Bulgaria
Bulgaria visa and residence permit guide
- 16 visa types
- checked 24 October 2026
How visas for Bulgaria work
Bulgaria became a full member of the Schengen area on 1 January 2025, when checks on persons at its internal land borders were lifted; checks at internal air and sea borders had already ended on 31 March 2024. Visits of up to 90 days in any 180-day period are therefore covered by the uniform Schengen visa (type C). Bulgaria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs charges EUR 90 for a short-stay or airport transit visa application, and the fee is not refunded if the visa is refused.
Stays longer than three months start with a national long-stay visa, type D. Under Article 15 of the Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria Act the standard D visa is valid for up to 6 months with up to 180 days of stay and costs EUR 100; a one-year D visa with up to 360 days of stay, used for certain students and researchers, costs EUR 200. The D visa is only an entry document: within its validity the foreigner applies to the Migration Directorate of the Ministry of Interior, or the migration unit of a regional police directorate, for a residence permit on the same ground.
Work is regulated jointly by the Ministry of Interior and the Employment Agency. Most employees receive a single residence and work permit valid for up to three years, highly qualified staff an EU Blue Card, and seasonal, posted and intra-corporate staff have their own permits. Since the 2025 amendments the Foreigners Act also contains a residence ground for digital nomads, with an income threshold of 50 minimum monthly wages a year. Bulgaria uses the euro from 2026, while many legal thresholds are still written in leva; this guide gives both where the law does.
Nationals of countries on the EU visa list need a visa for every purpose, including short visits; nationals of visa-exempt countries need one for stays over 90 days. Applications are lodged at the Bulgarian diplomatic or consular mission responsible for the applicant’s place of legal residence; long-stay visas are generally applied for in the country of residence after the Bulgarian authority concerned has approved the underlying permit.
Which visa do I need?
Holiday, visiting family or friends, business meetings or fairs for up to 90 days: Schengen C visa, EUR 90.
Job offer from a Bulgarian employer: single residence and work permit; with a degree and a salary of at least 1.5 times the national average wage, the EU Blue Card. Seasonal work in tourism or agriculture: registration (up to 90 days) or a seasonal worker permit (90 days to 9 months). Transfer within a multinational group: ICT permit.
Full-time university studies: D visa and a student residence permit. Research under a hosting agreement: researcher permit.
Remote work for a non-EU employer or your own non-EU company: digital nomad residence. Freelance activity in Bulgaria: Employment Agency freelance permit. Pension income: pensioner residence. Large investments in real estate, companies or securities: investor residence or permanent residence.
Joining a non-EU family member living in Bulgaria: family reunification. Spouse or child of a Bulgarian citizen: family-member residence. Five years of legal residence: long-term or permanent residence. Fear of persecution or serious harm: asylum with the State Agency for Refugees.
Visa types for Bulgaria
Visits and short stays
- Tourist visa Uniform Schengen visa for tourism (short-stay visa, type C)
Tourists who need a visa for Bulgaria apply for a uniform Schengen visa, type C, which allows up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the Schengen area.
Maximum stay: Up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
Business and self-employment
- Business visa Uniform Schengen visa for business trips (short-stay visa, type C)
Business travellers visiting Bulgarian companies, trade fairs or conferences for up to 90 days in 180 use the uniform Schengen visa, type C.
Maximum stay: Up to 90 days in any 180-day period. - Self-employed and freelancer visa Residence for freelance activity with an Employment Agency permit (Art. 24a Foreigners Act, Art. 44 Labour Migration Act)
Foreigners who want to work in Bulgaria as freelancers first obtain a permit for freelance activity from the Employment Agency, then a type D visa and a residence permit.
Maximum stay: Freelance permit up to one year; the residence permit follows it.
Study and training
- Student visa Long-stay visa (type D) and residence permit for full-time students (Art. 24c Foreigners Act)
Foreigners admitted to full-time study at a Bulgarian higher education institution enter with a type D visa and then obtain a student residence permit from the Migration Directorate, issued for up to one year at a time and for 18 months in the final year.
Maximum stay: Residence permit for up to one year, renewable; 18 months for the final year of studies. - Researcher visa Residence permit for researchers with a hosting agreement (Art. 24b Foreigners Act)
Researchers who sign a hosting agreement for a research project with a Bulgarian research organisation entered in the national register can obtain a type D visa and then a researcher residence permit, without a separate work permit.
Maximum stay: Permit for the length of the hosting agreement, up to one year at a time, renewable.
Work
- Work visa Single residence and work permit (Единно разрешение за пребиваване и работа, Art. 24i Foreigners Act)
Most foreign employees in Bulgaria work on a single residence and work permit.
Maximum stay: Three years, or the duration of the employment contract if shorter. - EU Blue Card EU Blue Card (Синя карта на ЕС, Art. 33k Foreigners Act)
The EU Blue Card is Bulgaria’s permit for highly qualified employment.
