Residency in Bulgaria

Paul, if you go to the Bulgarian Embassy, all the information about the visa is there:  http://bulgarianembassy-london.org/cons … ces/visas/

100  %  correct  6 months or  12 months  extension, on  top  of  90 days , port  of  call BG embassy.

Hia Phil Paul here is that right 90 days plus 6 months or 12 months

Hi  Paul,
As  stated  .
Go   on  the  British Bulgarian  Embassy  website   and  ALL relevant criteria is  there. Among other many qualifying  options  it  also  clearly states about  the  6  and  12 months  visa. This  is  all  to  do  with  visa  D.
When  i  was  searching on  this  site an  a  section called  VISA FOR BULGARIA BY   TANYA DIMITROVA came on. It  says  shes  an  immigration lawyer.Dont  worry   to  look  there  was   no   charge  and  all  the  information  on  her  page  told  me/you   everything  in  detail  about  Visa  D  etc.
Hope  this  all  helps ?.

Spot  on..

Good question @lambertp146...

can you tell please how much is a D visa

I didn't personally need to get a D Visa, so I don't know how much the application fee is. I don't think it's much though (probably less than 100 euros).

It will cost you more for your proof of medical cover and proof of BG address, especially where you need notarized documents/declarations.

It also depends on what basis you are applying for your D Visa. The easiest is as a retiree, as you only have to show proof of your pension. But other possibilities (such as Foreign Trade Representative) might involve significant cost.

There are a number of requirements in relation to the D Visa, some of which (e.g. passport photographs) are very easy, while others (e.g. proof of address) are more challenging, especially if you are doing remotely because of Covid. However, all the requirements are clearly listed, so I think it's entirely possible to prepare everything yourself and submit to the embassy. However, if you decide to get an attorney to help / do it on your behalf, I'd imagine this adds 750 euros or so.

This long-term visa is usually issued for only 6 months. But this gives you plenty of time to prepare and submit your application for residence at an immigration office in Bulgaria.

Thanks paul

Bulgarian Embassy in London, D visa application: £89. Bargain. :-)

Please, you all must know that Visa D is not a residence permit. It is only the first step to a condition sine qua non (oblugatory condition) to apply for a Residence permit and a ID card for a foreigner. Only this ID card gives you the right to an "address", which will opens you the doors to other good possibilities as a EU resident - e.g. Bank account.
So, you can stray In Bulgaria with Visa D, but this is not enough.
I am an Immigration lawyer and if you are interested you can always contact me. I can assist throughout the whole country.

The Price for Visa D is almost the same everywhere in the Bulgarian consulates. Other prices are: government fee for Residence permit, ID card, lawyers fee, BG address - all these are different prices.

Yes, well said @Vasilev.

The problem is that many have heard of the "good old days" when the UK was part of the EU, and you could do a fast track Residency application with just your passport, proof of funds, and a medical insurance policy (or even your EHIC).

And, unfortunately, a few may have missed their opportunity during the transition period (the year 2020) due to Covid restrictions. I myself missed my chance to get my permanent residency in Cyprus as my flight was cancelled when Cyprus closed its doors last year.

Now, as for all non-EU citizens, it's a two stage process: we have to apply for the D visa first at our local Bulgarian embassy... and then apply for Residence when we get to Bulgaria.

You are quite right that, while the fee for the visa application is small, the overall cost, when you add your flights and accommodation, medical insurance, proof of Bulgarian home address, and so on can be significant.

Of course, you can do visa application yourself, but it often pays to have professional assistance as they know exactly what will get accepted. This is especially true if you can't qualify under the simpler categories such as student or retiree. I would not want to mess with a TRO basis without proper help setting it all up!

I used my Bulgarian attorney for my residence permit in Bulgaria and it took me one visit for 2 days, it just sailed through, easy-peasy. And my partner's permit came out a week later (my attorney submitted my family reunification application 5 minutes after I collected my residence card).

Meanwhile, I also applied (in 2018) in both Spain and Germany, as I had property in both countries. These I did on my own, as, I was entitled under EU law to get a permit. And the requirements (passport, address, money, medical insurance) were the same in each place... so how hard could it be? Despite multiple visists, my local German immigration office flat-out refused, so I didn't get it. While my Spanish one took 3 or 4 visits (with each visit having to be booked online, usually a couple of months in advance) because they complained about every single piece of supporting documentation (e.g. my Schengen insurance policy was in English, so they made me get a certified Spanish translation). I dread to think what it would be like now, trying to get the German or Spanish equivalent of the D visa!

Hi,
I have just been told that the house we purchased has suffered a fire and we have no insurance,
What I am looking for is someone who speeks English and Bulgarian to get me cheap quotes to rebuild the house from ground up.
Only this time I want the house set out as they are in the UK,
Stairs upto bedrooms that are in doors, bathroom with indoor plumbing, living room and kitchen separate.
Any one that can help please email me at martinhall10091966@gmail.com.
Thankyou Martin

[Post deleted]

With your help ?

Martin, so sorry you've had this happen. I know one British guy, Chris, in the VT area who is a builder and does beautiful work - merges the traditional Bg style with modern conveniences. If he isn't actively building new houses at present, he has contacts for good relaible tradespeople. I'm not sure how to contact him directly but his wife Karen runs the VT English language bookshop in Opalchenska Street. If you find the bookstore website, you can probably contact him via that. Or she also runs the Hotnitsa car boot, which has a Facebook group.
Evtra might be a a little too negative, but he is correct that getting the house rebuilt will probably take more time and cost more money than you expect. If you're not there to supervise, you need someone you can totally trust to oversee the built. Just like in the UK, there are plenty of cowboy builders.

[Post deleted]

Agreed on always being ready to consider alternatives! And yes, rebuilding a house by August isn't very likely.

But what August time window is this? AFAIK, that's for only applicable to Brits who had the old residence cards and needed to change to the new one by January.

We don't know Martin's residence status, he may already have fixed up the new residency card. Or if he never applied for a residency card in the past, as is the case with many Brits who owned houses but didn't live in them full-time, I'm not sure that extension will help.

Wouldn't someone in that situation be having to apply for a D visa, like any other non-EU citizen? Unless they have a good lawyer, of course, who are no doubt finding plenty of work with Brits who didn't realise the consequences of Brexit!

@Gregsue2318. We are in the UK applying for a D7 visa.  Correction,I am as I get my state pension. It's a long process,and very expensive. We have a Bulgarian lawyer based in London,who I'm sure when the time comes,will sort out our visit to the Bulgarian embassy in London

We want to make Bulgaria our home,so all this stress just has to be worth it

I hope it all works out for you, Joy! Keep us updated.

I still have this fun in store in a few years when I'm old enough to apply.

Definitely will do. Hopefully I can be of help when the time arrives,Jane

@gwynj

The high costs are getting the documents needed,pension letters and acro notarised and apostilled. For me, £175 +vat EACH

Recently another £400 so I can get a poa to open a bank account in Bulgaria for me

At £89 the embassy visit,doesn't feel too bad

@joyburtonbewdley

Foreign and Commonwealth office will appostille Government documents for

£30 each, such as ACRO, DWP letters etc. Translation is way cheaper here in BG.

Use eapostille.org for any private pensions

, still way cheaper than £175 each!