QUESTION ABOUT DOCUMENTS FOR RESIDENCE PERMIT

Assuming you already have your D Visa (you cant apply for residency without one) which you got from the Bulgarian Embassy /Consulate in your home country, the rules are you use the exact same documents that you submitted with your Visa application. You also need to submit Bulgarian bank statements showing a minimum of 4800 Euros on account if you are under 67.

Bulgarian bank documents do not need to be apostilled or notarised.

@TonyFF

Welcome to the expat.com forum and good luck with your move to Bulgaria!

As @grahamstark1 has pointed out, the order is D visa at your nearest Bulgarian embassy followed by residence permit at the migration office nearest your new home in Bulgaria. And pretty much the same documentation is required by both.

You can enter Bulgaria without a visa (max 90 in 180) to visit or go property hunting, but they won't accept your application for residence.

If you're coming as a retiree, then you'll need some kind of proof of entitlement which might be a letter/confirmation from the paying organization. I suppose it should say when the pension started, how long it goes on for (should be life), and what the amount is. This will need a certified translation.

I agree, bank statements are pretty simple, so not much point translating them. :-) The minimum wage here is 400 euros per month, so they don't need to see much money. Typically, your pension letter is proof of your retiree status and proof of sufficient funds. They do like to see a Bulgarian bank account to receive your pension, so this can be a bit of a headache.

@TonyFF

Hi Tony

you would be better off going to the Bulgarian Embassy site in your home country to get the requirements because your mostly going to get British comments on here and references to documents that are probably only available from UK Government.  as an example and ACRO police check.  yes you will need one but its gonna be an American one and you need to understand what agency in the USA the Bulgarian Embassy will specify.  its wont be just any old police check.

but anyway this is direct from the BG embassy London for UK citizens.

Stage 1 D type Visa for long term

1/Passport for at least 18month

2/passport colour photo

3/Acro police check, Apostled  By Forien & Commonwelth Office(FCO)

4/Proof of address Bulgaria, copy of notorial act of property or lease

5/Bank statements for the last 3 months (USA Bank not Bulgarian)

6/Medical insurance for the first 3 months on Bulgaria,  (you can get this  online for 12 months 157leva   its for 60000 leva minimum cover requirement for foriegn citizens residing in Bulgaria.

7/Letter from Pension fund ( notorised and Apostled & Translated by accredited person)  not sure if your pensioned?

8/ Letter from your Bulgarian band confirming you have and account for your money (Pension)

9/ cost 100euro takes about 2 months in the uk

Once you have your  Visa you use all the same paperwork fo your Residence Permit. note that only copies are taken by the BG Embassy and you must take all the originals to BG if you go there for Residence permit application as its the same set off documents + and application form..

you will need a English translator for this application. unless your fluent in Bulgaria ofcourse

Hope this helps  bit more, but my advice contact BG Embassy in USA

Phil

Thanks for the overwhelming response. Well I did not give you guys all my information.My wife is Bulgarian,

who has lived in USA more than in Bulgaria- I got my  D visa ( no documents needed to provide of any kind, just declaration that my wife vouches for me that I will live at her place and our marriage is not fake. The latter is ridiculous since we have been married for almost 25 years and yes, we legalized our marriage in Bulgaria 10 years ago). 

Now when I go to Bulgaria I need to provide proof of income, so I am trying to show as little as possible of my financial documents( security purpose). I got my FBI clearance/apostille.If I provide US bank statements do they really need to have apostille on them? And can my wife vouch for me again in notarized declaration only?

We will still have our property in USA and we  plan to live in both places for now.House will be rented. Despite all the problems in USA the prices in California for properties are exorbitant so I am waiting for them to keep going up until we decide to sell. Then we will establish ourselves for good in Bulgaria. We have a place to live in Bulgaria with family until we buy something.Please advise. Thanks again kindly.

Hi Tony

Well the paperwork I received from bg embassy does not say they need to be notorised or apostled .. it was quite specific about what does need to be .. I'll let you know as I'm just waiting for my company pension and letter and then get all the necessary legal stuff done on it and I'll be going  to London bg embassy to start the ball rolling 

@TonyFF

Ah, this is one of the easiest options, D visa (and then residence) by marriage to a Bulgarian citizen.

This option typically needs...

(a) Proof of the relationship (wedding certificate)

(b) Proof of address (the notarized declaration from the owner of the property that you will be living at)

(c) Proof of health insurance. You can get a Health Insurance for Foreigners in Bulgaria policy at any insurance broker for less than 100 euros.

(d) Proof of funds (account showing savings of a few thousand euros/dollars). Bearing in mind the minimum salary of 400 euros per month x 12 months, so I suggest $5k-$10k should be sufficient, and can be in any account (BG/USA). I recommend a bank-issued statement rather than something you print from your online banking. If you have proof of your pension, that would count too, but a letter from your pension provider would need to be translated, while bank statements don't.

(e) I'm not sure you need your criminal record check for the residence permit, it might only be for the D visa. But if you have it, great.

(f) Apostille/legalization is, I believe, for public/government documents such as birth and marriage certificates, criminal record check, etc. So you can't apostille a bank statement. Which is one less thing to worry about. :-) Any translation (e.g. pension letter in English) needs to be a certified translation by a registered Bulgarian translator.

(g) California property owner... you are rich beyond the dreams of most Bulgarians, and you will live like a king here. :-)

@gwynj

Hi - thank you so much for this detailed info.

