Long-term residence permit for foreign specialists under an international treaty

Under the Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria Act (ZChRB) — Art. 24, para. 1, item 4, a long-term residence permit may be obtained by “foreign specialists residing in the country on the basis of international treaties to which the Republic of Bulgaria is a party”.

These grounds are intended for qualified personnel, researchers, experts and staff whose long-term mission or work in Bulgaria is directly governed by valid international agreements, conventions or intergovernmental programmes.

General procedure and costs

The legalisation procedure is standard and consists of two stages: obtaining a long-term type D visa in the country of residence and subsequently applying for a long-term residence permit in Bulgaria.

Type D visa: issued by a Bulgarian consulate abroad. Valid for 180 days.

Visa fee: 100 €.

Processing time: from 30 working days.

Applying for the long-term residence permit: submitted in person to the Migration Directorate at the Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Interior (MVR) at your place of residence in Bulgaria.

Important deadline: the documents must be filed no later than 14 days before the type D visa expires (older regulations referred to a period of 10 days; the rule has now been unified — strictly two weeks).

State fees in Bulgaria (in euro):

Following Bulgaria’s switch to the euro, all fees are set in the common European currency:

Fee for examining the application at the Migration Directorate — 5 € (the equivalent of the former 10 lv).

Annual state fee for the authorised residence (after approval) — 255 € (the equivalent of the former 500 lv).

Production of the personal plastic card (depending on the tariff chosen):

Standard tariff (30 days) — 23 € (instead of 45 lv).

Fast tariff (15 days) — 46 € (instead of 90 lv).

Express tariff (2 working days) — 128 € (instead of 250 lv).

The long-term residence permit is issued for up to 1 year. Fourteen days before the card expires, documents are filed for an extension on the same grounds (a criminal record certificate does not have to be provided again for the extension).

List of documents for the type D visa and the long-term residence permit

All documents issued by foreign states must have a certified translation into Bulgarian and be legalised/apostilled in the established manner.

Standard package:

Visa application form with a colour photograph (for the consulate). When filing in Bulgaria, the standard long-term residence permit application form is completed, and the digital photograph for the personal card is taken by a Migration Directorate officer on the spot.

International passport (original and copies of the first page, the stamp of the latest entry into the country and the type D visa when applying for the long-term residence permit). The passport must be valid for at least 18 months on the day of filing.

Copy of the residence permit card (required only for the annual extension procedure).

Proof of housing in Bulgaria: a copy of the notarial deed (for owners) or a notarised copy of the lease agreement together with the owner’s notarised declaration providing the address.

Medical insurance: for foreigners, with coverage of at least 30 000 €, valid in Bulgaria for the entire period of the requested status.

Criminal record certificate: provided by all adults (except stateless persons) at the first filing with the consulate. The certificate is valid for no more than 5 months from the date of issue. For a subsequent extension of the long-term residence permit inside Bulgaria this certificate is no longer required.

Proof of financial means: a statement from a Bulgarian bank confirming the funds in the specialist’s personal account. The amount is calculated on the basis of the current minimum wage in euro:

For the type D visa: at least 6 minimum wages.

For the long-term residence permit and its extension: at least 12 minimum wages (for the whole year of residence).

Specific (special) documents:

The main document confirming these grounds is official confirmation from the competent authorities. The following are attached to the package of documents:

An official certificate/letter issued by the relevant Bulgarian ministry, agency or state organisation coordinating the implementation of the specific international treaty. The document must clearly state under which international agreement (indicating its title and date of ratification) the specialist is assigned to Bulgaria, his or her functions, and the duration of the mission.

A copy of or extract from the international treaty itself (if required, where requested by the Migration Directorate), confirming the status of the receiving party and the terms of the exchange of specialists.