Foreigners who are not EU citizens and wish to settle permanently or long-term in the Republic of Bulgaria need to apply for a D visa. It is not easy to obtain that visa and there are numerous cases of refusals, which often lead to the inability to reunite families in Bulgaria (most often in the case of marriage of a Bulgarian citizen with a foreigner).
Atanas Chikov, as a licensed immigration adviser in the UK, will be able to provide professional immigration advice if you are a non-EU national and wish to settle permanently or permanently in Bulgaria.
Let us tell you the essential information about this visa so that you can make an initial assessment of whether you are eligible and whether you would like us to assist you.
A long-stay visa is issued to a foreigner who is not a national of an EU country and who wants to settle long-term or permanently in the Republic of Bulgaria. The long-stay visa is valid for up to 6 months and entitles you to stay for up to 180 days.
In certain cases, foreigners may be issued a long-term residence visa with a validity of up to one year and a right of residence of up to 360 days. For example, foreigners studying in educational programmes for up to one academic year, postgraduate students or trainees, foreigners carrying out scientific research, etc.
A long-term residence visa entitles you to multiple entries into Bulgaria within the period of its validity. It is cancelled when the residence permit is issued by the administrative foreigners control authorities.
The foreigner must apply for visa D at the Bulgarian embassy (consulate) in the country of his/her nationality. It is not possible to apply for a D visa from Bulgaria!
The visa application must be submitted no earlier than 3 months before the date of the planned visit. The consular officer will set a date and time for the visa applicant to submit the application by the applicant, and the appointment will normally be arranged within 2 weeks of the date requested.
The personal appearance of the applicant is mandatory when applying for visa D. No exceptions are allowed.
The first and most important step in the procedure for getting a residence permit in Bulgaria is the submission of documents to apply for visa D. If you are refused visa D, it is very likely that you will not be able to visit Bulgaria anymore and sometimes not even the other EU member states. The HELP4BG team can help you minimise the risk of being refused.
Among other requirements, to obtain a long-stay residence permit you should have assured housing, compulsory health insurance cover and insurance, and enough money to support yourself. The rules about what evidence and documents to include are complex. That is why you need to make an expert consultation on these issues with Atanas Chikov, a licensed immigration advisor. He will tell you if you meet the requirements.
The consultation fee is deducted from our service fee afterwards.
Our immigration advisor Atanas Chikov:
- will do a consultation with you,
- fill in the necessary application,
- tell you what documents to prepare and check them,
- prepare you for the interview at the Bulgarian Embassy
What should you do?
First – before we can start the service you need to book a consultation (lasting at least 1 hour) by booking an appointment.
Then perform the following:
- follow our instructions sent to your email
- send us files and photos of the required documents, including proof of visa fee payment, and
- fill in the Data Sheet correctly.
Please note that before taking a decision on a visa application, the authorized officers may request additional data and documents from visa applicants to substantiate the stated purpose of travel, and are obliged to carry out the necessary checks on the data requested.
What is the service fee?
Our fee is £400.
For 2023 the visa application fee for visa D is €100.
Decision deadline
We activate the service within 7 working days.
The time limit for taking a decision on an application for a long-stay visa for third-country nationals is up to 35 working days from the date of application (in some cases up to 15 calendar days from the date of application). These time limits may be extended by up to 20 calendar days if further enquiries, verifications or submission of documents are necessary.
In case of a successful application
If your application for visa D is successful, you will be issued with a long-stay visa for the Republic of Bulgaria. This visa is a mandatory condition for obtaining the right of long-term or permanent residence of a foreigner in the Republic of Bulgaria! The foreigner can now apply for temporary resident status in Bulgaria.
For information on providing this service you can also contact us by phone:
0778 606 7076 and 0208 144 8408
Viber: 0778 606 7076
or write to us directly at
