D Visa Guidance

Very clearly explained. I think It should be useful to mention that there are a lot of other options to obtain residence permit as a non-EU citizen, but I don't have the information how many Britons are interested in that. We Can decide them into two groups:
1. Non investment:
   - workers (Labour agreement)
   - freelancers
   - students
   - pensioners
   - trade Representatives of a Foreign company
   - NGO Representatives
   
2. Investment: 
- invested more than 300 000 EUR in real estate
- entrepreneurs who set up a company and hire at least 10 workers
Note that abovementioned options can give only 1 year permit!
Some investors are able to obtain Permanent residence permits with investment as:
   - 1 000 000 BGN in stocks of an collective investment schemes with special trading profile (ETF for example)
  - 1 000 000 BGN in alternative Investment funds with special investment profile
   - 2 000 000 in stocks of a public traded Bulgarian company
And so on...
So, the possibilities are a lot.
But if someone has special inquireis it is better to find a Immigration lawyer who will advice them to choose the better option.

STEP BY STEP

SPECIFICALLY, WHAT YOU CAN DO WHERE?

General requirements for your D visa, 1-6, should be possible for you to do without any assistance, and without giving anyone a POA.

As stated, general requirements 7, 8, 9 are trickier.

MAKE A TRIP TO BULGARIA

These requirements are easy-peasy if you visit Bulgaria. But currently, due to Covid, this is not feasible for many potential applicants.

7. You can find a property to rent. Sign a rental contract. Get the contract (and the necessary declarations from the owner/landlord) signed and notarized. If you prefer, ask your attorney to prepare such a rental contract suitable for your D visa and Residence applications. He will make sure that it is signed and notarized, and accompanied by the necessary declarations.

8. You can obtain the necessary health insurance policy in about 10 minutes from any insurance agent in Bulgaria. It will cost less than 100 euros per person.

9. Most banks are not opening accounts based on only a UK passport, but you might get lucky. Take your proof of address, and proof of source of funds (pension/savings) and give it a shot. However, I do not believe it's necessary, and I suggest it's better to get your account after your Residence has been granted.

GIVE YOUR ATTORNEY A POA

As detailed in my other post, you can find an attorney in Bulgaria, and send him a notarized/legalized POA that he can use in Bulgaria, while you stay in the UK.

7. You can find a property to rent online. Ask your attorney to sign the rental contract on your behalf. He/she can get the contract (and the necessary declarations from the owner/landlord) signed and notarized. If you prefer, ask your attorney to prepare such a rental contract suitable for your D visa and Residence applications. He/she will make sure that it is signed and notarized, and accompanied by the necessary declarations. (Notarized contract + notarized declaration is the usual way it's done.)

8. Your attorney can obtain the necessary health insurance on your behalf (the POA is not strictly required for this). It will cost less than 100 euros per person.

9. Most banks are not opening personal accounts based on a POA given to an attorney. But if you know an attorney with good banking relationships, perhaps it's possible. I would be sceptical, and I would not pay much for this service, as I do not believe it's necessary. I suggest it's better to get your account, in person, after your Residence has been granted.

Your attorney can send your rental contract / declarations and health insurance to you in the UK.

DON'T GIVE YOUR AGENT/ATTORNEY A POA

You definitely need help to accomplish these, but I don't believe a POA is necessary. Most likely, the help will be provided by your attorney, but as detailed here you can avoid the time/cost of drawing up and providing a POA.

7. Ask your attorney to provide you with a rental contract suitable for your D visa and Residence applications. Normally this will cost around 500 euros. You can sign it remotely (e-sign or sign/fax). Your attorney must make sure that the owner/landlord signs and notarizes the appropriate declarations. As long as the declarations are notarized, the rental contract itself doesn't have to be.

8. Your attorney (or other agent) can obtain the necessary health insurance on your behalf. It will cost less than 100 euros per person. They need your personal details (and 100 euros), but they do not need a POA.

9. No POA, so don't even mention bank accounts. I suggest it's better to get your account, in person, after your Residence has been granted. Instead, focus on providing strong evidence of your UK savings and pension.

Your attorney can send your rental contract / declarations and health insurance to you in the UK.

Good point @VASILEV.

Thank you for the clarification.

I think many will be pensioners, and I am focusing on this category. But you are right that there are a number of alternatives with different ways of satisfying the requirements.

