Acquiring BG citizenship of a foreigner

I. Under Art. 13 of Bulgarian Citizenship Act

The person who is not Bulgarian citizen:

• Must be an adult;
• Has not been convicted of a crime by Bulgarian court or is not prosecuted for such a crime, unless rehabilitated;
• Has an income or occupation that enables him to live in Bulgaria;
• Is skillful at Bulgarian language;
• Is released from present citizenship or will be released from it at the moment of acquiring Bulgarian citizenship – exception for spouses of BG citizens, citizens of EU-countries, other countries with which Bulgaria has a contract;

And  before no less than 3 years of the date of filing of naturalization application has been given permanent residence permit.

The person must also meet one of the following requirements:

• Legally married to BG citizen – not less than 3 years;
• Born in Bulgaria;
• Permanent residence permit is obtained before adulthood;

II. Under Art. 13a of Bulgarian Citizenship Act

1) The person who is granted refugee status or asylum before no less than 3 years of the date of filing of naturalization application:

• Must be an adult;
• Has not been convicted of a crime by Bulgarian court or is not prosecuted for such a crime, unless rehabilitated;
• Has an income or occupation that enables him to live in Bulgaria;
• Is skillful at Bulgarian language;

2) The person who is granted humanitarian status before no less than 5 years of the date of filing of naturalization application:

• Must be an adult;
• Has not been convicted of a crime by Bulgarian court or is not prosecuted for such a crime, unless rehabilitated;
• Has an income or occupation that enables him to live in Bulgaria;
• Is skillful at Bulgarian language;

Necessary documents:

• Application form;
• Copy of the birth certificate;
• Certificate from the Ministry of Interior for a permanent residence permit;
• Certificate of marital status and presence of civil marriage with BG citizen;
• Certificate from the State Agency for Refugees for granted refugee status/ asylum/ humanitarian status;
• Certificate of conviction;
• Document from the prosecution that the person is not prosecuted for a crime of general nature;
• Certificate from the employer for employment/service relationship;
• Document proving command of Bulgarian language;
• Medical document proving that the person doesn’t suffer from diseases;
• Declaration form;
• Official document certifying the change of name if exists;
• Curriculum Vitae;
• Actual photo – passport size;
• Photocopy of the ID document;
• Receipt for paid state fee;
• Document from the relevant foreign authorities that the person has been released from present citizenship – if it is necessary;

The documents provided must be certified, translated and legalized according the requirement of Bulgarian legislation.

The application along with the necessary documents shall be submitted personally.

If you have any questions regarding the acquiring of Bulgarian citizenship, do not hesitate to contact us.