An immigrant can obtain a permanent residence permit in Bulgaria after legal and continuous residence for a period of five years. However, the Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria Act allows investors to bypass residence and language requirements through the following passive and active investment options.

Read ahead for an overview of the various investment options along with information about the application procedure, fees, and documentation requirements.

Investment options for Bulgaria Investor Immigration:

  1. Investment in
    1. Government Bonds
    2. Company operating in underdeveloped regions of Bulgaria
    3. Company operating in Bulgaria
    4. Private company operating in Bulgaria
    5. Real estate in Bulgaria
    6. Class A, Class B, or Priority Investment as per the Investment Promotion Act
  2. Through Services to the Republic of Bulgaria
    1. Services in public and economic sphere.
    2. Services in area of national security, science, technology, culture, or sports.

The investor also has the option of utilizing the Fast Track procedure where the investor becomes eligible to apply for citizenship after just one year of permanent residence as opposed to minimum five years required for other investment options.

Fast Track Procedure for Bulgaria Citizenship

An economic investor in Bulgaria can apply for citizenship after five years of permanent residence. This time period can be reduced to just one year through the Fast Track Procedure.

An investor can apply for citizenship after permanent residence of just one year by fulfilling the following conditions:

  1. The investor has invested a minimum sum of EUR 511,292 in government bonds in Bulgaria.
  2. The investor has been a permanent resident in Bulgaria for a period of at least one year.
  3. The investor has invested an additional EUR 511,292 in a company participating in or carrying out a Priority Investment Project as defined in the Investment Promotion Act, and
  4. The investor undertakes to hold both investments for a period of at least two years after grant of Bulgarian citizenship.

Inclusion of Family: Bulgaria Investor Immigration

The permanent resident permit issued to the investor will include the following family members:

  1. Spouse;
  2. Children of the investor and of his/her spouse, including adopted children who are unmarried and below the age of 18 years
  3. Unmarried family members above the age of 18 years suffering serious health concerns that make them incapable of earning their living and where the personal care for such members is the responsibility of the investor.

The processing of residence permits of the family members may take between three to six months after the grant of Permanent Residence Permit to the investor.

Fees: Bulgaria Investor Immigration

The application fee includes application fees, legal and translation charges, and charges for background verification and validation of source of funds. The fee amount varies depending on the country of origin of the investor, the number of dependents and other relevant factors.

Application Procedure for Bulgaria Investor Immigration