And, of course, while I'm writing for a potential British retiree, the D visa is for any non-EU citizen.

Which are the easiest to get, after pensioner? I guess student and TRO?

Have embassies now started processing all types of D visa? I was under the impression that only a few categories were being dealt with.

Also the option of applying on the basis that you can support yourself and providing evidence of funds does not seem to be available at the moment? What category does this come under?

Students us easy to understand.
But if you a some Kind of digital nomad, crypto currency owner, owner of an online business or just work from distance and need some good place to work, easy to obtain residence and archive some tax reducing goals TRO is the Best option.
Please have in mind that TRO is non commercial entity. If you need to do business you need to establish a company.
I will not recommend working as a self employed, due to tax considerations.

Great job. Everything is absolutely correct. We made everything by ourselves ( bcs were not lucky with Bulgarian lawyers and I'm lawyer), but I can say, it was even better. Bulgarian МВР is not always friendly ( to expats as well to lawyers) and they are changing their demands time to time. For example , recently  they demand translation of Marriage or Birth certificates , and Декларация for kids , which are notarized no more than 3 months before ( it is out law, but they demand this last 2 years).
Please, take into account , that off. fee for 1 year for 1 person is 500 Lev, but for his/her family members - 150 Lev. Sometimes they , maybe , forget to say this:( and demand 500 lev from every family member as well for kids, but its not correct. It's better to come one week later, the official will change and you'll pay a normal fee. By the way , officials are changing every 2 weeks in Sofia. Hence, you can choose adequate one:)
P.S. don't pay fee at MBP office cash desk in Sofia ( there are outstanding commission), just card or at any Bank out of MBP office.

@HelenDinBG

I believe the Bulgarian Embassy in London is accepting D visa applications, and is taking approximately 6 weeks to consider them.

Proof of Means ("that you can support yourself and providing evidence of funds") is a general requirement for all D visa applications.

So it's a supporting requirement for all categories, rather than a separate category.

The easiest category is retiree, if you can demonstrate proof of entitlement to a state and/or private pension.

Otherwise, I believe other commonly used categories are investment (300,000 euros in real estate), student, and TRO (Trade Representative Office).

The confusion may be that for EU citizens (as we used to be) the requirement was simply your EU passport, evidence of funds, and evidence of medical insurance (or EHIC card).

Unfortunately for Britons, this fast-track access to Bulgarian Residence ended on 31/12/20. Now we have to apply for a D visa first, in the same way as all other non-EU passport holders.

I have a friend in Bulgaria at moment she has her own house and didnt get residency before exit date due to flying back to England regarding a death in family and getting stuck there due to covid.
She is currently in Bulgaria now, but everyone she has spoken to ie lawyers are saying she has to go back to england to apply for visa D, can she not get that over here.
Also her husband works in uk and provides money to her , what could she get a visa D under, she is not retirement age, and has been told she can open a company and be an employee of company but will have to pay 500bgn a month in taxes, is there a cheaper option.

It is, unfortunately, much more challenging to get residence here after Brexit.

The D visa must be applied for at the Bulgarian Embassy in London, so, indeed, she now has to return to do that. After getting the D visa, she can come back to Bulgaria and apply for residence.

The easy option for D visa is retiree/pensioner with proof of a pension (i.e age is not the issue, your entitlement to a guaranteed income due to age/disability is).

If she's not yet entitled to a pension, I suspect there are no easy options. Opening a Bulgarian company is one possibility, as mentioned, but I think she will need Bulgarian employees! You can qualify for a D visa as a student, but I'd guess this wouldn't be a desirable option. I think the popular category is to set up a TRO (Trade Representative Office), which doesn't require employees, but does require a non-Bulgarian company to represent.

However, there is a bit of good news: the UK passport is good for visa-free travel in Europe, and you can stay in Bulgaria for up to 90 days out of 180 days. So this might be sufficient, at least in the shorter term, and only apply for the D visa when you qualify for a pension.

Even post-Brexit, Brits can own property in Bulgaria. Your friend already has a property, so she can visit and enjoy it visa-free as above. If someone hasn't yet purchased, they can buy an apartment here in their own name, but a house (because it has land) will require you to buy as a Bulgarian company.

To open the company is not good solution to get residence. She could be representative of her English company.  And all the same, start is the visa D. She has to go out to apply for visa.

