Moving to Bulgaria

@Joe T 89

Welcome to the forum Mr. T!

There is plenty of construction work here, both for new projects and renovating older village properties. And there's probably a shortage of skilled workers. In particular, you should be aware that new properties here are sold as "Bulgarian Standard" (= concrete box with windows, plumbing and wiring) which requires finishing to be livable (plastering, painting, flooring, kitchen and bathroom install, lights and sockets, AC, etc.).

For these new apartments, it's typical here to lay tiles in the bathroom and kitchen area (and perhaps the entry hallway), with laminate in the living room and bedrooms. But some folks like it to be fully-tiled (much more expensive). Clearly, there will be a LOT more work in the big cities (Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas) than in your own village. Because finishing from Bulgarian Standard requires so many jobs, multi-skilled workers who can do several tasks, or finish a whole apartment are popular.

However, the issue is how to get a residence permit either to live here (in your new house) or to work legally. I don't recommend you work illegally, but there are many folks around who work "in the black" and expect cash in hand. I had a bunch of work done on several properties, and, without exception, all my workers insisted on being paid in cash.

You can visit here regularly for up to 90 in 180 days, but to relocate permanently you'll need to get a D visa (Bulgarian embassy in London) followed by your residence permit in Bulgaria. The easiest is by pension (private or public). Another easy option is by investment of 300k euros (a significant sum, but it can be in one or more properties). I doubt either option allows you to work legally, but I haven't checked the fine print.

If your UK company has been going for some years, and is a UK LTD (rather than a self-employed T/A), then you'd also have the option of doing a TRO (Trade Representative Office) which allows you to continue your biz here. I reckon you could also consider the freelancer option, in order to conduct the exact same work here. This requires some paperwork (business plan) and some basic language knowledge (B1 certificate in Bulgarian).

Good luck!

https://visaforbulgaria.com/bulgarian-d-visa

https://immigration-portal.ec.europa.eu … -worker_en

@gwynj

Thank you so much for this,this is exactly the answer I was hoping for, iv got plenty of time to get things sorted tbh so I'm not in a rush it will take as long as it takes, I am only a sole trader in the UK though but can't see it causing to much of a problem (hopefully) 😀 

Thanks again

@Joe T 89

"Not causing too much of a problem" is rather simplifying things.

As Gwyn mentioned, you'll find that you're likely to be asked for documents which don't exist in the UK, including certificates covering your education, training in your chosen line of work, actual work experience,and a business plan including "the economic and/or social effect of the activity".  Then you'll need an official certificate that you have achieved a minimum standard of B1 in spoken and written Bulgarian.

Most foreign "tradesmen" here skip all of those requirements - often because they have no training in their line of work, and usually little or no skill either.  Ignoring the ramifications of migrating somewhere and immediately breaking the law, all it takes is one unhappy/stroppy punter to shop you to the BG authorities and you're in serious schtuck.

Unfortunately moving to Bulgaria legally has become a lot more complex now, Joe, so do some research to look into the visa requirements. Brexit obviously made a big difference for Brits, and it's become even more difficult recently. Bulgaria have tightened immigration rules or enforced existing rules more strictly to become part of the Schengen zone. The initial requirement is to apply for a D visa, which has very limited grounds to get, then apply for a 1 year residency permit which needs to be renewed years for the first five years and can then be converted to a long-stay residency permit. So it's quite a process.

You'll see a lot of people on YouTube channels, forums, and Facebook, saying how they got their residency permits, but unless they moved very recently what worked for them may not work now.

Not trying to be negative, but check the legalities out before making plans. On paper they're also much stricter with overstays now. So what previously used to be not lawful but usually not punished, just going there and overstaying the 90 days Brits are allowed, can now incur a 5000 leva fine, deportation, and a five year ban from re-entering the country.

As Gwyn said, apart from retiring, the routes in at present are

1. have a large lump sum to invest in property, at least 600,000 leva;
2. get in as a trade representative overseas, which requires you to have or know someone with a business in good standing registered at Companies House in the UK who can appoint you as their business representative in Bulgaria. This used to be the most frequently used way for younger Brits to get residency, but the catch here is that the law may be changing to require that the business show a turnover of 500,000 leva a year;
3. apply for a freelancer visa, which requires a huge amount of paperwork and passing an exam in written and spoken Bulgarian;
4. and one he didn't say but may cause even more complexities than the others -- marry a Bulgarian!

We missed the opportunity to get in under the pre-Brexit rules and now it seems our only legal alternative to live in the house we own is to wait until I reach retirement age.

Do you have Irish parents or grandparents so you can get an Irish passport, that's one possibility to skip the Brexshit troubles.

