Getting our health card and ID card

Good evening Gillian and Paul

To answer your questions:

The resident card is issued by immigration. To get it; you must have a Bulgarian address and bank account, if you need an interpreter it should cost around € 20.

As for the European health card, it is to be done in your country. But know that few take it in Bulgaria apparently, in view of what I had as information, except perhaps in case of emergency. The procedure is to pay and then get reimbursed. Be careful, translate and legalize the invoices that will be in Bulgarian, before sending them to your health plan. I only speak there for the French. I couldn't tell you how it works in Scotland, not knowing how your social security works. But I will try to find with my contacts, if it turns out that some know your national health coverage, to answer your questions accurately.

Sadina, I do not know, except that it is right in the center of Bulgaria, near Tarnovo, which I have heard a little about, unlike where you think you will settle. How is this corner there?

Lillanois, Marie Claire and "J" .... Help
Can some help them?

Cordially

Chris

Hello gillianhaitchison & Expatdu61,

Please note that a new thread has been started on the Bulgaria forum with your posts.
Since they were posted in English on the francophone forum of Bulgaria, they have been moved here accordingly.

Best,

Diksha
Team Expat.com

Gillian, I think you need to get private health insurance first, then once you have residency you can switch to the Bulgarian system. There is a replacement for the EHIC for UK residents, the GHIC https://www.ghic.org.uk/Internet/startApplication.do
But I don't think that is what's accepted as health cover to get the D visa.

My feeling is what Expatdu61explained is the way it is for the French now, and used to be for Brits pre-Brexit. But as we're now no longer in the EU, the process to get residency is the same as any other non-EU resident - which means applying for a D visa. It's more expensive and has more requirements, exactly the same as always applied to Aussies and Americans and any other non-EU residents.

The info is here on the Bg Embassy in London: http://bulgarianembassy-london.org/cons … ces/visas/

Though Brits can now stay 90 days without a visa, my understanding is that we need to be outside Bulgaria to apply for the longer-term visa, so we can't go in without a visa for 90 days and apply for the longer visa there. It's all very different to how it was for Brits up to December 31, so make sure you take advice from someone who is aware of that. The process for anyone who moved last year was a LOT simpler. 

I haven't moved yet but am planning for it. $%^& Covid messed my hopes to buy the house and get a residency card last year when it was easy and all we needed to do was what Expatdu61 explained. But all change now! So I think what I've said accurately represents what Brits moving now will need to do.

Diksha

Merci...Cela est judicieux en effet.

Crdt

Good evening janemulberry

Indeed, I had completely forgotten this nuance that changes everything. Although I know that you left the EU recently, I did not make this reconciliation to which you mention in your comment, with the consequences that this entails. I am sorry to have committed this mistake, and I hope that your wish to join Bulgaria will be fulfilled, despite the Covid preventing you from doing so until now.

Best regards

Hi, Expatdu61!
Yes, unfortunately it is all changed now for UK citizens, thanks to the minority of Britons who voted leave getting their way. 
As Gillian's original post was on the Francophone forum, for you to reply on the basis of how things work for French citizens moving to Bg makes perfect sense. 

Dear Gillian & Paul...

The UK is no longer a member of the EU, so getting residence is a little trickier than before.

So...

(a) Perhaps you don't need a residence permit? I believe UK citizens can stay in Bulgaria for up to 3 months in any 6 months, without any visa or residence permit. You can buy a Health Insurance for Foreigners policy here for less than 100 euros. If you're still living/working in UK, and you just want to enjoy the summer here, for example, this might be fine.

(b) If you want to live here most/all the time, then you do need a residence permit, and the first step is to apply for a D Visa. Then once you have that you can apply for the residence permit. (Visa can be applied for at any Embassy/Country, but residence can only be applied for here in Bulgaria.) This process is much easier if you are retirees with a pension (this is one of the grounds for granting the D Visa). Otherwise, it's tricky again... and I think the usual option is to go for Foreign Trade Representative.

(c) I think this is a real long-shot, but if you're feeling lucky, it might be worth a try. If you you own a property already, and have done so for a few years (so you have evidence of having lived here for some time)... and you arrive in BG soon (March/April/May)... you might be able to go to immigration and try to charm them into giving you a residence permit per the UK Withdrawal Agreement (up to 31/12/2020) on the basis of Covid making travel almost impossible, so you weren't able to get here in time.

*************************

Here's some official info, I've copied:

RESIDENCE PERMIT FOR FOREIGN (NON-EU) NATIONALS
All foreign nationals who would like to obtain Bulgarian residence must first apply for a long-term D visa in the nearest Bulgarian embassy or general consulate. There are 5 primary instances for which a D visa is granted:

1. Registration of a Trade Representative Office of a foreign company in Bulgaria;
2. Registration of a Bulgarian limited company employing at least 10 local citizens for no fewer than 6 months;
3. Investment in real-estate property – 312,000 €; You may learn more how to buy a real-estate in Bulgaria;
4. Non-EU citizens who are pensioners and have sufficient funds & accommodation to support their stay in Bulgaria;
5. Family reunification in Bulgaria;
6. Bulgarian residence for European citizens;
7. Bulgarian passport by investment.

Our experience shows that the most convenient and affordable way for a foreign national to obtain a Bulgarian D visa and Bulgarian residence permit is by way of registering a foreign company’s trade representative office in Bulgaria. Registering a trade representative office with our law firm, we will not charge you maintenance or annual fees for the registered office address of your trade representative office.

FOR RETIREES
Non-EU citizens who are retired in their home country can apply for a Bulgarian Pensioner D visa and temporary residence permit. The required documents are published in Art. 24, sec. 11, para. 10 of the Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria Act.

Documents required for a non-EU Pensioner to obtain a long-term Pensioner D visa:

- Standard Visa Application form
- Two passport-size photographs
- Passport
- Document, showing that they are entitled to a retirement income, issued by the country of origin and legalised with a notary public
- Document from a bank in Bulgaria certifying that the applicant has a valid bank account to which regular transfers of his/her pension will be made
- Evidence of accommodation and address in Bulgaria
- Medical Insurance
- Police clearance certificate/ CBR check

The set of documents for a long-term Pensioner D visa is submitted in person in the nearest Bulgarian embassy or consulate. After the Pensioner D visa is approved, the foreign national can apply for a residence permit. The residence permit for retired people is granted for a period of up to 12 months and it can be renewed annually.