Maybe she can make visa D in Bulgarian embassy not in England , if it is problem for her, for example in SR or RO.

Brexit has caused so many issues! This is so hard for your friend. I heard that some local immigration centres in Bg were still processing applications for Brits who owned property prior to Brexit under the old rules, but that ended March 31, so that's unlikely to be an option for her. Still, it could be worth her asking the local mayor if he or she is able to help in any way.

If her only option is the D visa, she does need to be outside of Bulgaria to apply. And unfortunately no matter which option she uses to get a D visa, there will be higher levels of taxes and the Bg equivalent of national insurance to pay for someone who isn't yet retirement age.

Though 500 BGN a month in tax and social fund contributions sounds a lot. AFAIK, she only needs to show the equivalent of the Bulgarian minimum wage for the D visa, which is 650 BGN a month.  Also, there are laws on double taxation, as UK tax has already been paid on her husband's earning, income tax shouldn't be levvied again on the same money. Well, that is, provided the UK has made an agreement on this with the EU since Brexit. I'm almost certain they have. But even if she can minimise the actual income tax, she would probably still have to pay the social tax contribution.

I've been looking into this for myself as I couldn't get to Bg to do the paperwork last year due to Covid and am now in a similar situation, except that I wasn't already living in Bg. I've decided to wait till I'm retirement age to seek residency and just use the 90 days per 180 days visa free allowance till then. The Bulgarian retirement age for women is lower than the UK age, so I'm not sure if that can be used to help, but it should make a difference to the taxes she needs to pay and possibly to when she can use a retirement visa.

If your friend is still a long way from retirement age, TRO might be her best option. I don't know a lot about this one, but she'd need to find a British business with products that might sell in Bg that doesn't currently have anyone representing them. If there's anything she uses and brings in from the UK for her own use because it's not available in Bg, that would be a good candidate for her to contact.

I hope it all works out for her.

The U.K. is not part of the E.U., so you are correct that a Visa "D" is required.  It is also true that the visa "D" must be applied for in one's home country.  The different categories and the requirements for each can be found on the Bulgarian embassy's website in the U.K.

While the official rules are as above, I believe there may be a teeny bit of leeway currently being extended (in early 2021) due to the Covid crisis. If you are a BRITISH passport holder and Covid prevented you from applying for your residence permit before the end of the transition year to 31/12/2020, this could be extremely helpful. So, if you have proof of visiting Bulgaria in either 2019 or 2020 OR you are ALREADY the owner of a Bulgarian property and have your deed/notary act... then please contact me by PRIVATE message as soon as possible, and I will share what I know.

According to the Ministry of the Interior there is an update to the transition period due to the Covid crisis:
https://www.mvr.bg/en/about-the-ministr … out-brexit

"Following the amendments to the Law on the measures and actions during the emergency state and overcoming the consequences, the term of validity of the residence documents of UK citizens which expire in the period 13 March 2020 – 31 January 2021, is extended with 6 months. The extension is valid for the territory of Bulgaria for the purpose of residency."

That seems to indicate that the extension is from 31/01/21 to 31/07/21, but I'm not 100% sure as it doesn't specify the end date.

It's also not entirely clear if it's just for renewing/exchanging residence permits. My reading is that it also allows British citizens to apply for their initial residence permit, on the same basis as during the transition period. That would be easier than going for the D visa.

That means that any British citizens that wanted their residence permit, but were denied by last year's Covid travel restrictions, should get over here ASAP!

I don't interpret this the same way. To me I understand the extension to be only for people needing to renew residence permits or exchange the old type for new ones.

It does say people had three months to apply for residency after arriving in BG up to the end of December, so in theory new residency applications would have been accepted until end of March, or possibly later, and may incur fines.

But I don't take this to mean new arrivals trying to apply for residency would come under this extension.

It's not totally clear, some of the meaning seems to be lost in the translation. And rule changes are not always applied across the whole country at the same time so people may still find variation.

Unfortunately I interpret it the way Helen does, too. Though a good immigration lawyer might be able to find a lopphole there somewhere, it probably isn't going to help new Brit immigrants doing it without a lawyer get residency.
But good news for Brits who already had the old residency cards and couldn't get them changed!

