Bulgaria Residence for Pensioners

The Bulgaria Residence for Pensioners permit allows non-EU nationals who are officially retired in their home country to obtain temporary residency in Bulgaria. The permit is valid for one year and is renewable annually without limit, provided the holder continues to meet the financial and documentary requirements each year.

The country offers one of the lowest costs of living in the EU, a flat 10% personal income tax rate, and no property tax on properties valued below BGN 300,000.

After five years of lawful continuous residence, permit holders may apply for permanent or long-term residency. Citizenship by naturalization becomes available after a further five years of holding permanent or long-term residency status.

To qualify for the Bulgaria Residence for Pensioners permit, applicants must be non-EU nationals who are officially retired in their home country and meet the following requirements.

Financial Requirements

• Proof of entitlement to a state pension from the country of origin, issued by the relevant authority and legalized; note that private pensions may not be accepted

• A Bulgarian bank account holding a minimum balance equivalent to 12 Bulgarian minimum monthly pensions

Accommodation

• Proof of a permanent place of residence in Bulgaria, either owned or rented, in the form of a notarized lease agreement or property title

General Documents

• Valid passport with sufficient remaining validity

• Health insurance policy valid in Bulgaria covering urgent medical care and hospitalization for at least 12 months, with a minimum coverage of €30,000

• Criminal background check from the country of origin

• Certified translation into Bulgarian of all foreign-language documents

Application Process
Applicants must first obtain a Category D long-stay visa from a Bulgarian embassy or consulate in their country of residence. Processing typically takes 4 to 8 weeks.

The D visa is valid for 6 months. Upon arrival in Bulgaria, applicants must apply for the residence permit at the local Migration Directorate of the Ministry of Interior no later than two weeks before the D visa expires. The permit is issued for one year and must be renewed annually by re-demonstrating eligibility.

Family Members
The non-retired spouse and children under 21 may join the permit holder in Bulgaria through the family reunification process, subject to proof of relationship, financial stability, and accommodation.

• Increased visa-free travel
• No physical presence requirement
• Freedom of movement (but not settlement) within Schengen
• Path to citizenship
• Permits dual/multiple citizenship
• Lower taxes
• Lower cost of living
• Enhanced business access to large economies
• Short processing time

After 5 years of lawful continuous temporary residence in Bulgaria, permit holders become eligible to apply for permanent or long-term residency.

After holding permanent or long-term residency for a further 5 years, applicants may apply for Bulgarian citizenship by naturalization.

Naturalization requirements include demonstrated basic proficiency in the Bulgarian language, a clean criminal record, proof of a stable and sufficient source of income, and in most cases renunciation of the applicant's original citizenship.

Exceptions to the renunciation requirement apply to EU nationals, spouses of Bulgarian citizens, and nationals of countries with which Bulgaria has concluded reciprocity treaties.

Note that years spent under temporary residence do not count toward the permanent residency threshold and cannot be converted to permanent or long-term status until the 5-year mark is reached.

Browse 195 countries’ paths to citizenship in the hyper-detailed IMI Citizenship Catalog.

Applications for this program are processed by the Migration Directorate of the Bulgarian Ministry of Interior.

Legislation upon which this program is based: Article 24, paragraph 1, item 10 of the Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria Act; Rules on Application of the Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria Act; Bulgarian Citizenship Act (as amended).