Bulgaria · Retire or live on savings
Bulgaria Pensioner residence
Income needed: €348+ a month ≈ $390
Long-term residence for pensioners (Art. 24(1)(10))
First checked against official sources on Record corrected 11 Oct 2026Change log
Key facts
Pensioner residence is a retire or live on savings route for Bulgaria. Applicants need income of €348+ a month ≈ $390. Checked 2026-10-11 against the official source.
- Money needed
- €348+ a month ≈ $390
- Processing
- Up to 14 days
Cost, time and long term
To apply: income to show €348+/mo ≈ $390; decision: up to 14 days. No lawyer or agent fee is included.
Shown, not spent€348+/mo ≈ $390
- EUR 347.51 a month (≈ $390)Art. 24(2) requires means of support not below the minimum monthly wage, minimum scholarship or minimum pension for the period of stay; the minimum pension for contributory service and age is EUR 347.51 (≈ $390) from 1 July 2026 (EUR 322.37 (≈ $360) from 1 January to 30 June 2026).
RenewalRenewable
Permanent residenceAfter 5 years of residence
Long-term resident status is granted after 5 years of lawful continuous residence; half of study time counts, and seasonal, au pair, posted and formally limited permits do not.
CitizenshipAfter 5 years as a permanent resident
Naturalisation requires holding a permanent or long-term residence permit for at least 5 years, plus income, no intentional-crime conviction and Bulgarian language.
ProcessingUp to 14 days
Applications for prolonged residence permits are examined within 14 days; complex cases can be extended by one more month.
Where to applyFrom abroad
Obtain the long-stay Visa D at a Bulgarian consulate, then apply for the residence permit from the Migration Directorate in Bulgaria.
Presence rulesAbsence limits
For long-term status, absences must stay under 6 consecutive months and 10 months in total over the 5 years.
Why this route may not fit
Check this before you apply.
- Applications are made from outside Bulgaria, not after arriving
- Not open to EU, EEA or Swiss passports
What you'll need
Who can apply2
- Applicants have a right to a pension under Bulgarian, home-country or another legislation.
- Applicants have sufficient means to live in Bulgaria without being a burden on social assistance.
What you must show2
- Means of support are not below the minimum pension, EUR 347.51 (≈ $390) per month from 1 July 2026, for the period of stay.
- The consular leaflet asks for evidence of subsistence means of at least 6 monthly pensions.
Documents3
- A document from the pension authority is submitted.
- A Bulgarian bank document confirms an account that receives the pension transfers.
- Secured housing, mandatory health insurance and a criminal record certificate are submitted.
Steps1
- The applicant holds a long-stay Visa D for the permit application.
What happens at day 183
How Bulgaria decides tax residence and treats foreign-source income, from its tax records.
- Tax residence
- More than 183 days in each 12-month periodResiding in Bulgaria more than 183 days makes a person a resident for tax purposes.
- Foreign-source income
Total annual tax base of residents on worldwide income; Bulgarian-source income of non-residents.
All tax rules for Bulgaria Tax records checked
What you need to arrange
- Health insurance
Secured housing, mandatory health insurance and a criminal record certificate are submitted
- Accommodation
Secured housing, mandatory health insurance and a criminal record certificate are submitted
- Police certificate and civil documents
Secured housing, mandatory health insurance and a criminal record certificate are submitted
Taken from this route's requirements above. The authority's own list is the one that counts.
Full official text
Foreigners with a right to a pension and sufficient means of subsistence can receive a long-term residence permit. 1 2 3 4 5
What you must show
- Income of at least EUR 347.51 a month (≈ $390) · Art. 24(2) requires means of support not below the minimum monthly wage, minimum scholarship or minimum pension for the period of stay; the minimum pension for contributory service and age is EUR 347.51 (≈ $390) from 1 July 2026 (EUR 322.37 (≈ $360) from 1 January to 30 June 2026). 3 4
Requirements
- Applicants have a right to a pension under Bulgarian, home-country or another legislation. 3
- Applicants have sufficient means to live in Bulgaria without being a burden on social assistance. 3
- Means of support are not below the minimum pension, EUR 347.51 (≈ $390) per month from 1 July 2026, for the period of stay. 3 4
- The consular leaflet asks for evidence of subsistence means of at least 6 monthly pensions. 2
- A document from the pension authority is submitted. 2
- A Bulgarian bank document confirms an account that receives the pension transfers. 2
- Secured housing, mandatory health insurance and a criminal record certificate are submitted. 3
- The applicant holds a long-stay Visa D for the permit application. 3
Stay
- Visa D then long-term residence permit.
- Visa validity: 6 months. Validity is the window to use the visa, not the length you may stay.
- Renewable, subject to the conditions in force at renewal.
