How to restore Bulgarian citizenship after losing it

Who loses citizenship

In 2019, 209 people were released from Bulgarian citizenship, and six faced the revocation of the naturalisation that had been the basis for obtaining citizenship.

Any citizen of the country may renounce Bulgarian citizenship if they have obtained or intend to obtain the citizenship of another state. For example, those who obtained citizenship “by descent” and then decided to become citizens of another country.

In the case of revocation of naturalisation, people usually lose their citizenship against their will. Revocation threatens those who:

• provided false information in order to obtain citizenship;
• or concealed facts that could have been grounds for refusal;
• or failed to maintain the investment on the basis of which Bulgarian citizenship was granted, for at least a two-year period.

In most cases, revocation of naturalisation is possible only within a ten-year period from the moment Bulgarian citizenship was obtained. Foreigners who obtained citizenship by naturalisation may also lose it if they are convicted of a serious crime against Bulgaria. The spouses and children of such persons may nevertheless keep their citizenship.

For those who have lost their citizenship, the law provides for the possibility of restoring it, subject to certain conditions.

Conditions for restoration

If a person was released from citizenship, they need to submit an application for restoration. The application will be granted if the applicant:

1. Has not been convicted of an intentional crime committed in their country of residence or in Bulgaria;
2. Does not pose a threat to public order, morals, public health or national security.

For ethnic Bulgarians, meeting these two conditions is sufficient. Everyone else must have held a long-term or permanent residence permit (EU long-term resident status or a permanent residence permit) in Bulgaria for at least three years before submitting the application.

If the deprivation of citizenship was involuntary, the grounds for the deprivation must be declared invalid. This is possible if it is proven that the deprivation was erroneous, or if the law has changed and the provision under which the person ceased to be a citizen of the country has been removed from it.

Official statistics show that last year 427 people managed to have their Bulgarian citizenship restored. So this is an entirely achievable goal.

The restoration procedure

First of all, an application for citizenship must be sent to the Minister of Justice of Bulgaria. It can be submitted in person or through Bulgarian diplomatic missions abroad. The application is written using a standard form and must contain the full name, permanent address of residence, and the reasons for which citizenship should be restored.

After the application is submitted, an interview is held. In the case of young children, the interview is held with the parents or guardians; minors must also attend the interview accompanied by their parents or the persons acting in their stead.

During the interview you need to answer questions about Bulgarian history, traditions, holidays, form of government and so on.

After the interview, approval must be obtained from the Citizenship Council, which includes representatives of various Bulgarian ministries. The Council issues a decision after a comprehensive discussion of the candidacy of the person seeking to restore their citizenship.

On the basis of the decision of the Citizenship Council, the Minister of Justice prepares a proposal to the President of the country regarding the issuance of a decree granting or refusing the application for restoration. The document is prepared within six months.

The final stage is the issuance of a decree signed by the President of the country. The decree enters into force on the day of its publication. After the decree is issued, the Ministry of Justice issues the corresponding certificate of restoration, which can only be collected in person. This concludes the procedure.

Bulgarian citizenship: what you need to know

Citizenship in Bulgaria by descent

Obtaining citizenship in Bulgaria by naturalisation.