable and safer status. Unlike EU long-term resident status, it is not tied to European mobility and does not require constant confirmation of an “active life” to the same extent. A permanent residence permit is open-ended by its very nature, less subject to checks and not dependent on the complex integration criteria applied today to EU long-term resident status.

That is why in today’s circumstances the strategy is increasingly shifting: instead of trying to hold on to EU long-term resident status at any cost, many are moving to a more pragmatic path — a permanent residence permit as the basic status for subsequently obtaining citizenship. It offers fewer opportunities within the EU, but significantly reduces the risks over the long run.

Ultimately, the key question today is not “how to obtain EU long-term resident status”, but “will you be able to keep it until citizenship”. And if the goal is not moving around Europe but living in Bulgaria with subsequent acquisition of a passport, in many cases a permanent residence permit turns out to be not just an alternative, but a more reliable strategy.