What to get first, residency or bank account?

@Alex_123

Welcome to the forum and good luck with your move!

As an EU citizen you can relocate to any EU country for any reason. The EU Citizen Registration is pretty easy in Bulgaria, so this is definitely the thing to do first. You just need proof of address, proof of health insurance, and proof of funds. Provide your Notary Act (if you buy a property) or your long term rental contract for the address (together with a Landlord Declaration, which must be notarized if your rental contract isn't). Provide your Italian EHIC (or a local health insurance policy for less than 100 euros) for health cover. Provide a bank/brokerage statement showing that you have a good balance (ideally, 6k+ euros, based on 500 per month x 12).

You can do this yourself at your local immigration office, but taking a helper/translator is usually a good idea. A local immigration attorney might charge around 1,000 euros, but they can probably get your residence permit in 2 (work) days, and they might also be able to provide the proof of address for you. This is what I did some years ago, so I just flew in to Bulgaria for a short 3 day trip (with my passport, debit cards, and UK EHIC) and left with my Bulgarian permit.

A Bulgarian bank account with a healthy balance, together with a recent bank-stamped statement from your branch is the best proof of funds. But I'm confident they will, most likely, accept foreign bank statements too. It's also a LOT easier to open an account after you're legally resident, which is another reason to do it later (if at all).

Hello, Alex. Which is your District where you live? I think most of the Migration offices only need a copy of your Debit or credit cards as proof of fundings. So, it is not necessary to have a bank account (unless you don't need it).

I hope I was helpful.

@Alex_123

Hello, Alex. Which is your District where you live? I think most of the Migration offices only need a copy of your Debit or credit cards as proof of fundings. So, it is not necessary to have a bank account (unless you don't need it).

I hope I was helpful.