Temporary and permanent residence permits

A single residence and work permit is issued to third-country nationals who apply for a residence permit for the purpose of work. These are persons employed under an employment relationship within the meaning of the Labor Code by a local employer.

This type of permit is obtained after registering a commercial representation of a foreign company in the Republic of Bulgaria and registering the commercial representative. No more than two representatives for each registered commercial representation of a foreign commercial company in the Republic of Bulgaria can obtain a residence permit on the basis of commercial representative.

The EU Blue Card is issued to third-country nationals who apply for a residence permit for the purpose of employment. These are persons employed to perform highly qualified work under an employment relationship within the meaning of the Labor Code by a local employer.

The foreigner must have a higher education degree with a duration of at least 4 years or professional experience comparable to a higher education degree. If the foreigner holds an EU Blue Card in another EU Member State, they are entitled to apply for and obtain a Blue Card in Bulgaria.

A permit to perform freelance activities by third-country nationals is granted for positions that do not require Bulgarian citizenship:

- in accordance with the state, development, and public interests of the Bulgarian labor market

- when the third-country national possesses the specialized knowledge, skills, and professional experience required for the position in question

A prerequisite is knowledge of the Bulgarian language, which is proven by completing a course, minimum B1.

A permanent residence permit on the basis of pension rights is granted to third-country nationals who have acquired pension rights in the Republic of Bulgaria, in their country of origin or in another country, and have sufficient financial resources to support themselves in the country.

Permanent residence – with an indefinite period of validity. A permanent residence permit is granted to foreigners who have resided continuously (legally and without interruption) in the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria for a period of 5 years and have been absent from the country for no more than 30 months within those 5 years.

Long-term residence – with a permitted period of residence of up to 5 years.

A long-term residence permit is granted to foreigners who have resided legally and without interruption in the Republic of Bulgaria for the last 5 years.

Periods of absence from the Republic of Bulgaria must not exceed a total of 10 months over the last 5 years and must be less than 6 consecutive months.

A long-term residence certificate is granted to EU citizens and their family members on the following grounds:

1. Employment or self-employment in the Republic of Bulgaria

2. Enrollment in an educational institution for education or vocational training in the Republic of Bulgaria

3. Marriage or de facto cohabitation with a citizen of the European Union

EU citizens can obtain a permanent residence permit in the Republic of Bulgaria, provided that they have lived legally in an EU member state for 5 years without interruption.