It is easier for pensioners than for any other categories of foreigners to move to Bulgaria. For those who permanently reside in the country and do not plan to return to their homeland, the issue of receiving payments on the spot is relevant. How can I transfer my pension to Bulgaria?

Stages of a long way

The procedure for transferring pensions to Bulgaria takes about five months and consists of several stages. It is most time-consuming for pensioners who have not yet moved to Bulgaria permanently and are in their homeland. First of all, you need to submit a package of documents to the Pension Fund of Russia. It includes:

• application;
• a copy of the certificate of accrued pension for 3-6 months;
• a copy of the civil passport (pages with address registration);
• a copy of your passport;
• a copy of the residence permit card;
• a certificate from a bank in Bulgaria on the opening of an account for the transfer of a pension;
• a copy of the pension certificate;
• a copy of the insurance certificate.

The application shall indicate the telephone number for contact; currency (in Bulgaria, the pension can be received in leva); a bank branch and an account for transferring payments; the period of transfer of the pension (once a quarter or once every six months). Before filing, it is necessary to clarify with the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation about possible restrictions related to the presence or absence of address registration in Russia, as well as the duration of stay in Bulgaria. The Pension Fund sends all documentation to Sofia to the National Osigurithelen Institute (National Osigurelen Institute). After that, the documentation is redirected to the Russian Pension Fund. This takes a maximum of two months. The next stage is to send a request from the central office of the Pension Fund to the region where the pensioner is registered. Then the documentation comes back to the Pension Fund in Moscow. After five months, the procedure should be completed. A pensioner living in Bulgaria receives a notification of the transfer of a pension indicating the amount payments and the date from which the transfer will begin. The money goes from the Pension Fund to Bulgaria for up to 15 days, and then it is transferred to a bank account. After that, it is necessary to appear annually at the Russian consulate in Bulgaria or at the NOI so that the employees certify that the pensioner is still alive. In the event of circumstances due to which the amount of payments may change, it is necessary to inform the body that pays pensions about them in a timely manner. The same requirement is relevant if payments must be terminated for some reason.

For those who already live permanently in Bulgaria

It is a little easier for pensioners who already live in Bulgaria. There is no need to go home and go to the Pension Fund. It is enough to come to the NOI at the place of residence and fill out an application form there in Russian. It must be accompanied by a copy of the card, a pension document and a certificate from a Bulgarian bank with an account number in BGN. Everything else will be done by the employees of the NOI. Although in this case the documents should travel from country to country faster, the first payment can still be received only after six months. As in the first case, the pension will come in full at a favorable rate and without transfer fees. At the same time, it should be taken into account that regional allowances due to pensioners living in certain regions of the Russian Federation are not accrued when transferring pensions abroad. To preserve them, it is worth considering alternative ways.

Bank card

Most pensioners who are registered in their homeland and do not register with the consular authorities prefer a different solution to the problem of transferring their pensions. They simply transfer money from a pension card to another bank card online using Internet banking. And this second card is already used in Bulgaria, withdrawing money from ATMs. This method has only one drawback: if the card is lost, or something happens to the bank that issued it, it will become impossible to receive money in Bulgaria. In such a situation, you will have to go home to restore the documents.