@ janemulberry & @ HelenDinBG

You are both right, of course, that the initial paragraph talks about "the term of validity of the residence documents of UK citizens" being extended.

If this were all it said, I would read it as you do.

However, as the extension is granted because of the "emergency state", I'd certainly think there was a chance they would interpret it more generously. Indeed, I've heard that immigration is being a little more forgiving for British citizens applying this year, especially if they have a good story (already visited in 2019/2020, or already purchased their BG property). The above extension is certainly ambiguous enough to allow a friendly immigration official to justify this.

If I'd missed applying for my residence last year due to Covid, I would certainly think it was worth a cheap Ryanair flight over to give it a try! A last-minute 5-year residence permit is a lot more useful than the faff of D visa + multiple residence applications (especially if one is not already a retiree).

Personally, I am very frustrated as I was entitled to permanent residence (arguably a passport) in Cyprus, but my 2020 flights (to submit my transition year paperwork) were cancelled due to the crisis. There is no formal extension in Cyprus at all, but I had been seriously considering flying over and whining about my bad luck. :-) If that was my only option, I'd be there in June, after my 2nd vaccine dose. The loss of an EU passport (CY has no language requirement, while BG does) is a concern... but... luckily, I will qualify next year for my BG permanent residence... so I will be able to use that to live/work in Cyprus and Spain (and the rest of the EU) anyway.

It's certainly is an option worth trying. I'm considering it, for sure. Because yes, getting 5 year residence permit now is a lot better than applying as a freelancer in six months time, or waiting till I get my OAP to go the retiree route!

Thank you for taking the time to put together this valuable information.

I searched online and could not find a specific answer to the following:

Is there a monthly retirement income to be eligible for long stay D visa?
Do you need to have a certain dollar amount in the bank account?

Yes to both questions. I don't recall the exact amount, but the bank account must be at least the equivalent of six months of minimum wages. The pension must exceed a certain amount, but I don't recall the number.  Per my immigration lawyer, my pension was more than the minimum, so I paid no attention to what the minimum is.

@expatiane

Is there a monthly retirement income to be eligible for long stay D visa?

The context is important. Bulgarian minimum wage is 610 leva per month ($368), minimum state pension is 220 leva per month ($133). So if you have (as I'm sure you do!) a pension significantly higher than these numbers, then they are likely to be happy. (These numbers also give you an idea of how well you can live here on your pension.)

Separately, there is no minimum age stipulated, as long as you are already entitled to receive a private or government pension (and can prove it with the appropriate confirmation letter /  certificate of entitlement).

They ideally like you to have a Bulgarian bank account and proof of your pension being paid in. But I think most consular staff will be understanding if you haven't done this yet. But after you get your D visa, and you're here in Bulgaria to apply for your residence permit, I would open an account here.

Do you need to have a certain dollar amount in the bank account?

If you have a pension entitlement, then your separate finances are not a big issue. When I did my residence permit most recently they accepted a copy of my debit card (and a notarized declaration of non-recourse to Bulgarian state funds) as my proof.

However, if you have a US (or Bulgarian) bank account with a nice balance, I think you might as welll include appropriate recent statements. (I think "nice" is probably whatever you have, but officially it's the 6 months of the D visa x the monthly minimum wage, or about $2,200. And probably your pension will bring in more than that.)

Getting that Bulgarian bank account is more complex than I had expected.  I've tried 3 of the large banks and none of them would open an account if I wasn't in the country and even then, 2 of them told me they're not opening bank accounts for foreigners.  The way they explained it to me is because of the pending conversion to the Euro, they have been required to tighten up banking practices to fight money laundering.  The only way I'm able to get around it is to have my Bulgarian attorney open the account for me.

@johnSlavi

The Bulgarian Embassy guidance for D visas does not specify that a Bulgarian bank account is required.

Of course, it's nice to have. But trying to open one remotely will be difficult and time consuming. Even with the help of a local attorney, in my opinion you're very unlikely to succeed. As you say, banks have tightened up considerably, and they expect you to be there in person for account opening.

The main requirement (for a retiree) is to have proof of entitlement to a pension, and that it's a decent amount (which most international pensions will be) relative to Bulgaria's minimums.

@gwynj  Thank you for the clarification.  The reason I thought I had to have a Bulgarian bank account is because of what the Bulgarian Consulate in Washington told me.  When I go up for my D visa interview that was one of the items he said was required.  Maybe he's wrong though.  Just to be safe though I'm going to see if the attorney can open one.

