Temporary and permanent residence permits in Bulgaria for pensioners

Bulgaria is a comfortable country for senior people. There are many reasons for it: a good climate, high-quality food, cheap real estate, and quite an easy procedure of obtaining a temporary residence permit and moving for permanent living for pensioners. This is true for senior people from Europe, Israel, the USA, or any other country. 

A temporary residence permit in Bulgaria allows foreign citizens to stay in the country from 3 months to 1 year. There is also a possibility of prolonging this right in a migration office without leaving the country. In fact, this means that foreigners can live in Bulgaria permanently from the moment of moving to this country. The foreigner who receives a temporary residence permit also gets a personal number. 

Please pay attention – a temporary residence permit does not give you a right to work in Bulgaria!

Based on Bulgarian legislation, a temporary residence right can be received by foreign pensioners who have a sufficient budget to live in the country. This requirement is described in cl. 24, para. 10 of the “Law of the foreigners” of the Republic of Bulgaria. Many people know this provision as a basis for getting a temporary residence permit in Bulgaria as a “financially secured pensioner” or “a program of a financially secured pensioner”. Logically many candidates wonder what pension amount is sufficient for getting a temporary residence permit. In 2021 it can’t be less than the minimal Bulgarian pension that is 300 leva or 150 euro. In practice, the only document confirming the availability of financial assets is a bank certificate where it is stated that on the bank account there is an amount equal to 12 minimal pensions in Bulgaria is. 

Apart from this, the pensioner must have a place where to live in Bulgaria. It does not matter whether the property is owned or rented.

Where to start to get a temporary residence permit in Bulgaria for a pensioner?

The process of getting a temporary residence permit in Bulgaria consists of two steps.

On the first step, the candidate is to get a visa D in a Bulgarian embassy or a consular department in the country where he/ she lives.

The second step includes getting a residence permit in Bulgaria. It will then have to be prolonged on an annual basis. Consultations and assistance from our agency will help you avoid any issues connected with these two steps and get all the documents.

Visa D

Visa D is a document based on which pensioners from the countries not included in the EU, can get a residence permit. An opinion that if a senior person has visa C or Bulgarian property, then he will get the permit automatically, is a mistake.

The documents are to be submitted personally. But, before going to the embassy, they need to be scanned and sent in a pdf file. As soon as an embassy employee checks it, a date for submitting documents in person will be appointed. The applicant will have to come personally and submit a package of original documents and copies.

The package for the Visa D application includes:

• Application form (2 copies) with color photographs, 3.5×4.5 cm format.
• International passport valid at least 1.5 years with not less than 2 empty pages.
• Bulgarian bank certificate confirming that there is a sum equal to 12 Bulgarian minimal pensions available on the bank account. To be issued by the bank.
• Six months medical insurance with 30 thousand Euro coverage. 
• Document confirming that the applicant has a place to live in Bulgaria. Owners provide a Notary Act. Candidates without their property provide a rental contract and an owner’s declaration. Notary copies are required.
• Certificate from a pension fund confirming that the applicant is a pensioner and has a right to get a pension in the country of his citizenship.
• Certificate confirming that the candidate has no criminal records.

The latest 3 documents are to be provided in Bulgarian. They must be translated by an authorized translator (the list is available on the consulate website) and confirmed by the consulate. The price is 150 euro.The consular fee is 100 euro. If the pensioner is a member of an EU citizen family, the fee is not charged. 

The application will be reviewed in less than 30 days. The maximum period of reviewing is not limited. We recommend you not to plan to move within 90 days from the date when the documents were accepted by the Embassy or a consulate.

Upon the review, pensioners will get visa D in their international passports. To get it, it is necessary to come to the consulate in person or to provide a Letter of Attorney to someone who can do it for you. 

Getting residence permit

Visa D is valid for 180 days. You can come to Bulgaria or go from it several times within this period. However, our clients try to move and to get a residence permit asap.

The documents for getting a temporary residence permit by a pensioner are to be submitted to a migration office of the local Ministry of Home Affairs department in compliance with the place where the senior person lived. If he/ she lives in Burgas, Ravda, Sozopol, or on Sunny Beach, he/ she must come to Burgas. If in Varna, Albena, Byala, welcome to Varna, etc.

The list of documents for a pensioner to obtain a temporary residence permit in Bulgaria includes:

• Application form in Bulgarian language (original). We will help you fill it up correctly!
• Valid international passport (original + copy).
• Document confirming that the applicant has where to live in Bulgaria (Notary Act for your own property or a rental contract and an owner’s declaration, if it is rented). Notary copies are required.
• Bank certificate confirming that not less than 12 Bulgarian minimal pensions are available on the bank account (in 2021 it is about 1,850 euro per person). An original must be provided.
• Medical insurance for 12 months with 30,000 Euro coverage (a copy signed and stamped by an authorized representative of the insurance company).
• Pensioner’s ID (authorized translation).
• Certificate confirming that candidate has no criminal records.
• Fee payment receipt (10 leva).
• The review standard period is 2-3 weeks. After the migration employee accepts the application, he will issue a note with a date when the candidate needs to come for a decision. If the application is approved, it will be necessary to fill up one more questionnaire, and to pay a temporary residence fee (500 leva for 12 months, 250 leva for 6 months) and a fee for a personal ID card (45-220 leva depending on how quickly it is required.  

Apart Estate helps to get temporary residence permits in Bulgaria for people from Israel, EU and non-EU countries. Just send a request or write to the most convenient messenger for you per the phone numbers available on the website. Our specialists will contact you asap.

Prolongation of residence permit in Bulgaria for pensioners in 2021

The temporary residence permit is issued for pensioners for the period of 6 or 12 months. Three-four weeks before the personal ID is expired, you need to come to the migration office and apply for an annual prolongation. The list of documents for prolongation of the temporary residence permit in Bulgaria for senior people is the same as for the first application. The only exclusion is that a certificate of absence of criminal records is not required. It does not need to be attached to the application.

Having lived in Bulgaria for 5 years, pensioners from other countries can apply for a permanent residence right (for EU citizens the procedure is slightly different).

If you need assistance in obtaining a temporary or permanent residence permit in Bulgaria, our agency specialists will answer all the questions and help to prepare and submit documents. Moving to Bulgaria will be easier with us.