Visas7/10Easier visas than about 75% of cities
- Visa-free stay
- Up to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period
Updated July 2026 · Sources cited: mfa.bg
Good to know
Good to Know
- Bulgaria is now a full Schengen member (since January 2025), so any days spent in Bulgaria count toward the same shared 90/180-day Schengen limit as time spent in France, Germany, Greece, etc. — track your total Schengen days across all countries, not just Bulgaria.
- Bulgaria adopted the euro as its official currency on January 1, 2026, replacing the Bulgarian lev.
- An EU-wide ETIAS online travel authorization is expected to become mandatory for visa-exempt travelers sometime in late 2026 — currently it is not yet required, just bring a valid passport.
- Border officers can still ask for proof of accommodation and sufficient funds even for visa-exempt entries, so keep a booking confirmation and some evidence of funds handy.
- Overstaying the 90-day limit can result in an entry ban across the whole Schengen area, not just Bulgaria.
- Bulgaria's digital nomad permit is brand new (applications only opened 20 December 2025), so expect some inconsistency in how individual embassies and local Migration Directorate offices process applications while the system beds in.
- This permit strictly forbids working for Bulgarian clients or employers — even occasional invoicing to a Bulgarian company can put your permit at risk, so keep clear records showing all income is foreign-sourced.
- The permit tops out at about 2 years total (1 year + 1 renewal) and does not lead to permanent residency, so it's a solid medium-term base rather than a long-term immigration pathway.
- If you're an EU/EEA/Swiss citizen you don't need this visa at all — you already have free-movement rights and can simply register for a long-term EU residence certificate.
- Becoming a Bulgarian tax resident (usually via the 183-day rule) means your worldwide income becomes taxable at Bulgaria's 10% flat rate, so make sure you also formally de-register as a tax resident in your home country to avoid double claims.
- For most freelancers earning under roughly EUR 50,000/year, staying a simple registered freelancer (7.5% effective tax) is usually simpler and cheaper than setting up an EOOD company.
Fees
- Visa D Fee
- €100
- Residence Permit Fee Total
- €260
Legacy figure was quoted as roughly BGN 510 (10 BGN application fee + 500 BGN for the one-year permit) before euro adoption; converted here at the historical BGN-EUR peg. Confirm current euro-denominated fee with the official Migration Directorate before applying.
ID Card Fee Range
- Max
- €56
- Min
- €11
Tax Notes
- Flat Income Tax Rate
- 10% flat personal income tax on taxable income — one of the lowest rates in the EU, applied uniformly with no brackets.
- Freelancer Effective Rate
- Registered self-employed freelancers ('svobodna profesiya') get an automatic 25% 'recognized expenses' deduction with no receipts required, so the 10% tax applies to only 75% of income — an effective rate of about 7.5%. Certain licensed professions (journalists, lawyers, scientists, artists, educators) get a larger 40% deduction, pushing the effective rate down to roughly 6%.
- VAT Threshold
- €51,130
Mandatory VAT registration threshold based on annual taxable turnover.
- Social Security
- Self-employed/freelance residents must pay both the 'employer' and 'employee' social security portions themselves, roughly 27.8–33% of a chosen insurable income base, but contributions are capped once the insurable base reaches about EUR 1,900/month (so contributions top out at roughly EUR 530/month regardless of higher actual earnings). EU citizens can keep home-country social insurance for up to 24 months via an A1 certificate; non-EU nationals must join Bulgarian social security immediately once tax resident.
- Filing Deadlines
- Self-employed individuals make quarterly advance tax payments (by 30 April, 31 July and 31 October) plus an annual tax return due by 30 April of the following year.
- Residency Effect
- Tax residents are taxed on worldwide income at the flat 10% rate. Non-residents are taxed only on Bulgaria-sourced income.
- Company Alternative
- Instead of freelancing, nomads can incorporate an EOOD (single-member limited company) with a minimum share capital of just EUR 1: 10% corporate income tax on profits plus a 5% withholding tax on dividends paid to the individual, giving a combined effective rate around 15% — generally worthwhile only above roughly EUR 50,000–80,000/year of income.
- Currency Context
- Bulgaria adopted the euro as its official currency on 1 January 2026, replacing the Bulgarian lev, so tax and fee figures are now denominated in EUR.
Tax Residency Triggers
- Physical presence of 183+ days in Bulgaria within a calendar year (residency applies from the year the 183rd day is exceeded)
- Having your 'centre of vital interests' (family, home, principal economic activity) in Bulgaria, even with fewer than 183 days present
- Having a permanent address in Bulgaria, but only when combined with centre-of-vital-interests ties
Visa Overview
- Name
- Digital Nomad long-term residence permit (Art. 24p / 24k, Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria Act)
- Status
- Newly launched dedicated digital nomad residence permit; applications have been accepted since 20 December 2025. The legal basis was introduced by amendments to the Foreigners Act adopted by the National Assembly on 18 June 2025, with implementing regulations approved in December 2025.
