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Naturalisation under Article 12 of the Bulgarian Citizenship Act takes at least 5 years1 holding a permanent or long-term residence permit, plus Bulgarian language, a clean record and a source of income. We build the file, check every document against that list and submit it to the Ministry of Justice Citizenship Directorate.
EU memberSchengen
The clock that matters is the one on your permit: 5 years1 counted from a permanent or long-term residence permit, not from your first arrival.
Figures checked
Article 12 asks for 5 years1 spent on a permanent or long-term residence permit. Most people reach that permit only after 5 years23 of ordinary residence, so a work permit holder is looking at two stacked waiting periods, not one.
Marriage shortens the second period: a spouse married to a Bulgarian citizen for three years or more can apply after three years on the permit. People of Bulgarian origin skip both the residence period and the language test under Article 15, with a certificate of origin from the State Agency for Bulgarians Abroad.
The application goes to the Bulgarian Citizenship Directorate of the Ministry of Justice. Citizenship is granted by decree of the Vice President.
Two parts of the timeline are fixed by law and nobody can shorten them: the years on your permit and the Directorate’s review. The Ministry of Justice does not publish a processing time for citizenship files, so any date promised for the decree is a guess.
What you do control is the time before filing. Criminal record certificates, apostilles and sworn translations each take their own weeks, and a certificate that expires while you wait for another document sends you back to the start. We order documents so they are all valid on the day we file.
The years on your permit cannot be bought back. The weeks spent chasing a missing apostille can.
A common case: an owner came on a company-based permit, the EOOD stopped trading, and the permanent permit is already in hand. Article 12 still asks for income or an occupation. An empty company proves neither, and a liquidation that is still running when you file raises questions about both.
Decide the order first. Either keep the company trading and file its accounts, or close it and show salary, pension or other income instead. Company liquidation in Bulgaria is a months-long procedure, so start it well before the citizenship file, not alongside it.
Who naturalisation is not for
| Naturalisation (Art. 12) | Bulgarian origin (Art. 15) | |
|---|---|---|
| Years on a permanent or long-term permit | 5 years1 (three for spouses married three years or more) | Not required |
| Bulgarian language | Required | Not required |
| Key document | Your residence permit | Certificate of Bulgarian origin |
| Clean criminal record | Required | Required |
| Where it is filed | Ministry of Justice Citizenship Directorate | Ministry of Justice Citizenship Directorate |
Conditions come from the Bulgarian Citizenship Act, Article 12 (naturalisation) and Article 15 (Bulgarian origin).
| Requirement | Threshold | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Permanent or long-term residence | 5 years1 | Three years if married to a Bulgarian citizen for three years or more. |
| Bulgarian language | Required | Waived for people of Bulgarian origin. |
| No convictions | Required | Certificates from Bulgaria and your home country. |
| Income or occupation | Required | Salary, filed company accounts, pension or other lawful income. |
| Bulgarian origin (alternative) | Yes1 | Certificate from the State Agency for Bulgarians Abroad. |
Who this is not for
Still on a temporary permit? Start with permanent and long-term residence.
Check your eligibilityChecked on
Article 12 counts 5 years1 from a permanent or long-term permit.
We check the first-issue date of your permit before anything is filed.
Article 12 requires a source of income or an occupation.
Filed accounts, a contract or pension statements; a dormant company is closed or revived first.
Language knowledge is a condition, except for applicants of Bulgarian origin.
Proof of language knowledge prepared before filing.
Article 12 requires that the applicant has not been convicted.
Certificates from every relevant country; disclose past cases.
The Directorate works with Bulgarian documents.
Apostilles and sworn translations timed to be valid on the filing date.
The legal waiting period comes first; our work starts when you are within months of reaching it.
We confirm when your permanent or long-term permit reaches 5 years1, or whether Article 15 applies.
We decide with you whether a dormant company is kept or closed, and which income evidence goes in.
You obtain criminal record certificates and civil documents from your home country, apostilled.
We arrange sworn translations and file the application with the Ministry of Justice Citizenship Directorate.
The Directorate reviews the file; citizenship is granted by decree of the Vice President. No official processing time is published.
Decree granting Bulgarian citizenship.
What you receive
There is no standard package for citizenship: files differ too much. State fees are not published in our reference data.
| Item | Single applicant | Couple | Couple with two children |
|---|---|---|---|
| Our work (checks, translations, filing) | Quoted per case | Quoted per case | Quoted per case |
| State fees | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Closing a dormant company (if needed) | From €700 | From €700 | From €700 |
| Adults who file their own application | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Total | Not published | Not published | Not published |
Government fees are paid separately at cost and are listed below with their source.
Indicative prices; the final quote depends on your case. Apostilles, translations and certificates are paid at cost.
Get a quoteForeigners Act amended (SG 52/2025): digital nomad permit (Art. 24s) introduced; investor-residence holders may exit the investment after 5 years.
What it means for you: Investors on permanent residence may exit the investment after five years without losing residence.
Bulgaria became a full Schengen member: internal land border checks lifted.
What it means for you: A Bulgarian passport now also means no internal land border checks with Schengen neighbours.
At least 5 years on a permanent or long-term permit, which itself usually follows 5 years of residence. The Directorate publishes no processing time for the decision.
Marriage shortens the wait, it does not replace it: after three years of marriage to a Bulgarian citizen, three years on a permanent or long-term permit are enough.
No. The scheme was repealed in 2022. Investment now gives permanent residence, and the naturalisation period runs from there.
Bulgarian language knowledge is a condition of Article 12. Applicants of Bulgarian origin are exempt.
Through Article 15: with a certificate of Bulgarian origin from the State Agency for Bulgarians Abroad you can apply without the residence period or language test. A clean record is still required.
Often yes, but not in the same months as the application. The file needs income or an occupation; decide which evidence you will show, then close or revive the company before filing.
Your case is not here?
Write to us with your permit type and the date it was first issued.
Ask about your caseTell us your permit type, its first-issue date and whether you still run a company. We reply with the earliest filing date we see and a quote for our part.
Used for Years with permanent or long-term residence before naturalisation (Art. 12), Bulgarian origin: no residence period or language test (Art. 15), Citizenship by investment repealed
Used for Residence before a permanent or long-term permit, Investor permanent residence threshold (Art. 25(1)(6))
Used for Residence before a permanent or long-term permit
Used for Investor permanent residence threshold (Art. 25(1)(6)), Investment Agency pre-approval
Used for Citizenship by investment repealed