Permanent residence and EU long-term residence in Bulgaria

Article 25 lists the groups that can obtain permanent residence. The general route is five years of legal and uninterrupted residence in Bulgaria before the application, with absences of no more than 30 months in that period; student periods count by half. Other groups include people of Bulgarian origin; the spouse of a permanent resident five years after the civil marriage and with five years of legal residence; unmarried minor children of a Bulgarian citizen or of a permanent resident; parents of a Bulgarian citizen who are maintained by the citizen after three years of legal residence; family members of a Bulgarian citizen after five years of legal residence; and investors meeting the thresholds in Article 25(1)(6)–(8) and (16), or long-stay investors who kept their investment for five years.

Article 24g grants long-term resident status to a foreigner who has resided legally and without interruption in Bulgaria for the five years before the application. Once acquired the status is permanent unless grounds for withdrawal arise. The holder receives an EU long-term resident permit valid for five years, renewed on application; the card’s expiry does not mean loss of status.

Only half of the time spent as a student, pupil or trainee counts. The EU Immigration Portal states that absences may not exceed six consecutive months or a total of ten months in the five years. For Blue Card holders, periods in other member states count if the last two years were in Bulgaria on a Blue Card.

Permanent residence applications are filed in person at the Migration Directorate or at the migration unit of the competent regional directorate of the Ministry of Interior. The director or an authorised official decides within two months; in cases of legal and factual complexity, or when more documents are needed, the period can be extended by two months. Applications for long-term status are also filed with the Migration Directorate.

Gaps in legal residence restart the count. Absences above the limits, a residence permit obtained on a ground excluded from long-term status, or a permit issued under Article 28a (except humanitarian permits for adults) prevent permanent residence. Plan trips abroad carefully in the five years before you apply.

Long-term and permanent residents can work without a work permit and have equal access to health insurance and social security. Their family members are exempt from the work permit as well. Holders of EU long-term status from another member state can move to Bulgaria under special rules: they apply within three months of entry for a one-year long-stay permit.