The information was last updated on 09.03.2023
When can you apply?
If you were granted refugee status in Bulgaria, you can apply for citizenship 3 years after the day you got your status.
If you were granted humanitarian status, you can apply 5 years after the day you got your status. Make sure to renew your ID card after 3 years — you’ll need it to apply for citizenship later.
If you are a stateless person and have been residing in Bulgaria for 3 years with a permanent or long-term residence permit.
If you have been residing in Bulgaria with a permanent or long-term residence permit received not less than 5 years ago.
Note: Keep in mind that this list is not exhaustive and there are some additional grounds to receive Bulgarian citizenship.
To be eligible, you also need to show that you:
- Are at least 18 years old
- Have a clear criminal record
- Are not the subject of a criminal investigation
- Can support yourself financially in Bulgaria
- Are proficient in Bulgarian language
- Are released from your previous citizenship or you will be released from it at the moment of acquiring Bulgarian citizenship. This requirement does not apply to stateless persons, refugees and humanitarian status holders, people of Bulgarian origin or spouses of Bulgarian citizens.
Documents you need
Application for Bulgarian citizenship
You can find the template of the application here.
Birth certificate
Copy of your birth certificate issued by the relevant Bulgarian or foreign competent authority.
Suppose you are a refugee or humanitarian status holder and do not have a birth certificate. In that case, you have to present only the identity document issued to you by the Bulgarian authorities.
Criminal record
First, you need a criminal record certificate from the country of which you are a citizen.
Second, you need a criminal record certificate from Bulgaria. For this, you need to go to the Ministry of Justice and submit a request for it. You don’t need an appointment. An official will issue the document the same day you make your request.
For more information click here:
Refugee and humanitarian status holders do not have to present a criminal record certificate from their country of citizenship. They need the present only the one issued by Bulgarian authorities.
Proof you're not under investigation
To get the document that says that you are not the subject of a criminal investigation, you must go to the nearest regional prosecution office in accordance with your permanent address. A list of prosecution office locations is can be found here. You don't need an appointment. You will get your document within 4 working days. You need to pay a fee of 2 leva.
Proof you can financially support yourself
To prove that you can support yourself, you need a certificate from your employer, if you are working under a labor contract. Your job position and your salary for at least the last 6 month should be indicated in this certificate.
If you are not working under a labor contract, you can present а document issued by the territorial unit of National Revenue Agency in accordance with your permanent address stating your declared income for the previous year.
Bulgarian language
To prove your Bulgarian language skills, you have 2 options:
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If you completed your primary education (7th or 8th grade), your secondary education, or your higher education in Bulgaria, bring a notarized copy of your diploma.
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If you don’t have any Bulgarian diplomas, bring a certificate showing proficiency in the Bulgarian language. The Ministry of Education and Science issues such documents.
To get this certificate, you need to submit an application to the Ministry of Education and Science and attach a copy of your identity document.
On the copy of your ID, you should also put:
- “True to the original” in Bulgarian (Вярно с оригинала)
- Your name and surname
- Your signature
If you have completed a Bulgarian language course, you can bring a notarized copy of your certificate from this course, but there is no guarantee that the Ministry will accept it. The law doesn’t say which institutions are authorized to issue these certificates.
If you don’t have any Bulgarian language course certificates, or the Ministry doesn’t accept yours, you will have to pass a written Bulgarian exam. You can find some samples with answers at the website of the Assessment Centre in School and Preschool Education.
You can also ask the Assessment Centre for more information:
Address: Sofia, 125 Tsarigradsko whose Blvd., building 5
Phone: +35929705611
Email: [email protected]
The application process and the exam are free of charge.
Medical document issued by a medical advisory commission
This you can get from the medical institution at your place of residence. You need two separate documents:
- A document that certifies that you do not suffer from severe contagious and infectious diseases.
- A document which proves that you do not suffer from mental illnesses.
Declaration
A template of the declaration can be found here.
Other documents
- Official documents issued by Bulgarian or foreign authorities proving that you are related to at least one person - your ascending relative up to and including the third degree (parent, grandparent, great-grandparent), who is of Bulgarian origin, when you apply on the basis of Bulgarian origin. The documents must contain information on the name of the relative and his/her relationship with you.
- Your curriculum vitae (CV).
- One passport size photograph.
- A photocopy of your identity card.
- A certificate of identity of names, in case you have different names or there has been a change in your name. This is not required if the name change is due to marriage.
- Registration card for temporary protection in Bulgaria.
- A receipt for payment of the state fee of BGN 100 pay to the account of the Ministry of Justice BNB - IBAN - BG09 BNBG 9661 3000 1737 01, BIC: BNBG BGSD.
Note that at any point, you may be required to show your original documents when applying, so make sure to keep them with you.
Visit the Ministry of Justice website to learn more about the procedure and the required documents.
The information is only available in Bulgarian.
How to apply?
Submission of documents
Before submitting your application, make sure you have all the necessary documents.
Every document has to be written in, or translated into Bulgarian language and legalized.
If you don’t have all the necessary documents, the Bulgarian Citizenship Directorate may not accept your application for Bulgarian citizenship. In case your documents are approved, the Bulgarian Citizenship Directorate will give you 2 months to submit the ones you are missing. If you cannot get them within this period your procedure will be terminated.
When submitting the application, you need to pay 100 leva.
If you have a residence permit in Bulgaria, have temporary protection or you are a citizen of a Member State of the European Union, you must submit your application together with the necessary documents in person at the following address:
Ministry of Justice - Administrative Service Directorate
Address: Sofia, Slavyanska Street 1
Working days: 9:00 a.m. - 17:30 p.m
Book an appointment
If you are a non-EU citizen living abroad and wish to apply for Bulgarian citizenship, you should book an appointment in advance before submitting your documents in person.
You can do this at the Ministry of Justice website.
You need an email address.
First, you should choose a day that is convenient for you. Reservations can only be made for 60 calendar days in advance. The system will check if that date is available. If not, try another date.
In the end, don’t forget to click the “reserve” button. You will receive an email with the confirmed reservation. Only if you receive such an email, your appointment is considered booked.
Interview
When you submit all the necessary documents, the Directorate will schedule a time for an interview in Bulgarian on the same day of the registration of your application. The interview is conducted by an employee of the Bulgarian Citizenship Directorate.
During the interview, you can expect questions related to:
- Your reasons for applying for Bulgarian citizenship
- Your documents
- Your public life in Bulgaria
- Your knowledge about Bulgaria (such as official holidays and important historical events)
How long it takes?
The Ministry of Justice has to make a recommendation to the President on whether to grant you Bulgarian citizenship or not within 12 months or 9 months if you are applying on the grounds of Bulgarian origin.
Citizenship is granted or denied by the President with a presidential decree. Тhe president is not bound by a time limit within which to issue this decree, therefore in some cases it takes years to acquire Bulgarian citizenship. The Presidential decree is final and cannot be appealed before court.
The most common grounds for refusal are related to national security or public order, or to documents that show the applicant is being investigated on suspicion of having committed a crime.
You can follow what is happening with your application at the webpage of the Ministry of Justice, “Bulgarian Citizenship” Directory. To do that you have to enter the reference number of your application and a special PIN code that you will receive upon submitting your application.
Even if you are denied Bulgarian citizenship, you can apply for unlimited number of times.
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