Does Bulgaria have a digital nomad visa?
Bulgaria has a specific residence route for qualifying digital nomads. What is commonly called the “Bulgaria digital nomad visa” involves a long-stay visa D, where required, followed by an application for a residence permit. The legal basis is Article 24(1)(23), read with Article 24с of the Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria Act.
The permit is issued for one year and can be extended once for another year. Eligibility depends on your work arrangement and evidence of the required previous-year gross income. A remote-working job title, a company registration or a tourist stay is not enough by itself.
Who qualifies for the digital nomad residence permit?
This route concerns nationals of countries outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland. EU citizens and people with an independent residence right should assess the rules that already apply to their status. The statutory definition of a digital nomad contains three alternatives.
| Category | Core requirements | Evidence to organise |
|---|---|---|
| Employee | Remote services using information technology for an employer established outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland. A fixed-term contract must have enough remaining duration to cover the requested permit. | Employment documentation, role, pay and term; evidence of the employer's registration and representatives. |
| Business owner or qualifying corporate role | A legal representative, management-body member, company owner, partner or shareholder in a company established outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland; the definition specifies a holding above 25% of the capital. Services must be remote through that company, without work or services for persons in Bulgaria. Check the precise role and ownership evidence against the statutory wording. | Company registration and ownership evidence, the applicant's role, and service contracts and client references. |
| Individual remote service provider | At least one year of personal remote-service activity before applying, together with the statutory restrictions on work or services for persons in Bulgaria and local freelance activity. | Contracts and references showing the activity's remote nature, duration and service recipients. |
The territorial condition concerning where an employer or company is established is stated in the first two alternatives. Do not automatically apply the same test to the third alternative, or assume that every freelancer qualifies. Review the actual contracts, the identity and location of recipients and the way the work is performed.
How much income must a digital nomad prove?
The statutory test is gross annual income of at least 50 Bulgarian minimum monthly wages for the preceding calendar year. Savings and income are different: a bank balance alone does not establish that qualifying income was earned in that period.
For an application in 2026: the 2025 monthly minimum wage was BGN 1,077. Multiplying by 50 gives BGN 53,850, approximately €27,533 at the fixed conversion rate. This is an annual reference amount, not a monthly salary requirement. Applications in a later calendar year need a fresh calculation using the relevant prior-year benchmark.
Prepare a consistent evidence trail: contracts, employer or client confirmations, tax records where available and bank records matching the receipts. Where income was paid in several currencies, explain the conversion method and the periods covered. Confirm how the competent authority will assess unusual, irregular or mixed income before committing to an application.
Visa D and residence: the sequence
- Check the correct category. Map your nationality, employment or business structure, contracts and preceding-year income to the legal requirements.
- Prepare the evidence. Coordinate foreign documents, translation, any required authentication, accommodation and insurance.
- Apply for visa D where required. Check the competent Bulgarian consulate, appointment procedure and its current checklist. Do not assume you can apply at any consulate simply because you are travelling nearby.
- Enter Bulgaria and apply for residence. Submit the application to the competent Migration authority while your stay remains lawful. The ordinary filing deadline is at least 14 days before the visa or permitted stay expires.
- Complete the permit and card formalities. Residence approval and production of the physical residence document are separate steps.
A lawyer can prepare and coordinate the file, but the process should not be marketed as fully remote: personal attendance, identity checks and document-production requirements must be planned.
Document checklist
- Valid passport, required copies and visa/entry evidence where applicable.
- Completed application and proof of the relevant state-fee payment.
- Proof of secured accommodation in Bulgaria and any required owner declaration.
- Medical insurance valid in Bulgaria, where statutory coverage does not replace it.
- Criminal-record evidence for an initial application, in the required form.
- Evidence of previous-calendar-year gross income.
- Category-specific employment, corporate or individual-service documents.
- Bulgarian translations and authentication appropriate to each document and issuing country.
For corporate records, the implementing rules include requirements concerning document age and registration information. A screenshot of a website may not replace the relevant official record. The applicable treaty, Hague Apostille Convention or legalisation procedure should be checked; “every foreign document needs an apostille” is not a reliable universal rule.
Fees and timing
The Sofia Migration service lists a residence application fee of €5.11 and a fee of €255.65 for a one-year permit on this ground. These figures do not include visa D, the residence card, insurance, translation, authentication, accommodation or professional fees. Confirm the applicable tariff and any exemption at filing.
The residence-stage timetable is separate from the consular appointment, visa processing and card production. The ordinary residence review period is 14 days, with a possible extension in legally or factually complex cases requiring further documents. Do not arrange a move around a promised total completion date without accounting for these separate stages.
Can a digital nomad bring a spouse and children?
Family members may have a route through family reunification, subject to the legal definition of family and the relevant procedure. They are not automatically added to the principal applicant's permit. Relationship documents, accommodation, maintenance, insurance and the sequence of residence approval and visa applications need separate planning.
For a family moving together, prepare both sets of documents early. Check the spouse's intended work and each child's schooling and residence position rather than assuming that the principal applicant's status resolves every issue.
Does the permit mean a special tax exemption?
The immigration permit does not itself provide a general tax exemption. Tax residence, the source of income, an applicable double-tax treaty and social-security rules require a separate assessment. Managing a foreign company from Bulgaria can also raise questions for that company.
Before moving, record where you will spend time, where your home and family are based, who pays you and where management decisions are made. The tax residency guide explains the issues to discuss alongside the residence application.
Renewal and common mistakes
The digital-nomad permit can be extended only once for one further year under this route. Renewal requires fresh supporting evidence. The Act protects continued stay during a renewal decision where the application was made within the existing permit's validity, but the applicable advance-filing requirement should still be observed.
- Using the wrong year's income benchmark.
- Confusing savings with proof of earned gross income.
- Assuming a company registered anywhere satisfies the corporate category.
- Leaving the banking, accommodation or foreign-document work until the visa is about to expire.
- Treating the permit as permission to take any local job or to settle and work anywhere in the EU.
For an initial assessment, provide your nationality, current lawful residence, contract type, employer or company jurisdiction, ownership percentage if relevant, prior-year gross income and proposed moving date. Begin with the broader Bulgarian residence and citizenship guide if you are comparing routes.
Legal basis and official sources
- Foreigners Act: Article 24(1)(23), Article 24с and §1(36)
- Ministry of Interior: digital nomads, documents, deadlines and fees
- Ministry of Labour: 2025 minimum monthly wage of BGN 1,077
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs: visa information
Information checked against the sources above on 16 October 2026. Requirements and amounts depend on the filing date and individual circumstances. This is a general guide; the legal ground and documents for a particular matter need individual assessment.