Permanent residence permit by Bulgarian origin: permanent status straight away

This ground is intended for persons with ethnic Bulgarian roots in the direct ascending line (at least one parent, grandfather, grandmother, great-grandfather or great-grandmother). This status is issued on a permanent basis straight away, bypassing the stage of a temporary long-term residence permit.

Key conditions and preferences:

No residence qualification: There is no need to live in Bulgaria for several years beforehand. The permanent residence permit is approved immediately after the documents have been checked.

Unlimited duration without restrictions: Unlike other types of permanent residence permit, holders of the status by origin may be absent from Bulgaria and the EU for as long as they wish — their status is not revoked because of a long stay abroad.

Financial benefit: There is no state fee for granting a permanent residence permit by origin (only a symbolic charge of about €5 for the examination of the documents and the subsequent issue of the plastic identity card is paid).

Is a type D visa required?

Under the general rule of migration law, in order to obtain a permanent residence permit a foreigner must enter the country on a long-term category "D" visa. However, the state has made a crucial exception for ethnic Bulgarians, allowing them to do without a type D visa.

The legal corridor: applying for a permanent residence permit through an employment contract

If an ethnic Bulgarian has entered the country on a short-term visa (type C) or under the visa-free regime and has officially concluded an employment contract with a local employer, he is entitled to change his status and submit the documents for a permanent residence permit directly to the Migration Directorate without leaving Bulgaria.

How it works: The employment contract must be officially registered by the employer with the National Revenue Agency (NAP). The notification from the tax authority, together with the contract, serves for the migration service as a lawful ground for accepting documents for a permanent residence permit inside the country without a type D visa.

Important: If there is no employment contract, the classic scheme applies: submitting documents for a type D visa at a Bulgarian consulate abroad ➔ entry into Bulgaria ➔ personal submission of the application for a permanent residence permit to the Migration Directorate. Submitting documents for the permanent residence permit status itself while outside Bulgaria is technically impossible.

The full set of documents for the Migration Directorate

The following set of documents is submitted to the migration service for the issue of the status:

An application (молба) of the established form in Bulgarian.

A foreign passport (original + copies of the pages with the photograph, personal data and the stamp of the last entry). The passport must be valid for at least 6 months at the time of submission.

Evidence of Bulgarian origin (an unbroken chain of kinship):

Originals and notarised copies of birth certificates (yours, your parents', your grandparents'), in which the ancestor's "nationality" field states "Bulgarian" ("болгарин" / "болгарка").

Marriage certificates or certificates of a change of surname to confirm the continuity of the family link (if applicable).

Note: If the documents raise questions with the migration service, they may require a certificate from the IABCh (the Executive Agency for Bulgarians Abroad), but where there are indisputable original Soviet or other civil registry certificates, the documents are accepted directly.

An official employment contract and a notification from the NAP of its registration (if the submission takes place inside the country without a type D visa).

A certificate of no criminal record from the country of citizenship (on paper, with an apostille and an accredited translation into Bulgarian). The certificate is valid for 6 months from the date of issue.

Provision of housing in Bulgaria: A notarial deed of ownership of the property or a notarised lease agreement together with a declaration from the owner under Art. 25 of the ППЗЧРБ.

Financial autonomy: A statement from a Bulgarian bank confirming the availability of funds (for persons with roots, a minimum amount equal to 1–2 Bulgarian minimum salaries is sufficient).

A receipt for payment of the fee for the examination of the documents (€5).

Processing time:

By law, the examination of the case takes from 2 to 3 months. In practice, taking into account the mandatory national security checks (DANS), the procedure may be extended to 4 months, after which the applicant is assigned an EGN and a permanent identity card is issued.