Living in Bulgaria and Residency

The European Union may be blamed for many things - from increases in taxation to excessive amounts of bureaucracy - but one thing membership of the EU does ensure is that gaining residency in one EU member state when you herald originally from another and you hold an EU passport is very straightforward.

We discussed living in Bulgaria and residency, visa, permissions to work and so on and so forth in previous articles prior to Bulgaria becoming a fully fledged member of the EU at the start of 2007, and if you hunt back and read about the hoops that had to be jumped through you can see what a nightmare it used to be.  Thankfully now though, living in Bulgaria and gaining residency is very easy if you come from another EU member state and you have a European Union recognised passport such as a British passport.

If you have a holiday home in Bulgaria and you’re only going to be visiting it occasionally on your vacations each year, you don’t even need a visa to visit.  As long as when you arrive your passport is valid for at least the next three months and you don’t overstay a 90 day period, you can freely come and go in Bulgaria.

As is traditional, most hotels will still retain your passport when you check in – but if you have your own property in Bulgaria this is not even a concern and you no longer have to do things such as registering your presence in the nation with the authorities or the police.

If you’re going to be living in Bulgaria permanently or at least for more than 90 days then you will need to register for official residency and obtain your ID card which is called ‘lichna karta’.  Register for this card before the 90 day grace period you’re entitled to ends otherwise you could face fines and stress!  The card costs next to nothing to obtain but bear in mind all members of the family, including children, need one.

To get your card you simply apply to the immigration office at the police station in your district – it’s a very uncomplicated procedure; you simply complete the standard application form and present it together with either your rental agreement or your sales contract if you’ve bought a property in Bulgaria.  Additionally you will require a photocopy of your passport’s photo page, a copy of your EU health card and proof of either your job in Bulgaria and earnings or proof of financial security in the form of an official letter from your bank in Bulgaria to show that you can support yourself.