Looking for advice for possible move to Bulgaria

@maxpaul8223842

Welcome to the Expat.com forum, boyo, and good luck with your potential move to Bulgaria!

Easy one first: your wife is an EU citizen, so it's a doddle for her to get residence here (just need proof of address in BG, proof of funds, proof of health insurance). Once she has her residence card (strictly, it's an EU Citizen Registration) she can apply for "Family Reunification" for you (also pretty easy). Both permits should be for 5 years, after which you should be able to get permanent residence.

Also easy: travelling here is OK on your passport, no extra visas needed.

On property ownership, EU citizens can own property (including a house with a garden). But non-EU citizens (like you) can only own apartments, not properties with land. The workaround is to own the property via a BG company. If your wife will own the house, that would be easy. If you want joint ownership, you would need the company ownership (with 50:50 shares).

There are lots of property agents to choose from. Personally, I like BulgarianProperties (dot com) as they're big and reputable, and specialize in expats with listings in English. They have plenty of listings all over Bulgaria, so even if you don't buy through them, it's a good place to start with a bit of research to see what you can get for your budget. Ebay (dot co dot uk) is also interesting, there usually a few BG village houses for sale.

Lots of nice areas to choose from. The Black Sea Coast is popular. Big cities are Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Bourgas. I like Stara Zagora (near our house) too and Veliko Tarnovo (town and nearby villages) has always been very popular with Brits. Several mountain ranges, plenty of lakes. We are in the Balkan Mountains near Kazanlak, which is lovely. I can also recommend Plovdiv (former European Capital of Culture) and Bansko (main ski resort), next to the Pirin National Park.

Property not as cheap to buy as before, but still a fraction of UK prices. Utility bills and property taxes are much cheaper than UK. Supermarkets slightly cheaper than UK, restaurants much cheaper.

With your EU connection, you can both be official residents pretty quickly and easily (I got my card in 2 days as the EU citizen, pre-Brexit, and my non-EU partner got hers in 2 weeks). I think you can then enroll in the state healthcare system (NHS-equivalent). I pay 14 euros per month or so as unemployed (self-employed or employed is more, of course). This gets you free or nearly-free treatment in public hospitals. I always go to my nearest private hospital, it's usually surprisingly inexpensive. Most are affiliated with the state system, and will get the standard payment for your treatment/operation - and you just pay the upgrade cost for your private room and VIP treatment.

Hi Gwyn , nice too know that there is a fellow Welsh man in the mountains and valleys of BG .

Thank you for the information, will definitely check out the property agent .

If we think of anything else along the way, is it okay to drop you a message.

Regards

Paul

@maxpaul8223842 Having an EU wife, you should get residence easily. And your wife can buy even residential land. What you need to do first is to travel a bit around Bulgaria, to see if it's ok for you, and where would you want to live. The house prices (except in dying villages) have gone up a lot in the last 3 years. Health insurance is not a problem.

Hi . Thanks for your response.

We are looking to visit for a week in September to give us some idea .

We are more countryside, rural people than big towns or city's.

I live in the beautiful village Gospodinovo near to the small city byala and Obzor with his amazing beaches at the black sea. If you are interested in this area contact me. There are some interesting houses or plots for sale.

Also easy: travelling here is OK on your passport, no extra visas needed.
-@gwynj

Don't forget ETIAS goes into effect in 2024. Travelers from countries that currently enjoy visa-free travel to the European Union will need an ETIAS authorization for travel beginning after the program begins.

@Rianne Geven  Thanks for your reply and will keep you in mind if we decide on a home near the coast.

@SimCityAT   Thanks for that info on ETIAS but hat's not good news !

If I can only stay for a maximum of 90 days at a time until I get permanent residency and my wife can stay being German , that's not ideal .

They like to make things more difficult.

@maxpaul8223842

Do not woory about this residency. Your wife and you (as a spouse) can easily obtain Bulgarian long term residence permit (annually renewable). And thisbwill not be on the grounds of investments, purchasing certain amount real estate or using a foreign company as the others.

I think also the property issues can be solved easily, just walk around to see where you will feel happy.

And don't forget to appoint even an additional due dilligence of the property in case you rush in some rural house and/or plot.

@Vasilev Thank you very much for your comments.

All information is gladly welcome, especially regarding the residency.

@maxpaul8223842  hi you can not move to Bulgaria for uk you can only go for 90 days that is the rules you need a visa from derek

@maxpaul8223842 hi you can not move to Bulgaria for uk you can only go for 90 days that is the rules you need a visa from derek
-@Derek Charles

It will be far easier for Paul compared to most Brits post-Brexit, as his wife has an EU passport. So, as other members have stated in this thread, it will be easy for her to apply for residence. And then once she has it, he can apply for his visa as family reunification.

There won't be any problem finding village properties. As others have commented, make sure it's a thriving village not a dying one, and don't rely on the internet for that, if you can, visit first. Unfortunately there's so much outdated info. When I first bought my village house, without seeing it first, I did what I thought was enough online research. Turned out to be woefully inadequate, as Google Maps and many websites were still showing services as available that sadly closed years ago.