Nationality
Third-country nationals. Not open to: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, Greece, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia.
Work
No access to the Bulgarian labour market as an employee (Labour Migration and Labour Mobility Act Art. 8(1)(2)).
Family
Spouse and unmarried children under 18 living in the same household can get one-year renewable prolonged-stay permits, not beyond the holder's authorised stay; after 5 years the spouse and adult children can get their own permit.
Official sources
- Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria Act (English translation, consolidation of 2022) · Ministry of Innovation and Growth · checked 2026-10-10 · published 2022-11
- Visa D (long term): documents and Art. 24 categories (June 2023) · Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria · checked 2026-10-10 · published 2023-06
- Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria Act, consolidated text (amended to State Gazette 52/2025) · Ministry of Labour and Social Policy (consolidated text, printed 13 February 2026) · checked 2026-10-11
- Calculation of pensions for contributory service and age (minimum pension) · National Social Security Institute (NOI) · checked 2026-10-11
- Labour Migration and Labour Mobility Act (Bulgarian text, as amended to 2021) · Ministry of Labour and Social Policy · checked 2026-10-11
- Bulgarian Citizenship Act (Zakon za balgarskoto grazhdanstvo), Art. 12-13 · Ministry of Justice, Bulgaria · checked 2026-10-11
Pensioner residence and its alternatives
| Route | Money needed | Stay | Work |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pensioner residence | Needs income of €348+ a month ≈ $390 | – | – |
| D7 passive income visa Portugal | Needs income of €920+ a month ≈ $1,030 | 2 yr, renewable | – |
| Non-lucrative visa Spain | Needs income of €2,400+ a month ≈ $2,680 | 1 yr, renewable | No |
| Elective residence Italy | Needs income of €31k+ a year ≈ $35k | – | No |
| Independent means permit Greece | Needs income of €3,500+ a month ≈ $3,910 | 3 yr, renewable | – |
Questions people ask
How much money do I need for the Pensioner residence?
Income of at least EUR 347.51 a month (≈ $390). Art.
How long can I stay on the Pensioner residence?
Visa D then long-term residence permit.
How long does the Pensioner residence take to process?
Applications for prolonged residence permits are examined within 14 days; complex cases can be extended by one more month.
Can I work on the Pensioner residence?
No access to the Bulgarian labour market as an employee (Labour Migration and Labour Mobility Act Art.
Can I bring my family on the Pensioner residence?
Spouse and unmarried children under 18 living in the same household can get one-year renewable prolonged-stay permits, not beyond the holder's authorised stay; after 5 years the spouse and adult children can get their own permit.
Who can apply for the Pensioner residence?
Third-country nationals. Not open to: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, Greece, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia.
Does the Pensioner residence lead to permanent residence in Bulgaria?
Time on the Pensioner residence counts toward permanent residence in Bulgaria, which the rules allow after 5 years of residence. Time on the Pensioner residence counts toward citizenship, which the rules allow after 5 years as a permanent resident.
How are Pensioner residence holders taxed in Bulgaria?
No special regime in our records is tied to the Pensioner residence. The standard rules apply: Bulgarian tax residents pay a flat 10% on the total annual tax base; dividends are taxed at a final 5%.
More in Bulgaria
Retirement and live-on-savings visas elsewhere
≈ USD figures are approximate: daily reference rates from ExchangeRate-API, dated 12 Oct 2026, refreshed when the site is updated.
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How this was checked
Checked on 2026-10-11 against 6 official sources. Status: verified against the official sources.
Every figure on this page comes from the official source it links to. The record was researched against these sources, then reviewed separately, with special attention to effective dates and amendments. Where a source does not state something, the page leaves it out.
- Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria Act (English translation, consolidation of 2022) · Ministry of Innovation and Growth · checked 2026-10-10
- Visa D (long term): documents and Art. 24 categories (June 2023) · Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria · checked 2026-10-10
- Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria Act, consolidated text (amended to State Gazette 52/2025) · Ministry of Labour and Social Policy (consolidated text, printed 13 February 2026) · checked 2026-10-11
- Calculation of pensions for contributory service and age (minimum pension) · National Social Security Institute (NOI) · checked 2026-10-11
- Labour Migration and Labour Mobility Act (Bulgarian text, as amended to 2021) · Ministry of Labour and Social Policy · checked 2026-10-11
- Bulgarian Citizenship Act (Zakon za balgarskoto grazhdanstvo), Art. 12-13 · Ministry of Justice, Bulgaria · checked 2026-10-11
Tracked since 2026-10-10. Rule changes and corrections are listed on the changes page, and the methodology page explains how facts are checked. Found something out of date? Email contact@stayglobe.app with a link to the official source.