Obtaining a permanent residence permit in Bulgaria can be difficult, which makes losing that status all the more frustrating. A permanent residence permit can be revoked if the foreign national who holds it is absent from Bulgarian territory for 12 consecutive months. Let us look at what can be done in such a situation.
A permanent residence permit in Bulgaria is issued for an unlimited term after five years of living in the country with a long-term residence permit or where other grounds provided for by law are present. There is no longer any need to gather a package of documents every year and pay the fee regularly; it is enough to renew the personal card when required. However, this does not mean that you can leave Bulgaria for a long period.
Permanent residence permit status is revoked from foreigners who do not enter Bulgarian territory for 12 consecutive months. This is stated in Art. 40, para. 1, item 6 of the Bulgarian law on foreigners. Thus, after obtaining the long-awaited permanent residence permit, a foreign national must visit Bulgaria at least once a year.
In March 2020 the article was supplemented: if a state of emergency is declared, it is possible to be absent from Bulgaria (the European Union) for a longer period. Here, however, you need to be very attentive and study all laws and regulations carefully so as not to miss the moment when, after the state of emergency is lifted, returning to Bulgaria does become necessary.
So what should you do if no state of emergency has been declared and your period of stay outside Bulgaria has already exceeded 12 months? The only option that allows you to avoid losing the permanent residence permit is to prove that you were absent from the country for a valid reason. For example, health problems that in one way or another prevented you from coming to Bulgaria may serve as such a reason. These must be objective and serious reasons:
In all cases, supporting documents must be submitted to the migration service. These may be certificates from medical institutions, discharge summaries, extracts, medical opinions and other documents proving that the foreign national was unable, on objective grounds, to travel to Bulgaria within the period provided for by law. All documents must be translated into Bulgarian and legalised.
We would remind you that there are also other grounds for depriving foreign nationals of a permanent residence permit. For example, the status may be revoked if it is established that inaccurate information was provided in order to obtain it, or if the grounds for permanent residence in Bulgaria have been lost.
Permanent residence permit in Bulgaria
Did not find the answer here? Write to us — we will look at your case and tell you what comes next.
Mon–Fri 9:00–17:30 (EET)
Ask a question
ImmigrationObtaining a long-term residence permit on the grounds of "family reunification" (Art. 24, para. 1, item 13 or Art. 25b of the Law on Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria — ЗЧРБ) directly ties the legal status of one spouse to the marriage remaining in force.
Immigration5 dangerous myths about what a national residence card allows you to do in the Schengen area
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.
Book a consultation