BULGARIAN CITIZENSHIP AND PASSPORT OF BULGARIA

As one of the youngest EU member states, Bulgaria boasts a rich and diverse culture, temperate climate, and ideal location in Southeast Europe — and the Investor Program for Residence and Citizenship in Bulgaria helps get you there faster.

Benefits of citizenship of Bulgaria:

• Fast process to residency (six to nine months);
• Fast-track option allowing for citizenship within two years;
• Special exemption from physical residence enforced with legislation;
• Government-approved investment and available financing options from banks;
• No language requirements for residence or citizenship;
• No obligation to relinquish current nationality;
• Lowest tax rates and free trade environment within the EU.

Benefits for permanent residents:

• Free movement within the Schengen zone, after Bulgaria becomes a member state;
• Access to high-quality healthcare in Bulgaria and the EU;
• Conditional tax exemption on world income.

Benefits for citizens:

• Unrestricted right to live, work and study in Europe;
• Right to own land in an EU country.

Obtaining the citizenship of Bulgaria:

Full investment package:

A candidate must invest €511,292 (1 million BGN) in government bonds for 5 years. At the end, the money will be returned without interest. Investments are guaranteed by government bonds.

Bank financing:

A candidate can use a loan on the security of purchased bonds. For detailed advice on this issue, call our office.

Accelerated program of obtaining Bulgarian citizenship:

If the candidate invests in Bulgarian bonds twice as much money than it is necessary, he will qualify for accelerated obtaining of citizenship.

To obtain citizenship under the accelerated program, it is necessary that the candidate meets certain requirements:

• Permanent residence in Bulgaria for at least a year;
• Double investment in government bonds or business;
• The second part of the investment portfolio must be in circulation for 2 years.

Cost citizenship of Bulgaria:

• From €60 thousand depends on the number of family members.

Advantages of citizenship of Bulgaria:

Advantages:

• Country participation in the Schengen Agreement. This gives the holder of a Bulgarian passport the right to enter the EU territory without a visa or to receive permission to visit European countries under a simplified procedure;
• Pretty low prices for real estate. It will be easy for you to rent a house here or even purchase it, if necessary;
• Modest tax on personal income. The tax rate is only 10%, so if you are an ordinary citizen, the state will not take most of your earnings;
• Higher education diplomas issued by Bulgarian universities are recognized in the EU without the need for additional qualifications;
• Beautiful nature, temperate continental climate with pronounced seasons. From the east, the country is washed by the Black Sea;
• Bulgarian language is quite similar to Russian, so you quickly learn it at the household level. In addition, the mentality of the Bulgarians is close to the Russians and representatives of other post-communist countries: it will be easy for you to establish friendly relations with the local population;
• Low crime rate. Life here is calm.

Disadvantages citizenship of Bulgaria:

There is one tangible disadvantage: too strict migration legislation. The procedure for obtaining citizenship may be delayed for 10 months. All applicants for Bulgarian citizenship are extremely thoroughly checked.

The process of obtaining a citizenship of Bulgaria:

The availability of capital is not always a guarantee that you can obtain citizenship in an EU country by investing in the development of the economy. Bulgaria is a pleasant exception in this regard: since 2013, there are amendments to the Aliens Act, which have significantly simplified the procedure for obtaining a residence permit and citizenship for residents of other countries. Today, a foreigner can get a Bulgarian passport in just two years, without renouncing his country's citizenship and not passing the state language test.

Citizenship for investment: what conditions must be met?

The process of obtaining Bulgarian citizenship through investments in government bonds consists of two stages. The first of them takes 1 year and involves obtaining permanent residence. To achieve this, it is not necessary to live in the country, it is enough just to invest in government bonds at least 1 million BGN, which is about 500 thousand euros. This money, as practice shows, will be returned to the owners, but the term of investing them in bonds will be at least 5 years.

The implementation of the second stage can be started in a year. Having the status of a person permanently residing in Bulgaria, it is necessary to invest in government bonds another 1 million BGN for a period of three years, after which you can apply for citizenship.

Thus, in two years, anyone who is willing to invest a little more than 1 million euros in the Bulgarian economy has the opportunity to obtain the status of a citizen of one of the EU countries with all the attendant advantages, including free movement in the Schengen zone. At the same time, it is not necessary to remain on the territory of Bulgaria for two years while the procedure of status is being naturalized. But the address of residence will have to specify, so you should take care in advance about renting or buying property in this country.

What privileges do family members receive?

The status of a person who has permanent residence or citizenship in Bulgaria automatically entitles his family members spouses and children to apply for permanent residence or citizenship. For children under the age of 18, this happens automatically, after 18 years in the prescribed manner, with the provision of a package of necessary documents to the migration service. The decision to grant permanent residence or citizenship is taken up to 6 months, an absolute record among EU countries that practice the naturalization of the status of foreigners in exchange for investments.

What are government bonds?

The process of obtaining Bulgarian citizenship through investments in government bonds, in essence, is the usual procedure for buying securities. Unlike other countries' government bonds that are offered to foreigners, Bulgaria’s state treasury bills have free circulation in the domestic securities market. That is, they do not contain any marks that were sold to foreigners, and can be implemented in almost any bank in the country at the market rate.

For allowing the state to use the loan, the owner of the bond receives interest in the form of special coupons, which can also be cashed. Plus, under favorable circumstances, market players can earn on bonds if their value increases over two years.

Those who want to obtain Bulgarian citizenship through investments in bonds, but do not have the necessary amount, have a chance to receive a bank loan to buy securities, provided that the investor pays 10% of their value on their own.

Legislative base of the Program for obtaining permanent residence and Bulgarian citizenship:

• Law on Foreigners of the Republic of Bulgaria.pdf.