Maximum stay: Up to 5 years, at least 24 months; for contracts shorter than 24 months, the contract length plus three months. - Seasonal work visa Seasonal work: registration up to 90 days and seasonal worker permit for 90 days to 9 months (Art. 24k and 24l Foreigners Act)
Bulgaria has two seasonal schemes.
Maximum stay: Up to 90 days (registration) or 90 days to 9 months within any 12 months (permit). - Intra-company transfer visa Intra-corporate transferee permit (ICT, Art. 33p Foreigners Act)
Managers, specialists and trainee employees transferred from a company outside the EU to an entity of the same group in Bulgaria use the ICT permit.
Maximum stay: 3 years for managers and specialists, 1 year for trainees. - Digital nomad visa Long-stay residence for digital nomads (Art. 24(1)(23) and Art. 24s Foreigners Act)
Since the 2025 amendments to the Foreigners Act, remote workers can live in Bulgaria as digital nomads.
Maximum stay: One year, extendable once by one more year.
Family
- Family reunification visa Family reunification with a third-country national residing in Bulgaria (Art. 24(1)(13) and Art. 33f Foreigners Act)
A non-EU national who has been granted residence in Bulgaria for at least one year can bring a spouse and minor children.
Maximum stay: Family members’ permits run with the sponsor’s permit, generally up to one year at a time. - Spouse and partner visa Long-stay residence for family members of Bulgarian citizens (Art. 24(1)(18) Foreigners Act)
Spouses and children of Bulgarian citizens obtain long-stay residence in Bulgaria on a type D visa, for which family members of Bulgarian citizens pay no visa fee.
Maximum stay: Long-stay residence of up to one year at a time, renewable.
Residence
- Golden visa and residence by investment Residence by investment: long-stay residence (Art. 24(1)(19)–(20)) and permanent residence for investors (Art. 25(1)(6)–(8), (16)) under the Foreigners Act
Bulgaria’s Foreigners Act links residence to investment at two levels.
Maximum stay: Long-stay residence: up to one year at a time, renewable while the investment is maintained. Permanent residence: indefinite. - Retirement visa Long-stay residence for pensioners (Art. 24(1)(10) Foreigners Act)
Foreigners who have acquired a right to a pension under the law of Bulgaria, their home country or another state, and who have sufficient means for living in Bulgaria, can obtain long-stay residence as pensioners.
Maximum stay: Up to one year at a time, renewable. - Permanent residence EU long-term residence (Art. 24g) and permanent residence (Art. 25) in Bulgaria
Bulgaria offers two settled statuses.
Maximum stay: Indefinite. The EU long-term residence card is valid for 5 years and renewed on application.
Asylum and international protection
- Asylum and international protection International protection in Bulgaria: refugee status and humanitarian status (State Agency for Refugees)
International protection in Bulgaria is decided by the State Agency for Refugees with the Council of Ministers (SAR).
Maximum stay: You may stay in Bulgaria until a final decision is made.
Frequently asked questions
Is Bulgaria in the Schengen area?
Yes. Bulgaria has been a full Schengen member since 1 January 2025. A Schengen visa issued by Bulgaria is valid for the whole Schengen area, and a visa issued by another Schengen state covers short stays in Bulgaria.
How much does a Bulgarian visa cost?
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs charges EUR 90 for a short-stay or airport transit visa, EUR 100 for a long-stay D visa under Article 15(1) of the Foreigners Act and EUR 200 for a one-year D visa under Article 15(2). Fees are not refunded after a refusal. Residence permits issued in Bulgaria carry separate Ministry of Interior fees.
Can I convert a Schengen visa into a residence permit inside Bulgaria?
As a rule, no. Long-stay residence permits require a D visa issued for the same purpose, and the Migration Directorate refuses a permit when the ground in the application differs from the ground of the D visa. Exceptions exist, for example for family members of Bulgarian citizens who have exercised free movement and for children born in Bulgaria.
Do I have to register my address after arriving?
Yes. The EU Immigration Portal pages for Bulgaria state that holders of residence-based permits must notify their address to the competent authorities within five days of arrival.
Which authority decides on residence permits?
The Migration Directorate of the Ministry of Interior in Sofia and the migration departments of the regional directorates of the Ministry of Interior. For work-related permits they act after a written opinion of the Employment Agency, and the State Agency for National Security is consulted on applications.
Are amounts in leva or euro?
Bulgaria has adopted the euro, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs quotes visa fees in euro. Many thresholds in the Foreigners Act are still written in leva, and the Employment Agency shows both figures, for example BGN 400 or EUR 204.52 for a work or freelance permit.
Embassies and consulates
Last checked 24 October 2026. Each visa page lists the official sources it is based on.