@johnSlavi

Well, if you've been to / spoken to the Embassy, then you're more expert than me! But I have to say that I'm very surprised, given the pandemic and difficulties with travel to get over here to open an account.

Good luck with the attorney, and let us know if he's successful. It would be useful to know if it is still possible to open an account remotely.

I was required to have a Bulgarian bank account in addition to proving the amount of my pension when I applied for my D visa.  I also had to have a Bulgarian bank account to apply for and renew my residency permit. I would check with an immigration attorney if I were you.

Bank account in Bulgaria is still a prerequisite. And opening it remotely, by an attorney should be no problem. At least in several banks like Generali, Reifeisen, Unicredit etc ...

Actually its just a bit of info on the residence permit I need.   I already have a residence card gained in 2020 and when I applied I filled in the form giving details of my wife and grown up children,  I understand that therefore my wife can still apply before the end of 2021 or more without a visa.
However, I would like to have a copy of the form I filled in which the notary says he does not save and I wondered if the Bulgarian Authorities have an online account with your details or could give me a copy in the same way gov.uk does.

I understood that if you already has a residence permit (2020) and had declared your wife on the application she could apply for a residence permit without a D visa until the end of 2021.?

You comment appreciated.

@Faculty

Congratulations on getting your residence permit before the deadline (31/12/20) for UK citizens!

My understanding also is that the Family Reunification deadline is end of this year (31/12/21).

I suggest you go (with your wife) and submit her application. If you have your residence permit and you have a marriage certificate that pre-dates your residence application, I'd imagine it will be fine. I think adult (18 ) children don't qualify for family reunification unless they are still dependents.

I would guess there is a way to get a copy of a document that you submitted... but it sounds time-consuming... and I'm not sure there's much to be gained by getting it. (Certainly I haven't heard of any online system for looking at our applications / submitted documents.)

I have just got mine collect next week u have to have 700 levs in bank and have the ehic card so don't need private medical insurance now ur deeds and that's about it very easy x

Bmartin64, glad you got it sorted out easily and thanks for clarifying how much they want to see in the bank. Was that in a Bg account, or a UK account?
I'm wondering about the health card - do you mean the ehic card or the ghic card? I didn't think ehic cards were being issued now, apart from full-time students and a couple of other smaller groups. I'd only be able to get the ghic.

I am very surprised you have found it simple. I have found the process to be so long winded and difficult I have, for the time being and possibly for ever, given up, despite owning two properties in Bulgaria since pre Brexit.
I have been dealing with the Embassy in London, who, to be fair have tried to be helpful, but I have been presented with a very long list of required documents, all of which have to then be translated into Bulgarian. The Embassy has also provided a list of "approved" translators.  I have also been advised I need a Bulgarian bank account, which I do in fact have, but I must arrange for my pension to be paid into that account to indicate an ongoing ability to support myself.
I am not state retirement age, but have already drawn a reasonable private pension. However, I understand there may well be other consequences of arranging to have this paid into a foreign bank.
90 days is no good to me, as the whole idea was to keep horses. I am pleased to hear not everyone is finding it as difficult.

Scarlett, I don't think you're alone with this, unfortunately. 

I'd decided to wait till official retirement age, which unfortunately keeps moving further away, but have now had waiting forced on me due to my husband's health issues.

Sorry it's been so challenging. As you owned property before Brexit, a good immigration lawyer (some of the regular posters here might be able to recommend someone) might be able to help. I did hear there were extensions on the December 31 cut off date for Brits to apply under the old rules, but whether that's still possible, I don't know.

Hello, Ive heard so much conflicting information. Can you tell me how long I can stay in Bulgaria with a visa d. And then if I get residence? Ideally I would like to move full time. Thankyou sir.

kevinwhiffen wrote:

Hello, Ive heard so much conflicting information. Can you tell me how long I can stay in Bulgaria with a visa d. And then if I get residence? Ideally I would like to move full time. Thankyou sir.

The D visa can be issued for 6 or 12 months. Depends what category you're applying under. But if it's to establish residency the 6 month one would be sufficient.

Once you have the visa you can apply for residency, which if successful is permanent

If anyone needs any assistance on residency please pm me