Permanent residence permit without citizenship: for those who entered Bulgaria before 27.12.1998

The Law on Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria (ЗЧРБ) retains a unique humanitarian ground that makes it possible to legalise the status of foreigners who have in fact lived in the country for decades but found themselves in a legal vacuum after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

This special track is covered by Art. 25, para. 1, item 12 of the ЗЧРБ.

Applicants may claim the status of permanent resident (permanent residence permit) without leaving the country and without first obtaining a long-stay type “D” visa if they simultaneously meet two strict criteria:

Residence qualification: they entered and were continuously present on the territory of Bulgaria (or were born in the country) before 27 December 1998 and did not leave it for a long period.

Absence of another citizenship: they were not recognised as citizens of any of the former Soviet republics (they are de facto stateless persons or holders of invalid passports of a state that no longer exists).

Step-by-step procedure and the set of documents

Documents are filed in person by the applicant at the regional office of the “Migration” Directorate at the Regional Directorate of the Ministry of the Interior (ОДМВР) at the place of their actual residence.

Processing times:

The application is reviewed within 2 months of filing. Because archive checks and contacts with diplomatic missions are required, the head of the migration service may extend the period by a further 2 months.

Current list of documents for 2026:

Application (молба): completed on the prescribed form in Bulgarian.

Processing fee: receipt for payment of the administrative fee for processing the documents. The amount is fixed in euro and is €5 (the equivalent of the former 10 leva).

Identity document: an old USSR citizen’s passport, or an expired international passport issued by one of the former republics in the 1990s (what matters is the presence of the pages with personal data, a photograph and a stamp of entry into Bulgaria before the end of 1998) + plain copies of all pages. The validity of the document itself (if it is still formally active) must be at least 3 months on the date of filing.

Certificate of the date of entry: an official confirming document from the archives of the Border Police or the services of the Bulgarian Ministry of the Interior, clearly recording the fact that the person crossed the border or was present in the country before 27.12.1998.

Consular certificate of non-recognition as a citizen: an official document issued by the diplomatic or consular mission of the relevant former Soviet republic (by the applicant’s place of birth or former registration), confirming that the applicant does not hold and has not been granted citizenship of that state.

Birth certificate: original or duplicate. If it was not issued in Bulgaria, translation into Bulgarian and legalisation are required.

Housing: a notarial deed of ownership of the housing or a notarised lease agreement accompanied by a notarised address declaration from the owner (in accordance with the requirements of the ППЗЧРБ).

Proof of financial independence: documents confirming stable, regular and sufficient means of subsistence, so that the foreigner does not become a burden on Bulgaria’s social security system. The account in a Bulgarian bank (or a confirmed pension/income) must hold an amount calculated from the current minimum wage in Bulgaria in euro.

Official checks: there is no need to obtain a certificate of no criminal record in Bulgaria yourself. The migration service requests it electronically through the internal channels of the Ministry of Justice.

Final formalities, ЕГН and the new fees in euro (€)

Since the person is being legalised from a status of long undocumented stay, after the permanent residence permit is approved the transition to legal documents proceeds as follows:

Fee for granting the permanent residence permit: paid once after a positive decision by the migration service is received. For this preferential category the fee is €512 (the equivalent of the former 1000 leva).

Registration with the municipality and obtaining an ЕГН: with the migration service’s decision the applicant goes to the municipality (Община). The person is registered in the national ЕСГРАОН system, a permanent address is assigned to them and an ЕГН (Единен граждански номер) is issued.

Issue of the ID card: after the ЕГН is activated at the municipality, the applicant returns to the migration service to submit biometrics. A plastic residence permit is produced for them (Карта на постоянно пребиваващ чужденец). Standard issue (within 30 days) costs about €23 (45 leva). The plastic card itself is valid for 5 years, with unimpeded renewal thereafter.