Bulgaria digital nomad visa and residence permit

The Act defines a digital nomad in three ways. First, an employee under an employment contract with an employer registered outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland who provides remote services through information technology; for a fixed-term contract, the remaining term must be at least as long as the permit. Second, a legal representative, board member, owner or partner holding more than 25 percent of a company registered outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland, through which remote services are provided. Third, a person who has personally provided remote IT-based services for at least one year before applying.

In the second and third cases the person must not work for or provide services to persons in Bulgaria, and in the third case must not carry out a freelance activity in Bulgaria. The Labour Migration Act excludes digital nomad permit holders from access to the Bulgarian labour market.

Article 24s requires an average annual income of at least 50 minimum monthly wages under Bulgarian law for the previous calendar year, assessed on gross income. The Ministry of Labour and Social Policy reported in October 2026 that the current minimum wage is EUR 620.20 a month and proposed EUR 660 from 1 January 2027. Using the 2026 figure, 50 wages equal EUR 31,010, which is the reference for applications filed in 2027.

You must also meet the general conditions for long-stay residence in Article 24(2): secured housing, compulsory health insurance and sufficient means without recourse to social assistance.

Apply for a type D visa at the Bulgarian mission in your country of residence, with the general D visa documents and evidence of your remote work and income. After entry, register your address within five days and apply to the Migration Directorate or the regional migration unit for the residence permit on the same ground before the visa expires. A permit is refused when the ground in the application differs from the ground of the D visa.

The permit lasts one year and may be extended only once, for one more year. If it expires while an extension request filed within its validity is pending, you may stay in Bulgaria until the decision. After two years a further stay needs another legal ground.

Employers or companies registered in an EU or EEA state or in Switzerland do not qualify. Clients in Bulgaria are excluded for owners and freelancers. The official sources checked do not set a separate family route tied to this permit, so family members should check the general family reunification rules, which require the sponsor to hold residence for at least one year.