Bulgarian citizenship

Advantages of Bulgarian and European citizenship

 

 

Acquisition of Bulgarian citizenship, respectively European citizenship is a complex and sometimes long process. Patience and compliance with statutory administrative procedures are required.

Applicants for Bulgarian citizenship should be aware that Bulgarian and European laws are clear on the issue, and compliance with the law is of paramount and priority importance and mission for our company.

We firmly believe that the candidate should work closely with our consultants and advisors. The applicant must decide how to proceed, but only after being informed of all possible legal possibilities.

The first and most important step for acquiring Bulgarian citizenship is to choose the most appropriate legal strategy and framework for action.

 

Your next steps

In case you want to become a citizen of the European Union in the not too distant future, your first goal is to obtain a residence permit on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria.

Once you have residence status, you should comply with the formalities and legal requirements for acquiring citizenship, as a result of which you will receive your first European passport.

Citizenship of the Republic of Bulgaria brings with it all European values, freedom of travel and residence in any Member State, the opportunity to work in all 28 countries of the European Union without any formalities, to rely on consular support in all embassies of the European Union. Union of the World (where there is no Bulgarian embassy or consulate), as well as the right to participate in the European Union social security system and many others.

In addition to the above, having a European passport will guarantee you almost free travel around the world, as the European Union is constantly expanding its visa-free agreements with third countries. Traveling with a European passport will guarantee you fast processing at Airport Control.

What is the citizenship of the Republic of Bulgaria and the European Union and what does this mean for you?

– Any person who holds the citizenship of a Member State of the European Union automatically becomes its citizen. Citizenship of the European Union is additional and does not replace national citizenship.

– Citizens of Member States of the European Union are citizens of the European Union;

– Citizens of Member States of the European Union can move and reside freely within the European Union;

– Citizens of European Union Member States can vote and stand for election to the European Parliament;

– All citizens of the European Union receive consular assistance and protection from all embassies of the European Union, in case the country does not have a national embassy;

– All citizens of the European Union can submit petitions and complaints to the European Parliament and to the European Ombudsman.

 

The benefits of a European Union passport

With the receipt of your European passport, you will not have to stand in long queues to obtain your visa for your next business trip or your next holiday abroad. You will be part of and belong to the big European family.

The European passport is not just a new passport – it is a new life.

Basics

The Law on Bulgarian Citizenship is the basic law regulating the conditions and prerequisites for obtaining Bulgarian citizenship. Many of the provisions of the Law on Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria are of great importance for the acquisition of Bulgarian citizenship.

If you are not a Bulgarian citizen, but you want to get one, the only way is to apply for Bulgarian citizenship by naturalization.

Naturalization is a procedure for granting Bulgarian citizenship to a person who does not meet the requirements for citizenship by birth or origin.

 

Acquisition of Bulgarian citizenship by naturalization

A person who is not a Bulgarian citizen may acquire Bulgarian citizenship by naturalization if, as of the date of submission of the application, he meets the following requirements:

  1. is an adult;
  2. not less than 5 years ago has received a permit for permanent or long-term residence in the Republic of Bulgaria;
  3. has not been convicted of an intentional crime of a general nature by a Bulgarian court and no criminal proceedings have been instituted against him;
  4. has an income or occupation that enables him to support himself in the Republic of Bulgaria;
  5. speaks Bulgarian, and
  6. has been released from his / her previous citizenship or will be released from it at the moment of acquiring Bulgarian citizenship.

 

Bulgarian legislation does not set requirements for exemption from their previous citizenship for:

  1. persons – spouses of Bulgarian citizens;
  2. citizens of a Member State of the European Union, of a State Party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area or of the Swiss Confederation;
  3. citizens of countries with which the Republic of Bulgaria has concluded agreements with which reciprocity is established.

 

 

Acquisition of Bulgarian citizenship by naturalization through investments

 

Bulgarian legislation provides for a number of exceptions to the acquisition of citizenship by naturalization through direct investment in the Republic of Bulgaria.

 

Persons and members of their families who have received a permanent residence permit in the Republic of Bulgaria through investments in:

– shares or bonds of Bulgarian companies with a market value of not less than BGN 2,000,000;

– rights under concession contracts on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria with a contract value of not less than BGN 1,000,000;

– units or shares with a value of not less than BGN 1,000,000 in collective investment schemes originating in the Republic of Bulgaria,

– units or shares with a value of not less than BGN 1,000,000 in alternative investment funds established in the Republic of Bulgaria;

– by depositing in the capital of a Bulgarian company an amount of not less than BGN 2,000,000 for a priority investment project implemented by the company, certified under the terms and conditions of the Investment Promotion Act, which is certified by the Ministry of Economy;

– invested in the capital of a Bulgarian company, whose shares are not traded on a regulated market, an amount not less than BGN 6,000,000.

Persons who have made the above investments may acquire Bulgarian citizenship, and they do not need to meet the conditions to speak Bulgarian language and to bereleased from their previous citizenship or be released from it at the time of acquisition of Bulgarian citizenship.

 

 

 

The laws of the Republic of Bulgaria provide a number of facilities for acquiring Bulgarian citizenship by naturalization, such as the applicant for Bulgarian citizenship has been and continues to be legally married to a Bulgarian citizen for at least 3 years or the permanent or long-term residence permit was obtained before to reach the age of majority.

 

Also, the law stipulates that a stateless person or a person who received refugee or asylum status at least three years ago on the date of filing the application for naturalization may acquire Bulgarian citizenship, as well as a person who received humanitarian status before not less than five years from the date of submission of the application for naturalization.

 

The provision of Art. 16 of the Bulgarian Citizenship Act defines the most exotic option for obtaining Bulgarian citizenship in Bulgaria – persons with special merits to the Bulgarian state in the field of social and economic, science, technology, culture and sports can obtain Bulgarian citizenship. Only the most distinguished foreigners, who have proven experience and have qualifications beyond the ordinary, can receive citizenship for special merits.

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