I love the village, but it would be even better if the bakery, garage, bar, and second shop were still open!

@janemulberry Thank you Jane for your input . All points taken on board.

I have noticed a lot of closed businesses in many towns /villages as I scroll through street view on Google maps.

It's really sad to see ,  but yet again there are many small towns in Blighty with closed shops .

We don't particularly want a large municipal town as we would prefer to be semi rural.

Unfortunately in the post-communist years, most villages saw their populations plummet. I hope ours has stabilised and that more families will move in to keep the school open and the village alive. We'll be moving as retirees, so no help in that regard!

A nice village within easy reach of a town is the perfect balance. I wish ours was a little closer to the nearest town (it's 19km). But to compensate, we have a village centre location yet back onto fields. Our neighbours either side both have orchards, big veggie gardens, and keep livestock. The village still has one shop, a nice cafe, a primary school, and an active cultural centre.

Depending what you want from your property, a more agricultural region may work better than mountains or coastal. If you want to grow your own food, the land attached to a village house tends to be bigger in more rural areas.

@SimCityAT it does not mater Bulgaria is in eu. But Bulgaria is not in ETIAS so it does not mater

@SimCityAT it does not mater Bulgaria is in eu. But Bulgaria is not in ETIAS so it does not mater
-@Derek Charles

Sorry, this is not correct.

Bulgaria is not part of the Schengen area yet, but will be part of ETIAS once it starts. Here is the information on the official ETIAS site: https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias/w … d-apply_en

Paul's wife won't need an ETIAS to enter Bulgaria as she's an EU passport holder. But until he gets his D visa for Bulgaria, he will need it. Unless he gets the D visa before ETIAS starts, of course!

Will have to get one of those, I already have a residency card?

If you already have a residency card, you shouldn't need it, AFAIK.

Good thank you

@maxpaul8223842

Sorry for my long sociological/demographic essay... :-) The UK (or, England, specifically) is very densely populated, so I think the flavour of village life there is very different from here. Bulgaria has a pretty small population, and it's highly concentrated in the big cities. So fewer villages, further apart, and it gets very rural, very quickly.

The population concentration is particularly pronounced with younger people (as most move to find work) so that means Bulgarian villages are very old (population-wise) compared to lots of UK villages. As these older folks die off many village populations decline as they are not being replaced by youngsters moving there. And as the population declines you get school closures, reduced buses, and losses/reductions in other local services.

In my view, this makes having a good-sized town nearby essential, as @janemulberry has also suggested. Typically, you might want decent supermarkets, specialty stores (like DIY supplies), clinics/hospitals, schools, produce markets, cafes/restaurants, entertainment options and more. It's true that now you can get good internet in your village and sign up for various streaming services... and order from all the big online players (emag, Ikea, Jysk, Technopolis, Praktiker) for delivery to your house... but certainly I'd go a bit stir-crazy if I didn't get out and about.

Our village is just 10km from a large (district) town, with very good roads. So I drive to Lidl or Kaufland in about 10 minutes (if I went by bus, it would be more like 40 minutes). This is so easy, I'll pop into town for something most days, and I have no problem even going in a couple of times in one day if something comes up. Sometimes, I even use a minor purchase as an excuse to bike in and get some exercise (there's a cross-country trail that's quite entertaining). Our town is Kazanlak, which has a population of 50,000 ish, and is quite prosperous (it has an annual Rose Festival and a UNESCO-listed Thracian Tomb among other attractions). The road to Stara Zagora (province city) is also excellent, with a dual carriageway most of the way. That's maybe another 35 minutes or so.

Every day, really? Well, nearly. Lidl/Kaufland is pretty frequent, we don't do a weekly shop. There are a couple of nice cafes that we go to. Sometimes I go to the Rose Park and have a walk around there with a coffee in the park. Clinic/hospital. There's a good DIY store instead of trekking to Praktiker in Stara Zagora. Technomart for a new kettle. We've visited the museums and Thracian Tomb. Several excellent restaurants for a nice lunch or dinner. Fresh produce market for great fruit and veg - and we can pick up a whole roasted chicken cheap. We go to the Koprinka Lake just outside Kazanlak. The town centre is OK for a stroll and change of scene. A bike shop that services my bike for a few leva. My car mechanic and vehicle inspection station. Insurance agent. Tax office. Fill up on fuel, or get my tyres changed. My massage therapist and swimming pool are there. Phone company stores in the centre when I need to change/add internet/mobile options. Pick stuff up from Econt/Speedy. Local stores for doors/windows/shutters/curtains. And this is the small/local stuff, all our big purchases come from the sites mentioned above.

This access to Kazanlak and Stara Zagora gives a total different flavour to our rural life. (And, indeed, it changes the flavour of the village too, as it's much more popular and thriving than many Bulgarian villages).

I might be a bit extreme about wanting to be near civilization, but I think it's an essential part of your research. You can't move your house closer to key services later. :-)

It's a totally different experience if you're 15-20km from your local town, on much worse roads. And if you think a small town (Chirpan, Polski Trambesh, and many, many more) will meet your needs. I'm not saying it's not doable... but you need to be sure it's what you want (especially if you will be using public transport instead of driving).

