Permanent residence permit in Bulgaria for an investment of 255 646 € and 10 jobs

A permanent residence permit in Bulgaria can be obtained by investing in the capital of a Bulgarian commercial enterprise and creating jobs. This ground is covered by Article 25, paragraph 1, subparagraph 16 of the Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria Act (ЗЧРБ).

The essence of the investment and its mandatory conditions

To qualify for a permanent residence permit on this ground, a foreign national must meet a set of conditions that have to be maintained continuously throughout the entire period of residence in the country:

Share in the business: become a co-founder or shareholder of a Bulgarian company, holding at least 50% of its capital.

Amount invested: invest at least 255 646 € (the equivalent of 500,000 leva) in the capital of that company.

Intended use: as a result of the investment, the enterprise must acquire long-term tangible or intangible assets worth at least 255 646 €.

Job creation: at least 10 jobs for Bulgarian citizens must be created and maintained.

The procedure step by step

Obtaining permanent resident status consists of several consecutive stages.

Stage 1: Obtaining a type D visa (in your home country)

Documents are submitted in person at the Bulgarian consulate in the country where the foreign national resides lawfully.

Visa fee: 100 €.

Validity of the visa: issued for 180 days.

Stage 2: Filing the permanent residence permit application (in Bulgaria)

After entering the country on a type D visa, the investor must apply to the regional office of the Migration Directorate. The set of documents must be submitted no later than 2 months before the type D visa expires.

Fee for processing the documents: 5.11 € (the equivalent of 10 leva).

Decision period: the documents are reviewed within 2 months.

Note: the official certificate from the Ministry of Economy is requested by the migration officers themselves through official channels.

Stage 3: Registration with the municipality and issue of the personal ID card

Once a positive decision is issued, the migration service notifies the Ministry of Economy, and the investor must:

Pay the one-off state fee for the permanent residence permit of 511.29 € (the equivalent of 1,000 leva).

Register with the municipality (town hall) at the place of residence and obtain a Uniform Civil Number (ЕГН).

Obtain a plastic personal resident ID card.

Cost of the card: 23.01 € (the equivalent of 45 leva).

Production time: 30 days.

List of required documents

All foreign documents must be translated into Bulgarian by a licensed translator and officially legalised (bearing an apostille).

Set of documents for the type D visa:

Passport: it must be valid for at least 9 months at the time of filing. A plain photocopy of the personal data page is also provided.

Application: a completed visa application form with 2 recent colour photographs.

Proof of investment: documents proving the contribution of capital, the purchase of assets and the registration of the company with a stake of at least 50%.

Accommodation in Bulgaria: a document showing ownership of a home (title deed) or lawfully rented accommodation (notarised lease agreement and address declaration).

Medical insurance: a specialised policy for foreign nationals covering the entire period of stay with coverage of at least 30 000 €.

Bank statement: a bank certificate confirming that the personal account holds an amount equal to 6 minimum Bulgarian salaries (as of 01.01.2026 the minimum wage is 620 €) — at least 3 720 €.

Criminal record certificate: issued in the country of permanent residence no earlier than 5 months before the day the documents are filed (with a legalised translation).

Set of documents for filing for a permanent residence permit with the Migration Directorate:

The list of documents is entirely the same as the set for the type D visa, except for the visa application form with photographs and the medical insurance (instead of the form, a permanent residence permit application of the prescribed format is completed). A receipt for payment of the processing fee (5.11 €) is attached to the set.

Annual monitoring and the investor's obligations

Bulgarian law provides for strict monitoring of the preservation of the investment base:

Duty to inform: after the permanent residence permit is approved, the foreign national must promptly notify the Ministry of Economy of any changes in the structure of the investment, the composition of the assets or the staff.

Annual declaration: at least once a year the investor must submit to the Ministry of Economy an official notification that there have been no changes in the investment.

Inspections and revocation of status: officers of the Ministry of Economy carry out regular scheduled inspections of the business. If monitoring shows that the volume of assets has decreased or the number of jobs for Bulgarian citizens has fallen below 10, the ministry will immediately notify the migration service and the permanent residence permit will be revoked.