Wanting to move to Bulgaria as sole proprietor

@lisaharkersemail The first thing to do is see if you meet any of the criteria for a visa as (presuming you have a UK passport only) one is needed to live here long term, having funds is not enough unfortunately. If you also have a passport from an EU country then it's much simpler.

It's tricky if you're not a pensioner but younger people are still managing to make the move, there are a lot of posts about it in the group.

You can see the different visa types here:

https://www.mfa.bg/en/services-travel/c … a-bulgaria

Definitely check the D visa criteria, Lisa. Unfortunately, post-Brexit, Bulgaria is one of the more difficult countries to move to. To get into Schengen, they can't risk being seen as an easy way to get EU residency.

I think a lot of the pre-retirement Brits are using the Trade Representative Overseas route. It looks quite complicated and may need the assistance of an immigration lawyer, though it can be successfully DIYed. As you plan to move in two years an the company you represent needs two years in good standing (not necessarily making a profit, but two years registered at Companies House and submitting tax returns) if you go the TRO route and don't know anyone with a registered company, starting one now might be helpful.

Do be aware that the experience of anyone who moved pre-Brexit won't apply in your case, so when reading blog posts, watching videos, or even reading what people say here, when they moved needs to be considered.

Bear in mind that you'll need good medical insurance to cover any problems with your child's condition - or DEEP pockets to fund any needed treatment here. Once you're resident here, your legal entitlement to use the UK NHS will end.

I suspect that it won't be easy to make a living here in your line of work but your best chance would be in one of the cities, where renting/buying a property is much more expensive. It's a big step!

I do agree with Jim. There will be numerous challenges. Not necessarily insurmountable, but essential to consider. Perhaps you have already considered them, in which case please forgive me!

There are significant health cost to be aware of. Even if your daughter is now doing well, you'll need to pay the full cost of her ongoing treatment and medications for the first five years. If she gets PIP or DLA and you get Carers Allowance, post-Brexit these aren't paid once we move overseas.

And away from the cities, you could have problems making an income. Bulgaria has a definite new age and natural healing movement, but as far as I know it hasn't reached beyond the major cities yet. Those cities require deep pockets to afford now. You may have already made some local contacts, but if not, it's wise to do so. Or perhaps you already have a thriving client base in the UK who you know would pay to attend workshops you run from a more remote and inexpensive location.

Schooling for your daughter might also be an challenge, especially homeschooling if that's your choice. It's not really approved of and there will be bureaucracy to deal with.

@janemulberry

Post Brexit, ALL countries are harder to move to unlike preBreshit.

@SimCityAT

Agreed.

@lisaharkersemail

As others have said, immigration here is possible, but potentially tricky.

However, there's no restriction on non-residents owning property. So you can buy a property whenever you want, and you can use your visa-free allowance (up to 90 in 180) to do renovations over the next years. However, if it's a house you'll need to purchase using a Bulgarian company (while flats can be in your own name).

@SimCityAT

I wonder when the silly "Brexit Wars" will finally be over?  Like it or not, there WAS a vote and the majority "won", which is precisely why, and how, Democracy works.  We don't have to be happy with the result, but we DO have to accept that, whatever we may think of those who voted Leave, there were indeed more of them and that's all that the system demands.  Making silly comments like "Breshit" simply destroys what some may regard as the consolatory theory that "we" occupy the intellectual high ground in this debate...

@JimJ The problem is we were never told the implications of Brexit ,it seems the 5 years it took were more about EU countries putting their new restrictions in place for residency etc. For a couple,,Spain now want €28,000 a year for every year even  b4 you retire that's b4 even buying a place.France now set exams whereby you must be able to speak & write fluent French or no Visa ! .I can't think of one improvement in the UK ,hundreds of thousands of male migrants in hotels from Lands end to Inverness, still arriving daily.Our law never returned to the Commin law as it should have done,still maritime law rules.I think the people that voted for Brexit would have expected immigration to stop thereby protecting their jobs but its got worse.Ask me why were moving to BG lol, it's a no brainer!

@SimCityAT I'm convinced that was one of the main reasons!.

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@georgewheelwright

It sounds as though you perhaps share my view that immigrants to the UK should be required to have a good command of the English language, among other qualifications, before being accepted. The other side of that coin, again in my view, is that immigrants to France - or Bulgaria et al - should also be expected to have made the effort to learn the local language.

I've lived in several EU countries, as well as others further afield.  One thing I've certainly noticed is that many foreigners - but more particularly Brits - seem to think that they can just rock up wherever they feel like and expect Johnny Foreigner to speak English for their convenience.  I've met Brits who've been living abroad for many decades but who still, to all intents and purposes, are unable to communicate with the locals on any meaningful level, let alone watch local TV, listen to the radio or read the newspapers.

I won't delve too deeply into the other lamentable fact, that many Brits have a pretty poor command of their own language anyway.....

@lisaharkersemail

Actually there should not be any significant challenges regarding your relocation to Bulgaria. I would suggest the following simple steps:

1. Read and select what type of property you would like to find and a preferred area in Bulgaria.
2. Visit the country, preferably in May or end of September/October, and if possible spend some time in the selected area/village/city. Also check other options.
3. Start preparing the documents for visa application.
4. Start learning Bulgarian.

Biggest challenges that you might encounter are related to finding a job, if working online is not possible, and the other one might be schooling for your kid.

Visa will be solved, and so will be the property buying process.

I suspect finding/buying a property, getting the visa , and learning Bulgaria will be the easy parts of Lisa's journey if she makes the move, as she has a child with significant ongoing health care needs and making a living in her chosen profession as she hopes to do may be difficult.

Lisa, if you go for it, please report back. I hope it works out well for you and your daughter, despite the challenges!