After a vacation in Bulgaria, many people feel the desire to stay here for a long time, or even forever. Wonderful nature, mild climate, friendly people and, of course, EU membership make the country extremely attractive for immigration.

Let's consider how to obtain a residence permit in Bulgaria for a Russian citizen, and why it is necessary.

A tourist visa gives the right to reside in Bulgaria for three months every six months. For permanent residence, you need a type D visa, which gives the right to stay in the country for six months, as well as to apply for residence permit in Bulgaria.
To obtain a visa D, and later a residence permit, grounds are needed .

The most popular of them are:
• Pensioner.
• Sales representative of a foreign company.
• A family member of a citizen of the country or a foreigner who has a long-term or permanent residence permit, a residence permit in Bulgaria.
• Founder of a company with 10 jobs for Bulgarians.
• Student of a Bulgarian university.
• Specialist working in Bulgaria.

Simple paths

The easiest way to get a residence permit in Bulgaria is for pensioners. In this case, only papers certifying the receipt of a pension are added to the standard set of documents, which include evidence of financial security and housing, as well as medical insurance.
There are no problems for family members of Bulgarian citizens or foreigners legally staying in the country (i.e. holders of permanent residence, residence permit, residence permit).
Easy to get D visa , and then a residence permit in Bulgaria for students of Bulgarian universities. However, it should be borne in mind that in this case, only half of the period spent in the country is included in the length of service required to obtain a permanent residence permit.
The procedure for obtaining a residence permit for qualified foreign specialists who come to Bulgaria to work has been greatly simplified.

How else can I get a residence permit in Bulgaria?

Until recently, it was easy to obtain a permit for sales representatives of foreign companies to stay in the country. In 2017, the procedure became somewhat more complicated. Now trade missions are obliged to report on their activities and inform the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry about their future plans, as well as about the current state of the parent company located outside the country. However, this method remains the most popular among immigrants wishing to obtain a residence permit in Bulgaria.
Changes also affected businessmen who opened companies in Bulgaria. Now only those who provide jobs to ten Bulgarian citizens working full-time can obtain a residence permit. If the company has several founders, then each of them should have 10 jobs.

Many potential immigrants are interested in how to get a residence permit in Bulgaria when buying real estate. Unfortunately, now the very fact of owning an apartment, house or industrial premises in the country does not give advantages. The only exception is real estate worth 600 thousand leva (approximately 300 thousand euros). In 2016, an amendment to the law on foreigners was considered, according to which this amount could be reduced by six times, but these changes were not adopted. Therefore, so far nothing has changed for property owners – they can obtain a residence permit in Bulgaria on the same basis as immigrants who rent apartments.