Visas and Residency_ From Jan 1st 2007

[leedarkwood]

Sell Overseas Property

This appears to be the current situation.

Visa Information, the current situation - September 2006

As of the beginning of September 2006, the visa requirements for Bulgaria changed for UK and Irish citizens.

The old 30 day rule has gone, you can now stay in Buglaria for a maximum of 90 days in any 6 month period. This is a rolling six month period as before, you can't have two 90 day periods back to back. You can stay in Bulgaria for 90 days or any number of shorter periods adding up to 90 days, without further documentation being required other than a passport or (when they bring them in) an ID card.

For stays of longer than 90 days in any six month period OR for full time residency, you apply inside Bulgaria. There is now no c and d visas required by British and Irish or other EU member cizitens. There are still these visas for people coming from outside the EU. The days of queuing at the London embassy or of travelling to Romania, Turkey or Greece are over!

You apply for a stay of four months to five years at the police station's immigration office. You may be asked for any of the following documents:

Passport *
Birth Certificate *
Marriage Certificate *(if applicable)
Proof that you can support yourself and family, this could be bank statements or proof of self employment. *
Proof of health insurance (a little unclear at the moment, could be the plastic E111 form, your old brown health card, or private insurance)
Proof of where you are living.

You should assume you will be asked for the ones with the *. In theory you should get your new residency pass the same day.

After five years of continuous residency you can apply for a permanent residency.


I will try to keep this sticky updated as more news comes in. To keep it simple, please pm me if you have any comments or alterations so I can add them.

Update thanks to Wandy - 9th Jan
The proof of income required was a letter from the Bank saying you had a 1000 leva in your account

They will accept E101 or medical card both have been used by people to-day.

Also you can only get up to five years if you have that time left on your passport!




leedarkwood

[penbat]

Sell Overseas Property

Wots this "old brown health card" ? Is this the NHS Medical Card ? What use is this in BG ?

[Dusty]

Sell Overseas Property

Moderator please see my uptodate post on renewing Lichna Carta on the thread 'you Must read this'. This is as the rules stand TODAY in Veliko Tarnovo. Now I am off back to Immigration to get my card - fingers crossed!

Link to Dusty's account is below

Mod

http://www.mybulgaria.info/modules.php? ... 9&start=56

[mandyreed]

Sell Overseas Property

hi we have lived in bulgaria for 4 years so know a little about id cads and visas you still need a VISA D to apply for an ID CARD you can only apply up to 1 year at a time not 5 years at a cost of 500 leva a year plus tax we apply for our 5th id card this year and we may be given residency but we will have to see as laws change all the time out here and i am waiting for new information now i will let you know as soon as i do mandy

[MOD]

Sell Overseas Property

Hi Mandy

Welcome to the site.
If you read the thread below you will find that the rules changed last week, and many people have got their new residency in the last few days without d visas and up to five years.


Mod

www.mybulgaria.info/residency-rules

[leedarkwood]

Sell Overseas Property

Mandy this seems now to only apply to people coming to Bulgaria from a non EU country, as of the Ist of this month. Otherwise you are correct.

Lee

[wandy]

Sell Overseas Property

Hi Mandyreed
Welcome to the forum.
1st i have to say you are wrong.
We got our residence permit yesterday in Haskovo algong with 2 other couples mine is till 2010 because that is when my passport expires , my wifes is till 2012 as she has more than 5 years on her passport , and there was no cost or fee for the residence certificates.

[Tiarnan]

Sell Overseas Property

Wandy
Good for you....I,m sure you are pleased to get that sorted. What documents did you have to produce. ? And was it all done in a day. ?

[wandy]

Sell Overseas Property

Hi Tiarnan
Thanks. Lee explains all the documents you need , We went for self dependence so needed all the documents mentioned applied at 10 am and returned at 3pm to pick them up . Remember this was Haskovo and reading the forum different areas are applying different rules

[lorryman]

Sell Overseas Property

Hi leedarkwood can i ask a question i intend to go out to bg i june this year to see the progress on our house mesure up and things and wondered if i could apply for the visa whilst i was there .that is question 1 question 2 is does my wife have to be presentto get hers or can i get the both at the same time? would be gratfull for the info
lorryman