- Who Needs It
- Only for non-EU/EEA/Swiss citizens. EU, EEA and Swiss passport holders already have free-movement rights and can register directly for a long-term EU residence certificate with the Migration Directorate without needing this permit.
- Core Restriction
- Holders cannot take Bulgarian employment, invoice Bulgarian clients, or otherwise earn Bulgarian-sourced income. All professional activity must be for entities outside Bulgaria; violating this can lead to permit revocation or non-renewal.
Eligible Categories
- Remote employees of a company registered outside the EU/EEA/Switzerland
- Owners or shareholders holding more than 25% of a company registered outside the EU/EEA/Switzerland
- Freelancers/independent professionals with at least 1 year of remote work experience, working only for non-Bulgarian clients
Application Path
- Family
- Spouses and dependent children can join via a separate family reunification procedure, requiring their own supporting documents.
- Processing Time
- Type D visa decision typically takes 4–8 weeks (some sources cite 1–2 months); the residence permit stage adds roughly 2–4 weeks more. Overall, applicants should expect the full process to take up to three months or longer.
Stages
- Stage 1: Apply for a Type D long-stay visa at a Bulgarian embassy or consulate in your home country/country of residence.
- Stage 2: After entering Bulgaria on the Type D visa, apply for the digital nomad residence permit within 14 days of arrival.
- Stage 3: Once the residence permit is approved, apply for the physical residence ID card.
Documents Required
- Completed Type D visa application and, later, residence permit application forms
- Valid passport
- Proof you meet the income threshold (bank statements, payslips, or tax returns for the prior year)
- Proof of accommodation in Bulgaria (rental contract, hotel booking, or property ownership)
- Clean criminal record certificate from your country of residence
- Proof of health insurance valid in Bulgaria for the full stay and covering the Schengen/EU area
- Apostilled and Bulgarian-translated versions of foreign documents where required
Visa Free Entry
- Framework
- Schengen Area common visa policy (Bulgaria is now a full Schengen member)
- Days Allowed
- Up to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period
- Baseline Rule
- 90 days within any 180-day period
- Who Qualifies
- Nationals of countries listed in Annex II to EU Regulation 2018/1806 — this includes most of the EU/EEA, the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, and roughly 60 other nationalities — can enter Bulgaria without a prior visa for short stays.
- Non Exempt Nationals
- Travelers from countries not on the visa-exempt Annex II list need a Schengen short-stay visa (Type C) from a Bulgarian consulate before traveling, which also permits up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
- Official Source Link
- https://www.mfa.bg/en/services-travel/consular-services/travel-bulgaria/visa-bulgaria
- Upcoming Change ETIAS
- The EU's ETIAS travel authorization (a pre-travel online registration, not a visa) is expected to launch in late 2026 for currently visa-exempt travelers, including to Bulgaria. As of now, no such registration exists yet and only a valid passport is required.
- Extensions Beyond 90 Days
- Extending beyond the 90-day visa-free allowance requires applying for a Bulgarian national long-stay visa (Type D) from a Bulgarian consulate in advance, or a temporary residence permit from within Bulgaria for qualifying purposes such as employment, self-employment, or study (covered separately under long-stay/residency options).
- Schengen Integration Status
- Bulgaria completed full Schengen integration, including land borders, in January 2025, having already integrated air and sea borders from March 31, 2024. As a result, time spent in Bulgaria now counts toward the same shared 90/180-day Schengen allowance as any other Schengen country, rather than being calculated separately.
- Passport Validity Requirement
- Passport should be issued within the last 10 years and valid for at least 3 months beyond the planned departure date from the Schengen area.
- Process For Visa Exempt Nationals
- No advance visa application is required. Entry is via a valid passport only; travelers may be asked at the border to show proof of accommodation and sufficient funds for the stay.
Visa Ease Tier
moderate
Income Requirement
- Income Requirement
- €31,000
Set at 50 times the Bulgarian minimum monthly wage for the preceding calendar year (approx. EUR 2,583/month average). The exact euro figure moves each year with the minimum wage, and quoted figures across sources currently range roughly EUR 27,500–31,000 depending on which year's minimum wage is used.
Validity And Renewal
- Renewal
- Renewable for one additional year (total maximum of about 2 years under this specific permit), provided income, insurance, and no-Bulgarian-client conditions continue to be met. This permit track does not lead to permanent residence.
- Schengen Travel
- Because Bulgaria fully joined the Schengen Area in 2025, permit holders can also travel short-term within the wider Schengen zone for up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
- Initial Validity
- 1 year
Visa Ease Tier Rationale
Bulgaria offers 90/180-day Schengen visa-free access plus a new dedicated digital nomad permit, but the permit has a high income threshold (~EUR 31,000/year), multi-stage bureaucratic process, and only lasts up to 2 years with no path to permanence.
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this visas research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
- 1.mfa.bg
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Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.