However, I admit that the rise in Bulgarian property prices means that houses in and near larger towns and cities have already gotten out of reach for many. In this case, you can indeed stretch your budget by being further away from smaller towns, instead of closer to large towns. And I can certainly see that a once-a-week trip to Chirpan is a small price to pay if you can find your dream house in a lovely village in the Sredna Gora hills. :-) In our village, I've recently seen a couple of plots for sale for the best part of 50k euros... and plots are 100k and above if it's in a village within a few km (5-10, say) of Sofia or Plovdiv. I'm not saying that you can't find a Bulgarian village house for under 30k anymore... just that it almost certainly involves compromises on location and/or condition and/or local services, and you need to be aware of this.

@maxpaul8223842
Welcome to the Expat.com forum, boyo, and good luck with your potential move to Bulgaria!

Easy one first: your wife is an EU citizen, so it's a doddle for her to get residence here (just need proof of address in BG, proof of funds, proof of health insurance). Once she has her residence card (strictly, it's an EU Citizen Registration) she can apply for "Family Reunification" for you (also pretty easy). Both permits should be for 5 years, after which you should be able to get permanent residence.

Also easy: travelling here is OK on your passport, no extra visas needed.

On property ownership, EU citizens can own property (including a house with a garden). But non-EU citizens (like you) can only own apartments, not properties with land. The workaround is to own the property via a BG company. If your wife will own the house, that would be easy. If you want joint ownership, you would need the company ownership (with 50:50 shares).

There are lots of property agents to choose from. Personally, I like BulgarianProperties (dot com) as they're big and reputable, and specialize in expats with listings in English. They have plenty of listings all over Bulgaria, so even if you don't buy through them, it's a good place to start with a bit of research to see what you can get for your budget. Ebay (dot co dot uk) is also interesting, there usually a few BG village houses for sale.

Lots of nice areas to choose from. The Black Sea Coast is popular. Big cities are Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Bourgas. I like Stara Zagora (near our house) too and Veliko Tarnovo (town and nearby villages) has always been very popular with Brits. Several mountain ranges, plenty of lakes. We are in the Balkan Mountains near Kazanlak, which is lovely. I can also recommend Plovdiv (former European Capital of Culture) and Bansko (main ski resort), next to the Pirin National Park.

Property not as cheap to buy as before, but still a fraction of UK prices. Utility bills and property taxes are much cheaper than UK. Supermarkets slightly cheaper than UK, restaurants much cheaper.

With your EU connection, you can both be official residents pretty quickly and easily (I got my card in 2 days as the EU citizen, pre-Brexit, and my non-EU partner got hers in 2 weeks). I think you can then enroll in the state healthcare system (NHS-equivalent). I pay 14 euros per month or so as unemployed (self-employed or employed is more, of course). This gets you free or nearly-free treatment in public hospitals. I always go to my nearest private hospital, it's usually surprisingly inexpensive. Most are affiliated with the state system, and will get the standard payment for your treatment/operation - and you just pay the upgrade cost for your private room and VIP treatment.
-@gwynj

I can confirm what gwynj said above. I'm British my wife is Belgian and we both got 5 year temporary residence cards. There is a fair bit of back and forth and waiting in lines, but all worked out fine.

@maxpaul8223842

In terms of real estate and lawyers etc it depends where you are living. I bought in the Varna area. PM if Varna is where you were planning to move.

You would perhaps do well to rent for a while before taking the plunge.  Bulgaria isn't for everyone, and what you think you want from an area and specific property may not turn out to be the case further down the line.

You haven't mentioned your age(s) or roughly how much you're looking to invest in a property here, or how you anticipate funding your new lifestyle.  Neighbours may well be friendly at first but that can change; not all types of neighbours are good to live close to, especially when they get to know your routine and even your ad hoc comings and goings.  You may prefer to live cheek to jowl with other Brits, or as far from them as possible; not every foreigner living here is honest or trustworthy and, like in the UK, speaking the same language is no guarantee that you're not being taken for a ride or lied to.

Estate agents, lawyers etc here aren't the professionals you might be used to back home, so keep your wits about you and make sure you read and understand EVERYTHING you're signing.  You may well get an English translation of contracts etc but the Bulgarian language original is the only one which counts.  Steer well clear of under the table payments when it comes to properties; the practice is less common nowadays but the suggestion might come up - it's in the seller's interest, not yours.  Make sure you get VAT receipts from lawyers etc - it goes without saying that a lawyer who cheats on his own taxes isn't the kind you want to be dealing with your affairs!

Do you have any medical issues/drug needs etc?  The BG health system doesn't cover everything like the NHS (mostly) does, and the cost of long-term medication isn't necessarily covered by medical insurance.

There's A LOT you need to carefully think about - things aren't as regulated as they are in the UK and Germany, so don't assume anything..

I also agree with what Gwynj said. What I did when I came to BG, I purchased a caravan put it on a site in the UK, if you can find a site that does storage so much the better (a lot cheaper). Then if things don't go to plan, or if you just want to go back to the UK for hols a couple of times a year, you have somewhere to go to.

GOOD luck.