In general the main legal requirements are:

• Personal investment in real estate property on the teritory of Bulgaria in ammount not less than BGN 600 000 or:
• Registration of a LTD company, where the candidate owns more than 51% of the shared capital.
• The invested capital must be at least 600 000 BGN /~ 300 000 euro/
• The company must have an investment in Bulgarian properties at an amount of no less than 600 000 BGN.

Residence by Registration of Non Trading Rep Office

Our practice shows that the second option above – registration of non trading rep office is the most preferable for immigration to Bulgaria. The procedure is fast, at low costs and highly efficient. The cost of the procedure of registration of a representative office of a foreign company in Bulgaria is 2500 euro. The procedure takes between 40 and 60 days.

Registration of a Business   Entity in Bulgaria and hiring of no less than 10 Bulgarian employees

In case the investor registers a Company in Bulgaria  and hires more than 10 Bulgarian employees for more than 6 months, he would have a legal right to apply for Bulgarian residence permit.

The third option is more difficult and it is not recommended for business people who are just starting their activity in Bulgaria.

Permanent Residence Permit via Investment in Bonds and Shares

Permanent residence permit in Bulgaria may be granted to foreigners if:

I. Made an investment or increased their investment by acquiring:

a) shares or bonds of Bulgarian commercial companies, traded on a regulated market or a multilateral trading system in the Republic of Bulgaria, at a market value of not less than BGN 2 000 000;

b) rights under concession contracts on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria with a contract value of not less than BGN 1 000 000;

c) shares or stocks with a value of not less than BGN 1 000 000 in collective investment schemes originating in the Republic of Bulgaria, operating in accordance with the Act on the Operation of the Collective Investment Schemes and of Other Undertakings for Collective Investment and provided that:

aa) the net asset value of each collective investment scheme is not less than BGN 5 000 000;

bb) the collective investment scheme has been licensed or authorized by the Financial Supervision Commission;

cc) their investment strategy is focused mainly on investments in shares and / or bonds under letter “a”;

d) shares or stocks with a value of not less than BGN 1 000 000 in alternative investment funds established in the Republic of Bulgaria, managed by persons, who manage alternative investment funds originating in the Republic of Bulgaria, operating under the Act on the Operation of the Collective Investment Schemes and of Other Undertakings for Collective Investment, and provided that:

aa) the assets of each fund are worth not less than BGN 3 000 000;

bb) the alternative investment funds and the persons managing the alternative investment funds are licensed or registered by the Financial Supervision Commission;

cc) their investment strategy is directed mainly at investing in Bulgarian assets and investing only in shares, stocks and bonds of Bulgarian companies, including joint stock companies with a special investment purpose;

II. Invested in the country by depositing in the capital of a Bulgarian company an amount of not less than BGN 2,000,000 for a priority investment project implemented by the company, certified under the terms and conditions of the Investment Promotion Act, which is certified by the Ministry of the Innovation and Growth;

III. Who have invested the amount of at least BGN 6 000 000 in the capital of a Bulgarian company, which shares are not traded on a regulated market;

IV. Who perform activities certified under the Investment Promotion Act, certified by the Ministry of Innovation and Growth pursuant to Art. 25c;

V. Have made an investment in the state by depositing in the share capital of a Bulgarian trade company no less than BGN 500 000, where the foreigner is a partner or shareholder with registered shares and owns more than 50 % of the share capital of the company and as a result of the investment have been acquired new tangible and intangible assets amounting to not less than BGN 500 000 and at least 10 new positions are opened for Bulgarian citizens for the residence period and this is verified by the Ministry of Innovation and Growth; The Ministry of Innovation and Growth issues the certificate after motivation by the Bulgarian company of the need for residence of the foreigner for the implementation and maintenance of the investment;

Permanent Residence Permit for Students and Pensioners 

These 2 options are the most afordable and the easest from the legal point of view.

Please contact us for more information!

IMMIGRATION AND RESIDENCE PERMITS IN BULGARIA