Enrolling in kindergarten: the procedure

Immigrants in Bulgaria usually try to place their children in kindergartens even when the parents are not working: it is the simplest way to help a child socialise and learn Bulgarian. Whether or not to send a child to kindergarten is up to the parents, but for one year before school a child must attend either a preschool institution or a special preparatory class at a school.

Kindergartens in Bulgaria are either state or private. In the former you have to pay a symbolic amount (about 60 leva) for meals, while in the latter attendance can cost 500 leva or more. At the same time, private kindergartens usually have smaller groups and better facilities.

Getting into a private kindergarten is usually not a problem – as long as you have the money. As for municipal preschool institutions, it is not always easy to get a place there, especially in large cities. If there are not enough places, preference is given to children who meet certain conditions:

• at least one of the parents has a permanent address in the same city where the kindergarten is located;
• at least one of the parents works and pays social security contributions;
• someone close to the child has worked in a municipal kindergarten for at least six months;
• the child attended a municipal nursery for at least six months before enrolling in kindergarten.

Benefits are provided for orphans, children of disabled parents or single parents, children from large families, etc.

In large cities, enrolment in kindergartens is carried out through electronic information systems serving preschool institutions. For example, in Sofia you can apply for a kindergarten place on the website https://kg.sofia.bg, in Varna – on the website https://dg.is-vn.bg, in Burgas — https://www.dzburgas.org/ This is usually done at the beginning of the summer; the exact dates are published on the websites.

To register, you need to enter the names and EGN (for foreigners with a long-term residence permit – the ЛНЧ) of the parent, then enter the child’s details and list the preschool institutions where you would like to place your offspring – up to 7 kindergartens. Based on the completed application form, the child is awarded a certain number of points – the more points, the greater the chances of getting into the kindergarten you are interested in. After the «класиране» procedure has been carried out, information appears in your personal account showing which kindergarten the child has been admitted to.

Getting a place in a kindergarten in a village is much easier – for that you simply need to go to the nearest preschool institution and talk to the director.

For the actual enrolment in a kindergarten, the following documents are required:

• A completed application;
• The child’s birth certificate (a copy; if the document was not issued in Bulgaria, a translation and legalisation will most likely be required);
• Personal ID card (for foreigners);
• Personal ID card of one of the parents;
• Documents confirming the circumstances that give the child priority in kindergarten enrolment (address information, a certificate from the parent’s employer, confirmation of benefits, etc.);
• Certificate of current address;
• A certificate from the family doctor;
• «Имунизационен паспорт» — a document with information about the vaccinations given.

With these documents you need to go to the kindergarten where the child has been provisionally admitted and complete the paperwork.

Long-term residence permit in Bulgaria

Health insurance for foreigners

Registering a marriage in Bulgaria between foreigners