Permanent residence permit through marriage to a foreigner holding a permanent residence permit or EU long-term resident status

Cohabitation and marriage with a foreign national who already holds the status of a permanent resident (permanent residence permit) or long-term resident (EU long-term resident status) of Bulgaria gives the right to obtain an equivalent open-ended status. This is governed by Art. 25, para. 1, item 11 of the Law on Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria (ЗЧРБ).

Main conditions and the residency requirement

For a permanent residence permit on this ground, the legislation sets two strict parallel requirements:

Length of marriage: The spouses must have been officially married for at least 5 years.

Residency requirement (long-term residence permit): The foreign spouse must have resided lawfully and continuously on the territory of Bulgaria on a long-term residence permit (temporary stay) throughout these 5 years.

An important continuity rule: Over the entire 5-year period, the applicant's total absence from Bulgaria must not exceed 10 months, and not more than 6 consecutive months (Art. 25, para. 5 ЗЧРБ). The migration service checks this parameter automatically against the border system.

A critical exception: the spouse's investment track

If the principal spouse obtained their permanent residence permit through investment (under Art. 25, para. 1, items 6, 7 or 8 ЗЧРБ), the five-year residency requirement and the requirement as to the length of the marriage do not apply. In this case the second spouse is entitled to obtain a permanent residence permit under the simplified family reunification procedure almost immediately (after the internal departmental checks have been completed).

The application procedure

Processing takes place at the Migration Directorate of the Ministry of the Interior or at the migration department of the regional police directorate (ОДМВР) at the place of residence. You must apply in person only.

Filing deadlines: The document package is submitted no later than 2 months before the expiry of the current long-term residence permit/residence permit.

Processing time: The standard period is 2 months. Where the factual situation is complicated or an in-depth check is required (for example by the State Agency for National Security), the head of the service may extend the period by a further 2 months.

Current list of documents

All documents issued outside Bulgaria must be apostilled (where applicable) and translated into Bulgarian by an accredited translator.

An application (молба) in the prescribed form.

Receipt for payment of the processing fee: Paid in euro. The standard fee is €5 (the equivalent of the former 10 leva).

A valid international passport: Original + a copy of the first page with the photo and of the page with the stamp of the most recent entry into the country (or a valid Schengen visa/residence permit card). The passport must be valid for at least 3 months from the date of filing.

Marriage certificate: A Bulgarian duplicate (if the marriage was concluded abroad, it must first be registered with the municipality at the place of residence in Bulgaria and a local certificate obtained).

Proof of secured housing: A notarial deed of ownership of the property or a notarised copy of a lease agreement together with an address declaration from the owner under Art. 25 ППЗЧРБ.

Financial means: A certificate or statement from a Bulgarian bank confirming the availability of funds in a personal account. The minimum amount is calculated as 12 Bulgarian minimum monthly wages.

Declaration of cohabitation: A declaration notarised by both spouses stating that the marriage is genuine (not a sham), has not been dissolved and that the spouses live at the same address.

Certificate of no criminal record:

For those who followed the standard route (5 years on a long-term residence permit): A certificate from the country of origin is not required, since the person has resided in Bulgaria continuously.

For spouses of investors (filing without the 5 years of residence): A certificate from the country of citizenship/permanent residence is mandatory. For Bulgarian migration purposes the certificate is valid for no more than 6 months from the date of its issue by the competent authorities abroad.

Final processing and the new fees in euro (€)

Once the migration service issues a positive decision, the applicant goes through the following stages:

Payment of the state fee for the status: For a standard marriage to a foreigner holding a permanent residence permit, the one-off fee is €512 (corresponding to the former 1000 leva).

Obtaining an ЕГН and an address: With the official decision (notification) issued, you must go to the municipality (Община) at the place of residence. There the applicant is assigned an ЕГН (Единен граждански номер) and is issued two critically important documents:

Удостоверение за постоянен адрес (certificate of permanent address).

Удостоверение за настоящ адрес (certificate of current address).

Please note: The original notification letter from Migration is retained by the municipality, so be sure to make several notarised or plain copies in advance.

Ordering the plastic card: With the certificates obtained from the municipality, the applicant returns to Migration for digital photographing and to order the personal card. Producing the card under the standard procedure (30 days) costs about €23 (45 leva). Under the express tariff the cost is doubled.

Registration with the NAP: After receiving the finished plastic permanent residence permit card, the foreigner must appear in person at the territorial office of the National Revenue Agency (NAP) with a copy of the card and of the permanent residence decision in order to update their tax and health status (transfer to the state health insurance system, «Здравно осигуряване»).