Bulgaria Immigration and Residence Options in 2026

Bulgaria has distinct routes for remote workers, innovative founders, local freelancers, employees and ordinary business operators. The central authorities are the Migration Directorate, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Employment Agency/Ministry of Labour and, for Startup Visa certification, the Ministry of Innovation and Growth.

Verified 18 September 2026: Bulgaria has a real digital-nomad prolonged-residence basis created by the 2025 Foreigners Act amendments. It is separate from local freelance activity, the Startup Visa and ordinary employment.

Main routes

| Route | Best fit | Key rule | | --- | --- | --- | | Digital nomad residence | Foreign employee, qualifying foreign-company owner/manager or established remote service provider | One year, renewable once; previous-year income of at least 50 Bulgarian minimum monthly wages | | Startup Visa | Third-country founder with certified innovative/high-tech project | Ministry certificate + Visa D + at least 50% ownership in a Bulgarian company | | Freelancer / self-employment | Independent professional carrying out local freelance activity | Employment Agency freelance permit and residence framework | | Single residence and work permit | Third-country national hired by Bulgarian employer | Combined residence/work process involving Migration and Employment Agency | | Entrepreneur / commercial activity | Ordinary partner/manager operating Bulgarian business | Business must maintain at least 10 full-time Bulgarian employees per qualifying foreigner | | Long-term / permanent residence | Long-term resident planning settlement | Separate status; qualifying residence history and route-specific counting rules matter |

Digital nomad route

The law recognizes three broad digital-nomad profiles: a remote employee of an employer outside the EU/EEA/Switzerland; a qualifying owner/manager/shareholder (more than 25%) of such a foreign company; or a person who has personally provided remote IT-enabled services for at least one year before applying.

The owner/manager and independent-service profiles may not work or provide services to persons in Bulgaria, and the independent profile may not carry out freelance activity in Bulgaria.

For 2026, the income formula is 50 × the 2025 minimum monthly wage. The official 2025 wage was BGN 1,077, so the resulting annual gross-income threshold is BGN 53,850.

Read the digital nomad guide.

Startup founders

Article 24p uses a Ministry-issued high-tech/innovative project certificate called a Startup Visa. The certificate is not itself residence. The applicant uses Visa D and, after that visa is issued, becomes a partner/shareholder in a Bulgarian company, holding at least 50% of its capital, with activity matching the certified project.

Read the Startup Visa guide.

Freelancers and employees

Local freelance activity is regulated separately under the Labour Migration and Labour Mobility Act. The Employment Agency can issue a freelance-work permit for up to one year, renewable when conditions continue.

Employees hired by Bulgarian employers generally use the Single Residence and Work Permit.

Ordinary entrepreneur residence

The ordinary commercial-activity route is much stricter than simply registering a company. Current Ministry of Interior guidance requires at least 10 full-time Bulgarian citizen employees for each foreigner using that basis, including the applicable partner/manager cases.

Read the entrepreneur guide.

Visa D and EU citizens

Most third-country prolonged-residence routes require a long-stay Visa D. MFA states that the standard Article 15(1) Visa D can be valid up to six months with up to 180 days of stay, and a personal interview is mandatory. Visa D is not the residence permit.

EU/EEA/Swiss citizens use free-movement rules instead. MVR states that EU citizens may stay up to three months with valid ID and then register longer residence on grounds such as employment, self-employment, study or sufficient resources.

Settlement

Long-term EU resident status and permanent residence are separate from ordinary prolonged residence. The general third-country long-term-resident framework uses five years of legal, continuous residence, subject to statutory counting rules and exclusions. EU citizens have their own five-year permanent-residence framework.

Read the settlement guide.

See Europe immigration guides, browse visa types, and review the methodology and legal disclaimer.

Published pathways