EU long-term resident status in Bulgaria: the rights of an EU long-term resident

EU long-term resident status (Дългосрочно пребиваване) is a special immigration status introduced in Bulgaria in accordance with EU Directive 2003/109/EC. Unlike a classic permanent residence permit, EU long-term resident status has an EU-wide format, which simplifies subsequent migration and obtaining a long-term residence permit in other European Union countries.

The permit is issued on the basis of Art. 24d of the ЗЧРБ. The plastic identity card itself is issued for a term of 5 years, after which it is automatically renewed at the foreign national's request (without repeating the checks, provided the status has not been revoked under Art. 40 of the ЗЧРБ).

Conditions for obtaining EU long-term resident status

For the long-term resident status to be approved, the applicant must strictly meet the following statutory criteria:

1. The residence qualifying period and strict control of absences

The foreign national must reside legally and continuously on the territory of Bulgaria for 5 years before submitting the application (Art. 24d, para. 1 of the ЗЧРБ).

The continuity rule: residence is recognised as continuous if, over these 5 years, the applicant's total absence from Bulgaria did not exceed 10 months in aggregate, and no single departure exceeded 6 consecutive months (Art. 24d, para. 4 of the ЗЧРБ). The calendar of departures is checked by the migration service automatically against the Schengen border database.

1. Filters based on the grounds of residence

Not all types of long-term residence permit count towards the 5-year period:

Not counted at all: temporary grounds of residence, such as seasonal work, short-term assignments or the status of staff of diplomatic missions (Art. 24d, para. 2 of the ЗЧРБ).

Counted at half: for students, trainees and school pupils, time residing on a student long-term residence permit is divided exactly in two (1 year of study = 6 months towards EU long-term resident status, under Art. 24d, para. 3 of the ЗЧРБ). Thus, a pure student needs to study continuously in Bulgaria for 10 years to qualify for EU long-term resident status.

Counted in full: general grounds for a long-term residence permit (trade representative office — ТП, financially secure pensioners, founders of commercial companies, family members).

1. Stable income and integration

Unlike with a permanent residence permit, when applying for EU long-term resident status the foreign national must prove that over the past 5 years they had stable, regular and legal sources of income without resorting to Bulgaria's social assistance system.

The mandatory package of documents

The documents are submitted in person by the applicant to the regional office of the Migration Directorate of the МВР no later than 2 months before the expiry of the current long-term residence permit. The case is reviewed within 2 months (with the possibility of an extension by the management for a further 2 months in the event of more complex checks).

An application (молба) in the prescribed form.

Processing fee: a receipt for payment of the administrative fee of €5 (the equivalent of the former 10 leva).

Foreign passport: the original + plain copies of the pages with the photograph, personal data and border control stamps for the past 5 years. The passport must be valid for at least 3 months from the date of submission.

Certificate of periods of residence: an official internal document from Migration confirming that the limit of 10 months of absence over 5 years has not been breached.

Proof of income: a statement from a Bulgarian bank for the past year (or a certificate of income/pension) confirming regular funds whose monthly amount exceeds the minimum wage or the minimum pension in Bulgaria.

Secured housing: a notarial title deed or a notarised lease agreement together with an address declaration from the owner (under Art. 25 of the ППЗЧРБ).

Medical insurance: a valid comprehensive medical insurance policy for the period during which the documents are reviewed (once the status is approved, the foreign national moves to state insurance).

An important procedural simplification: the certificate of no criminal record in Bulgaria is requested by the migration service staff themselves in electronic form (ex officio). Nor is it necessary to provide a paper certificate from your home country after 5 years of continuous residence in Bulgaria.

The main advantages of EU long-term resident status over an ordinary long-term residence permit

Obtaining long-term status moves the foreign national into a fundamentally different category of rights, putting them practically on a par with Bulgarian citizens:

Assignment of an ЛНЧ/ЕГН: the foreign national is deregistered from the ЛНЧ (Личен номер на чужденец) and registered in the ЕСГРАОН system with an ЕГН (Единен граждански номер) assigned.

Free labour market: the ability to work officially as an employee without obtaining special permits from the Employment Agency.

Free state healthcare: access to the compulsory health insurance system through the НЗОК fund (Здравно осигуряване) on equal terms with Bulgarians.

Pensions and social rights: the right to a pension in Bulgaria upon accumulating the corresponding length of service and age.

Education: free (or state-subsidised) study at the country's secondary and higher state educational institutions.

Buying a car and access to credit: the ability to register vehicles directly in your own name as a private individual (without setting up a company) and full access to banking credit products and mortgages.

A path to citizenship: EU long-term resident status is a lawful basis for subsequently applying for Bulgarian citizenship by naturalisation after 5 years of continuously holding long-term status.

Final formalities and the new fees in Euro (€)

Fee for granting the status: once EU long-term resident status is approved, a one-off state fee of €56 (the equivalent of the former 110 leva) is paid.

Registration with the municipality: with the migration service's decision, the applicant applies to the municipality to record their permanent and current addresses and activate the ЕГН.

Issue of the card: the cost of producing the plastic EU long-term resident status card (Разрешение за дългосрочно пребиваване в ЕС) under the standard procedure (30 days) is about €23 (45 leva).