@janemulberry

Yeah so I don't speak any bulgarian at present I did start learning it but wow it's hard lol maybe be a holiday home for a while if all else fails like I appreciate your reply thank you

@SimCityAT

Not that I know of,maybe somewhere in the family tree but I don't personally know of anyone lol

@SimCityAT

Me neither on the Irish. That was one of the first things I investigated, as we'd always been told Dad's dad was Irish. Sadly, though Poppy's' parents were Irish, he was born in Liverpool and they never registered him as Irish. So no joy on getting an Irish passport.

The other complicating factor (gotta love weird families!) is that he changed his name to Alfred for a while. So though Poppy's marriage certificate to Dad's mum, and Dad's older sister and younger brother's birth certificates all use Poppy's real name, Dad's birth certificate has Alfred. *shakes head*

@Joe T 89

Maybe once Bulgaria get full Schengen they may loosen up slightly or add some new categories for the long-term visas. Though unfortunately Europe seems to be heading toward locking the doors tighter to prevent immigrants rather than opening them wider.

Do you own a house in Bg already? 90 days per 180 is legal, but the other 90 days needs to be outside of the EU. We'd consider that, except we have a herd of cats and moving them around won't be fun for them or easy for us. But for a single person or a couple without pets it would be a doable option.

@janemulberry

Family can get proper complicated like haha I find it hard to keep up with it lmao, worst case I have it as a holiday home and rent it out when I'm not there obviously following the bulgarian rules if it allows.

@janemulberry

I wouldn't bank on any loosening when BG is fully in Schengen: many Brits were hoping for that in Greece but exactly the opposite happened and it's well nigh impossible for a TCN to get a work permit there nowadays. The residence requirements are also strictly enforced and swingeing fines imposed for even minor non-compliance.

@JimJ

Hey, let me indulge in a little wishful thinking! I know the odds are about the same as me winning the lottery. The one I don't currently have a ticket in.

Hubby is convinced that by the time I get to claiming my OAP, they will have stopped letting retirees in, too. I do hope he's wrong!

Your husband might well be onto something but if you already have a property out there that might go in your favour, also what's Schengen

My understanding is that the Schengen ares is most of the EU countries and a few other European countries that allow free movement between them and in theory should have open borders with other countries in the Schengen area. Some countries like Bulgaria, though part of the EU, were barred from being part of this for a long time and still have some boarder controls in place.

Because once a traveller or immigrant is in the Schengen zone they could have free movement,  it means a lot more checks on travellers and immigrants from outside the zone. To get accepted fully into the free movement area, countries like Bulgaria have had to tighten their policies on who they let in.

Your husband might well be onto something but if you already have a property out there that might go in your favour, also what's Schengen - @Joe T 89

The Schengen Area is an area encompassing 29 European countries that have officially abolished border controls at their mutual borders. Being an element within the wider area of freedom, security and justice policy of the European Union (EU), it mostly functions as a single jurisdiction under a common visa policy for international travel purposes. The area is named after the 1985 Schengen Agreement and the 1990 Schengen Convention, both signed in Schengen, Luxembourg.

Saying that, there are countries within the zone, that have enforced border controls, to tackle illegal immigrants and trafficking.

Ireland or Cyprus aren't part of the Schengen and when the UK was in the EU, they weren't in it either. But countries like Switzerland and Norway aren't in the EU but are in the Schengen zone.

It is a bit complicated as Bulgaria and Romania are only partly in the zone.

I would recommend that you Google the Schengen Zone to get a better understanding of it all.

@janemulberry

Wish the UK would do the same thing with there boarders lol

@SimCityAT

Thanks learning a lot from this

@janemulberry

Not a chance! :-) Every country loves foreign pensioners, it's invariably the easiest visa/residence option (as long as your pension exceeds the local income benchmark). Nice old folks who cause no trouble, don't work, bring in a guaranteed foreign income and some savings, and put their money into the local economy.

@janemulberry
Wish the UK would do the same thing with there boarders lol - @Joe T 89

They do because it's an island.

@SimCityAT

It's must be broken then because we've got hotels full of ppl who arnt from the UK haha but that's another story lol

@Joe T 89 Bulgaria is also full of people who aren't from Bulgaria, and we want to join them!

@gwynj

That's my thinking, too! Hubby is the sort who looks for the cloud in every silver lining.

@janemulberry

Yeah I don't mean ppl who go through the proper process lol

@janemulberry
Not a chance! :-) Every country loves foreign pensioners, it's invariably the easiest visa/residence option (as long as your pension exceeds the local income benchmark). Nice old folks who cause no trouble, don't work, bring in a guaranteed foreign income and some savings, and put their money into the local economy. - @gwynj

The UK doesn't, it got rid of the retirement visa.

@Joe T 89

Luckily(?) the proper process here is pretty lax, hence the occasional news reports of British crooks/paedos being arrested in Bulgaria.  Unfortunately, many of those who do end up here also flout the local laws. 

Anyway, it's usually fairly easy to get the measure of people one meets, even virtually, wouldn't you say?