Move to Bulgaria

Can you move to Bulgaria from the UK or the US?

Yes, but not freely. Since Brexit, British citizens are non-EU nationals in Bulgaria, in the same position as Americans: each family member needs a residence permit. EU and EEA citizens only register their stay.

Four routes cover most families. A job with a Bulgarian employer gives the single permit, valid up to 3 years¹⁷. Remote workers earning at least €31,010/year³⁸ a year can use the digital nomad permit — 50 times the minimum wage of €620/month⁸ a month, so the threshold moves when the wage does. The investor route gives permanent residence directly. Spouse and children follow the main applicant through family reunification.

Why do families with children look at the investor route?

Buying a family home in Varna or Sofia gives you property, not residence. The two are separate decisions.

Because it skips the count. On the standard route permanent residence comes after 5 years¹⁷ of legal residence, and every renewal in between is a file to rebuild. The investor route under Art. 25(1)(6) of the Foreigners Act ends in permanent residence straight away.

The money condition is narrow. BGN 1,000,000 (about €511,292¹⁶) applies to concession rights, collective investment schemes or licensed alternative investment funds; listed shares or bonds need BGN 2,000,000 (about €1,022,584). A house for the family does not count — real estate and government bonds are excluded. Since State Gazette 52/2025 the investor may exit the investment after five years and keep the status.

How long does it take to move to Bulgaria?

The only official clock in our reference data is the Investment Agency pre-approval: up to 40 days⁶, extendable by 10 working days. The pre-approval stays valid for six months, so the residence filing has to fit inside that window. A total processing time for the residence permit itself is not published by the Migration Directorate.

Where families lose time is before any authority sees the file. Birth and marriage certificates from the UK or the US need an apostille and a certified Bulgarian translation, and a missing stamp on one child’s certificate holds the whole family file.

• Can be sped up: collecting civil-status documents, apostilles and translations — this runs in parallel with choosing the investment.
• Can be sped up: checking the asset type before the money moves, so the pre-approval is not refused on a non-qualifying investment.
• Cannot be sped up: the Investment Agency review of up to 40 days⁶.
• Cannot be sped up: the Migration Directorate decision; no official deadline is published for it.

What documents does a family need before filing?

This is the checklist we work through with a family before the first filing. The Migration Directorate’s current list is confirmed for your case before submission; items marked apostille are foreign public documents.

• Passports for every family member, valid well beyond the planned permit.
• Children’s birth certificates — apostille and certified Bulgarian translation.
• Marriage certificate — apostille and certified Bulgarian translation.
• Consent of the other parent if a child travels with one parent only.
• Proof of the investment and the Investment Agency pre-approval letter.
• Health insurance covering each family member in Bulgaria.
• Proof of an address in Bulgaria (rental contract or title deed).
• Criminal record certificate for the adult applicants, where requested.

What changes once you live in Bulgaria?

Tax residence follows your life, not your passport: a permanent address in Bulgaria or more than 183 days in a 12-month period makes you resident under Art. 4(1) of the Personal Income Tax Act. Bulgaria taxes personal income at a flat 10%⁴⁹. The country has used the euro since 1 January 2026 and has been a full Schengen member since 1 January 2025, so a Bulgarian permit covers short trips in the Schengen area.

Non-EU buyers may own a flat or a house, but not the land under it — the usual way to hold land is through a Bulgarian company; see who may buy land.

What does living in Bulgaria cost?

We do not quote rent, school fees or a monthly budget for Sofia, Varna or Burgas: our reference data holds no official statistic for them, and forum figures age within a year. The one official number we track is the national minimum wage, €620/month⁸ a month in 2026. For current prices, use the National Statistical Institute releases and ask for written offers from schools and landlords.