How long does it take for issuance of D visa to Bulgaria?

takes about 3 Months last i heard

It took 14 weeks for my D visa last year. Can he return on a C Visa?

I applied for mine in Turkey in 2012 and it took 3 months. I actually returned to Bulgaria for a brief period (visa free because I am American and, luckily, had that option), and then had to go back to turkey to pick up my D visa. There was no way that they would rush it for me and although they were super nice, the 90 day period seems pretty standard.

But, the visa was available on the exact day that they said it would be ready. If his date passed and it should be ready, I would highly urge him to go to the embassy in person, preferably with a Bulgarian speaker to see what the delay is. I know the Bulgarian embassy in Turkey was no help on the phone, but much more willing to work with me in person.

I hope he is here for you when the baby is born!

eleonora0908 wrote:

Hello everyone,

I am a Bulgarian citizen. My husband and I married  while he was here with a C visa. Now he has gone back to his home country (Georgia) to apply for a long term visa D. He was supposed to get his visa on the 15th of Feb, has called the Bulgarian Embassy in Georgia, but absolutely no one can give him any information. How long has it taken you, if you have applied for D visa to obtain it? I am worried as my due date is approaching and it would just be heartbreaking if he would not be able to be here for that. Any suggestions?

Thank you!

how long it toke your visa ?

how long it toke you to get visa D?

Hi Kalimanor.

The law states up to six months which rarely happens but there is no guarantee that the visa will be ready earlier. Unfortunately, you cannot do anything apart from calling them and check regularly. Before the migrant crisis the term was shorter but now the security checking takes more time.

Thanks Sofia

In my case I can answer 4 months or 1 month. I applied 2 months before I came here, hoping that they would issue it before I left. Note that I am a retiree who does not yet have a pension, so I do not fit the standard Type D categories. From asking around I figured out that they are asking applicants in my situation to open a bank account and move sufficient funds to cover minimal living expenses. I am told 6000 Leva is the magic number, but that may vary. For renters they are also requiring a signed and notarized rental agreement. Once I sent them the bank account statement and rental agreement it took about a month for them to approve the visa. I am still trying to determine if I have to go all the way back to the US consulate where I applied to actually get the visa.

Some UK expats I know, have received visas in as short as 14 days, but the approval process appears to be a little faster for EU citizens,

? As far as I know, British citizens do not need a D-visa... they simply come and then register longterm with the police/migration without a visa.

The Migration office in Varna is issuing Type D visas to UK citizens in anticipation of Brexit.

Weird. I would think if they were already living here they would just get a residence permit and skip the d-visa altogether (since a d-visa isn't necessary once they have a residence permit). Brexit will be... interesting...

My understanding from talking to several UK citizen is once brexit happens, assuming no changes to Bulgarian law, all UK citizens without a visa or permanent residency will be in the country illegally and risk being deported , fined and/or required to leave the country while applying for a visa..

Perhaps the Bulgarian parliament will change the laws to allow for a smoother transition, but most of the people I have spoken to about it are not taking any chances.

Yeah, but what I am saying is that right now, since they are in the EU still, they can skip the d-visa and get a permanent residence permit immediately. EU citizens can come without a d-visa and apply for residence, skipping the d-visa and long-term residence period. With a permanent residence permit they would not be deported.

I understand how it is supposed to work in the EU, but what I am told is they are not being allowed to apply for permanent residence permits unless they meet the requirements for non-EU citizens, and instead are being told to get a Type D visa.

My information is all second hand and specific to the Varna office, so you may have a different experience.

This is not translated for which I am sorry, but as you can see the period is NOT 10 years it is 5 years. Usually in my practice the foreign person who wants to become Bulgarian citizen applies in the last year of the 5 year permanent or prolonged stay.The British citizens can obtain Bulgarian citizenship without visa D for now because they are still EU citizens.
Раздел III.
Придобиване на българско гражданство по натурализация


Чл. 12. (1) (Предишен текст на чл. 12 - ДВ, бр. 108 от 2013 г.) Лице, което не е български гражданин, може да придобие българско гражданство, ако към датата на подаване на молбата за натурализация:
1. е пълнолетно;
2. (доп. - ДВ, бр. 21 от 2012 г.) преди не по-малко от 5 години е получило разрешение за постоянно или дългосрочно пребиваване в Република България;
3. не е осъждано за умишлено престъпление от общ характер от български съд и срещу него няма образувано наказателно производство за такова престъпление, освен ако е реабилитирано;
4. (изм. - ДВ, бр. 41 от 2001 г.) има доход или занятие, което му дава възможност да се издържа в Република България;
5. (изм. и доп. - ДВ, бр. 41 от 2001 г., изм. - ДВ, бр. 74 от 2009 г., в сила от 15.09.2009 г., изм. - ДВ, бр. 68 от 2013 г., в сила от 02.08.2013 г.) владее български език, което се установява по ред, определен с наредба на министъра на образованието и науката, и
6. (нова - ДВ, бр. 41 от 2001 г.) е освободено от досегашното си гражданство или ще бъде освободено от него към момента на придобиване на българско гражданство.
(2) (Нова - ДВ, бр. 108 от 2013 г.) Не се изисква освобождаване от досегашното им гражданство за:
1. лица - съпрузи на български граждани;
2. граждани на държава - членка на Европейския съюз, на държава - страна по Споразумението за Европейското икономическо пространство, или на Конфедерация Швейцария;
3. граждани на държави, с които Република България има сключени договори, с които се установява взаимност.

That is very strange to me because the copy of that section of the document that is currently up on the ministry of foreign affair's website as the second point of that (12.2 in the link below) document does not include the long-term permit and only the permanent permit. I would think that the mfa has the latest version of the law?

http://www.mfa.bg/uploads/files/5_Grajd … izaciq.pdf

Also, this has been what has been told to me every time I go to the migration department.

But if I am wrong or there has been a change in the law- cool!

Well that text is up to date and the last changes were from December 2016 which weren't concerning this part of the law.

I mean- if you have experience successfully getting non-EU people citizenship after 5 years of long-term permit stay, then chances are the copy on the MFA website and the worker at the migration office I go to are wrong. It wouldn't be the first time. And I can apply for citizenship

Hi all, 
I've been reading through your informative posts on this topic. 

One question I have about the D-Visa is, is there a required specific amount of time you need to spend in country after the visa is issued?Like 180 days out of the year, or something like that?  For example, I work out of country and would probably come for the longest period of time during the summer months.  However, in the future I may have breaks where I would spend more time/months in Bulgaria.  Also, I'm American, so I'd have 90days in 180 days, but I also have a residency permit in the country where I work.   

Thanks!

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