Ukrainians in Bulgaria: thinking about the future

Residence status

On entering Bulgaria, refugees can receive different statuses. Refugee status and humanitarian status («международна закрила») are granted by the State Agency for Refugees in Bulgaria. Refugee status may be granted to foreigners who are outside their own country and are unable to return there because of the threat of persecution. The requirements for applicants for this status are set out in Art. 8 of the Asylum and Refugees Act. Foreigners who have been granted refugee status are issued a refugee foreigner card valid for 5 years; the status itself has no time limit.

Humanitarian status is granted to foreigners who cannot obtain refugee status and cannot or do not wish to return to their homeland, where they are in danger. More about this status can be found in Art. 9 of the same Act. The card of a foreigner with humanitarian status is issued for 3 years; the validity of the status is not limited to three years.

Both refugee status and humanitarian status take several months to process (from 2 to 21), and during this time the refugee has no opportunity to leave Bulgaria. A thorough check of every refugee and a number of interviews are required, and the applicant may be refused the status. If the status is granted, the refugee receives the same rights as any foreigner permanently residing in Bulgaria, including the right to obtain Bulgarian citizenship after 5 years in the country.

Temporary protection status («временна закрила») is granted automatically to Ukrainian citizens arriving in Bulgaria for a period of 1 year. It is confirmed by a document called a registration card. If after a year the reasons for temporary refuge are still relevant, «временна закрила» is automatically extended for another 6 months, and a further extension of the term is possible if the war does not end.

You can register and receive «временна закрила» status after crossing the border at a special border point. The Bulgarian authorities strongly recommend that refugees from the war in Ukraine obtain precisely «Временна закрила» status. Firstly, this is much faster than obtaining international protection; secondly, it is much simpler.

«Временна закрила» status gives the following rights:

• The right to stay on the territory of Bulgaria for the period of validity of the status.
• The right to receive a registration card.
• The right to family reunification.
• The right to work.
• The right to enrol in a kindergarten or school.
• The right to housing, if it is needed.
• The right to social assistance.
• The right to use the compulsory health insurance system.
• The right to emergency medical care for vulnerable groups.

What next?

So far no one knows what will happen after the «Временна закрила» status expires. Whether it will be extended depends on the situation in Ukraine. But it is obvious that not everyone will be able to return home – many will simply have nowhere to return to. Such people are considering the possibility of staying in Bulgaria for a long time, perhaps forever. And in that case temporary protection status cannot be relied upon. Because, as its name makes clear, it is temporary.

What options remain for those who have already received «временна закрила» and want to stay in Bulgaria even after the status expires?

You can try to obtain refugee or humanitarian status. This takes a long time, it is complicated, and the risk of refusal is high, but the possibility exists.

Another way is to obtain a residence permit, like all foreigners from countries outside the EU. Ukrainian citizens have a number of advantages over other foreigners here – for example, it is easier for them to open a bank account. First of all, for a long-term residence permit you need to find grounds.

All the grounds for obtaining a residence permit are listed in the Foreigners Act of Bulgaria. Let us look at just a few of them.

• Pensioner. To obtain a long-term residence permit you need to be a pensioner and to have 6 minimum Bulgarian pensions (for six months) in an account with a Bulgarian bank.
• Freelancer. You need to have a profession and work experience that allow you to work “for yourself”, and also to pass a Bulgarian language exam and obtain a permit from the Employment Agency.
• Employment contract. You can live in Bulgaria on the basis of working here, and in this case the employer handles the paperwork.
• Representative office. Not the best, but a workable way to obtain a long-term residence permit is to become the representative of a foreign company in Bulgaria.
• Marriage. Bulgarian-Ukrainian families have been formed much more often in recent months than before. Getting married is not only about starting a family, but also an opportunity to obtain a residence permit in Bulgaria.

Those who are now in Bulgaria with «Времена закрила» status have the opportunity to learn the language and pass the language exam in order to obtain a long-term residence permit as freelancers, to find love or to find a job in Bulgaria, so as to stay in the country after the status expires. Once the grounds for a long-term residence permit have been found and the documents prepared, there is no need to travel to Ukraine to obtain a visa: it can be issued at a Bulgarian consulate in any other country; for this you only need to write a letter to the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, receive a reply and then approach the consulate with that reply.

The staff of Bulgarian Expert are ready to help you prepare the documents for obtaining a residence permit in Bulgaria. Contact us for a consultation and we will tell you how to stay in Bulgaria!

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