Bulgaria student visa and student residence permit

The student permit is for foreigners admitted to full-time (regular) study at a Bulgarian higher education institution. Pupils in upper secondary education under an exchange programme and trainee students also fall under the student and trainee rules. Foreigners of Bulgarian origin admitted as full-time students can obtain the permit without a D visa if they prove their origin.

Admission to a full-time programme normally requires proof of a passed language examination, because teaching is in Bulgarian unless the programme is taught in another language.

For the D visa you present the certificate of acceptance for study in Bulgaria issued by the Ministry of Education and Science and a certificate from the university for the semester in which you are enrolled, together with the general D visa documents: passport valid for 18 months, insurance with EUR 30,000 cover, accommodation evidence, proof of funds and a criminal record certificate.

Documents issued in a country that is party to the Hague Apostille Convention need an apostille and a certified Bulgarian translation; ask the Bulgarian mission how documents from other countries must be legalised.

After entering on the D visa you apply to the Migration Directorate or the migration unit of the regional Ministry of Interior directorate. The application includes a copy of the passport with the visa and entry stamp, proof of housing, compulsory medical insurance unless you are covered by the Bulgarian health insurance system through the university, proof of stable and sufficient means of at least the minimum monthly wage, scholarship or pension, the criminal record certificate, the Ministry of Education certificate, the university’s certificate for the current year and proof that the enrolment fee has been paid.

Notify your address within five days of arrival. The permit is issued for up to one year and renewed each academic year; in the final year it is issued for 18 months.

Students holding a residence permit from another EU member state who come under an EU or multilateral programme, or an agreement between universities at least one of which is Bulgarian, can study part of their course in Bulgaria for up to two years under the mobility rules.

Time spent as a student counts only by half towards long-term residence status, which requires 5 years of legal and uninterrupted residence.

Students may work up to 20 hours a week during the academic year and during official holidays without a work permit. You cannot switch to another study programme on the same permit; a new application is needed.

After graduating you may, within 9 months, look for and start work and use Employment Agency services if you register with the agency within 7 working days. A job then needs a work-based permit such as the single permit or the EU Blue Card.