Bulgaria Summary Guide

Bulgaria Residence

EU/EEA citizens. As Bulgaria is a member of the European Union, residents of the EU/EEA may enter the country freely to live and work – a current passport or ID card is sufficient to obtain entry to the country.

Foreign visitors to Bulgaria are obliged to announce their presence in the country (giving name, accommodation address, and passport number) at the local police station within five days, although if staying in a hotel or guest house, this will usually be taken care of automatically. Those wishing to remain in the country for periods in excess of 90 days must apply for a Residency Permit. This can be done via the National Migration Directorate, or at a local Police Station.

There are two durations of Residency Permit – a Long-term Residency Permit and a Permanent Residency Permit. The former is issued for five years for EU/EEA citizens. The latter may be issued for an indefinite period of time. Different types of residency permit are granted according to the status of the individual (retiree, employee, investor, freelancer, etc).

An application for a Long-term Residency Permit must be made within 90 days of arriving in the country. EU/EEA citizens do not require a visa to enter Bulgaria.

It is also necessary to open a Bulgarian bank account and is important to note that the Residency Permit application forms must be completed in Bulgarian. Certain documentation (passport, proof of address, proof of means of support, and so forth) must be supplied when applying for a permit. Any family members of an applicant who are not EU/EEA citizens must also apply for a Residency Permit and are required to prove that they are a related family member. Those EU/EEA citizens who hold a residency card issued by their home country do not require a visa.

EU/EEA citizens do not require a work permit.

Non-EU/EEA citizens. Citizens from non-EU/EEA countries will require a visa to enter the country, unless their country has an agreement with Bulgaria to allow entry without a visa.

Currently, citizens from the following countries are permitted to enter Bulgaria for up to 90 days without obtaining a visa:

Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Macao, Macedonia (but for 30 days rather than 90) Malta, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro (for 30 days), Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, San Marino, Serbia (subject to the lower 30 day time limit), Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, USA, Uruguay, the Vatican, and Venezuela.

Applications for a long-stay visa (known as a Type D visa, and valid for 12 months) must be made at the appropriate Consular offices in the home country of the applicant. Once in Bulgaria, non-EU/EEA citizens must apply for a Residency Permit within 90 days of arrival. Though the procedures are similar to those described for citizens of the EU/EEA, the criteria for granting a permit are much more strict and evidence of the essential nature of the proposed work, and that there is no suitably qualified Bulgarian available to fill the position may be required.

Non-EU/EEA citizens must also obtain a Work Permit, except where they are on short-term secondment to Bulgaria (less than 3 months), or where they are managers of branches of foreign companies, board members of local companies not holding a labour contract, or foreign nationals that have been granted permanent residence in Bulgaria.

An individual investing a minimum of EUR750,000 in Bulgaria can secure residence based on their status as an investor.

Bulgaria Summary Guide Contents

Bulgaria Summary

Bulgaria Summary Chart

Bulgaria Residence

Taxation of Business People in Bulgaria

Living and Doing Business in Bulgaria

Business Forms in Bulgaria

Latest Comments

Expat Brit

Hi,

I am facing a dilemma and would like to invite any reader to advise me.

I am a Brit who has lived outside UK since 1993- initially in Belgium (5 years) & subsequently in 4 African countries. After a year outside UK, the UK Inland Revenue confirmed my status as ‘non-resident’ for tax purposes and as I have had no income in UK, I have not completed a UK tax return for many years. I visit UK very rarely, normally for one or two weeks per year.

In May 2011, I was made redundent by my employers, who were downsizing. This coincided with a move to retire in the Netherlands, where I now have official residency (my wife is Dutch). I thought that, at 63 years of age, I would be unlikely to find suitable employment; in fact, I have not tried hard and had resigned myself to permanent (but slightly premature) retirement.

However, to my surprise, I have recently been approached (through a mutual acquaintance) by a company that wishes to use my skills on a project in the Isle of Man. The role, if & when confirmed, would see me working for about 10 days a month in Isle of Man, with about 5-7 additional days per month, working from home. Contract will be for about two years. The firm has asked me to confirm if I would prefer to be paid (and therefore be taxed) in Netherlands or Isle of Man, the idea being that I create a self-employment entity for this employment. I have no data on which to base a response. Given Isle of Man's traditional ‘low tax ‘environment, are there any benefits to declaring an income in IOM? Are there any Isle of Man residency implications? Netherlands takes a tax cut on total world wide income, and, as I have never had any contact with the Dutch authorities, I am reluctant to start such a relationship now. Do I have to declare income in both countries, with a breakdown prorata to the time spent in each jurisdiction? Should I declare income to UK Inland revenue?

If anyone has pertinent advice on these points, I’d be grateful to hear them.

TJM @ Eindhoven, NL

T. Dog

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Jersey vs. Malta??

Hi, I live in South Africa, and along with 2 business partners (one in South Africa and one in Ireland - all South African citizens though) are setting up a company that designs Smart phone applications. As they will be sold on the various platforms (none of which operate out of South Africa)we have to list our company as operating out of Ireland anyway. As such, we have decided to set up our company in the best tax country and are wanting info on whether Jersey or Malta is best? If anyone has some inside info we would really appreciate it!! Thanks!Mary

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Purchasing investment-link insurance for my staff

Would that count as income tax to my staff? And would that count as expense to my company?Michael

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Irish crisis - effects on small business?

Hi all,

Just wondering if anyone 'on the ground', as it were, might be reading and able to help me...I was considering relocating my hairdressing business from the UK to Ireland before the economy started to go properly belly-up...now, not so much.

Are things as bad as they seem over there, or is it being over-hyped by the media? And is the government still keen to support small business people? Cos if not, I'll look elsewhere...

Thanks,Kate

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Living in France contracting to Australian company

I am moving full time to France in Jan 2012 where I will be working as a freelance contract engineer to a number of Australian based companies. It is my choice to move to France not a work requirement. I will be renting my house out in Austrlalia and renting a house while I am in France. I hold both EU & Austrlain citizenshiip. I am married with 2 young children. Approx total family income $100k AUD.
Do I pay tax in France or Australia or both ?
Any help or guidance would be much appreciated.France move

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