Very very helpful. Honestly here the embassy is not a great source of information. You have to call them multiple times and they even do not know what needs to have  an apostille.( except the FBI fingerprints which thank god I have). It is frustrating even for my Bulgarian wife. I think if you are moving from Europe to Bulgaria things are smoother.

We have visited many times  Bulgaria( and yes , for us everything is very cheap) and we both love it. It is a fantastic country. It may take awhile for us to adapt/and if we do not we can always come back. The idea of living in both places is attractive to us. At least at this stage of our life.

And thank you Phillip too. And all kind responses. You guys are terrific. Very adventurous for all of you to move to another country , and be excited about. My opinion: Bulgaria is  a fantastic place!!!!

@TonyFF

I agree, it's tip-top, innit.

Leaving aside the immigration formalities (if you will forgive the digression), I think you will be astonished (in a good way) at Bulgarian healthcare. With your Bulgarian wife, I think you should have no problem registering in the public health system here. Just go to NAP and register as unemployed, it will cost less than 15 euros per month. This gets you free or nearly-free treatment in public hospitals, and it gets you (in a separate exercise) an EHIC (European Health Insurance Card). This will get you the same when you travel to other EU countries (as you probably will, as Sofia is well-served with low-cost airlines Ryanair, EasyJet and Wizzair to multiple destinations).

So far, I have not used a public hospital, but it's good to know I will not be bankrupted in the event of life-threatening illnesses or long-term conditions.

Instead, there are many private hospitals with excellent facilities and care, at surprisingly low prices. Best of all, Bulgaria has integrated (most) private hospitals into the public system. So, for any given service/operation, you can choose a public hospital (free), or you can choose a private hospital (small fee). The private hospital receives the standard reimbursement, and you pay the "upgrade" price for private room, VIP treatment, and whatever extras you ask for (rehabilitation/physiotherapy, different style of operation, premium prosthetics, etc.).

I've been (touch wood) very healthy so far, but these two recent examples contrast well with the USA healthcare options:

(a) I need a hip replacement, which might be a $50k-100k op in sunny California. I went to a very good private hospital in Sofia which is a leader in this kind of op here. I didn't want the standard public prosthetic, I asked for the top-of-the-line titanium implant with extra joint range for athletes and younger patients... and a muscle-sparing approach... and 2 weeks of rehab. My upgrade price was quoted as 2k euros... with treatment whenever I wanted it (within a few days).

(b) Just a few weeks ago, I did some diagnostics just to check I'm still alive. Went to a local (private) blood testing lab, no appointment, got a full panel of tests including all standard values, plus an extra set of hormone levels and cancer markers. This alone would be hundreds of dollars in California, and it cost me just $60 (full price, not even a subsidized price). I then continued down the road to the private hospital nearby (Medline, very good)... and, at 8am, I rocked up, unannounced, and asked to see the cardiologist. I not only saw him, but he spoke English, and he personally (30 minutes approx.) gave me a full exam and discussion of lifestyle/health issues. Including blood pressure, EKG, ultrasound/echocardiogram, and full report (in Bulgarian, you can't win 'em all) with copies of all test results. Gotta be a few grand (and not covered by any insurance, as this wasn't required by any medical issue) in California, and obviously by appointment only. Also $60 (also full private price, not public subsidized).

@TonyFF     hi tony we live in bulgaria  for many years but our daughter as come over to live with us as our dependent we had to have mine and husbands passport and our daughters they wanted everything of us ID,s DBS for 5yrs back, now its 10 yrs to see if criminals, apostle stamp from london , passport photo back and front as ID deeds to house and bank statment uk and bg we gave and any other legal paper you have take 4 copys of each

@gwynj

Hi gwynj - that is great that Bulgarian healthcare is affordable and modern. And your experience is good.

I had to see MD on an urgent basis when I was at the Black sea last year. The Hotel receptionist arranged for me to be seen in a clinic within an hour. Very good MD. I paid  a total of $105 for exam and medication.( and I was reimbursed in America for that by my insurance). I thought for the Bulgarian standards that was overpriced. Anyway, no complaints.

I know from my wife that dental care was horrific there years ago. She has spent thousands of dollars with insurance here to fix teeth( root canals, fillings, crowns you name it). I hope that has improved as well.

Yes, Bulgaria is affordable and I am glad people are moving there and enjoying their quality of life.

California is expensive state but I'll tell you what- there are few items that are cheaper here.

1. gas- it has gone up a lot but it is still not bad - around $6 for premium/per GALLON. ( it used to be $3.50 2-3 years ago and  $1.20 20 years ago!) And  around 50 cents cheaper for regular which unfortunately I cannot use.
2. the electronics - they are outrageously priced  in Bulgaria- you can get a nice Apple lap top here for around $800. If you  are a tight wad you can get a computer/or tablet for around $150.
3. the VAT is really a killer in Europe - 25% ouch ( here  it is about 8-10% and food  is not taxed).

Indubitably though  as a whole Bulgaria is super affordable for Americans. Beautiful country. We cannot wait.

@geoffreywebb21

what is DBS- ??? taxes paid?

Just sent off my Documents for Apostille & Notory,  hope to be ready by next week to book my book my appointment with the BG Embassy London for Residence Visa application

@TonyFF

good morning  you will need DBS form now showing 10yrs back it used to be 5yrs all as changed get bank statements from usa and bulgaria 3 months back dated all documents need to be printed at least 3/4 times house deeds passports your birth certificate needs to be seen by notory to sign saying its you  then this is sent off with for your apostle stamp and DBS  every piece of paper for you house and yourselves show them originals and then give copys but you wont get long term when you first register best of luck as they always want more never right first time well if it is burgas