Investor / Golden Visa in Bulgaria
One documented route of this kind in Bulgaria, with its conditions, documents, official government fees and process.
Permanent residence by investment (Golden Visa)
Bulgaria's Golden Visa grants permanent residence to non-EU nationals who invest a minimum of EUR 512,000 in a regulated Alternative Investment Fund (AIF) or Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) licensed by Bulgaria's Financial Supervision Commission. The investment must be maintained for at least 5 years. There is no minimum residency requirement. Processing typically takes 6 to 8 months. The direct real estate investment route was abolished in 2025 and is no longer available. The fast-track citizenship-by-investment programme was suspended in 2022 and is no longer available; citizenship requires standard naturalisation after 5 years of residence.
- Processing time
- Varies; confirm with the Migration Directorate
- Validity
- Permanent residence (long-validity permit, renewable)
- Language requirement
- No language requirement for residence; Bulgarian required for later naturalisation
- Permanent residence
- Immediate permanent residence upon qualifying investment
- Citizenship
- No fast-track citizenship route is available. The accelerated citizenship-by-investment programme was suspended in 2022. Citizenship requires standard naturalisation: 5 years of permanent/long-term residence, language proficiency, and other general criteria.
Requirements
- Qualifying investment in an eligible instrument (current rules focus on regulated funds)
- Maintenance of the investment for the required holding period (reported 5 years)
- Clean criminal record
- Lawful source of funds
- Valid passport
Required Documents
- Valid passport required
- Proof of qualifying investment required
- Proof of lawful source of funds required
- Criminal record certificate required
Process Steps
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1
Make qualifying investment
Place the investment in an eligible instrument under current Bulgarian law.
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2
Apply for visa and permanent residence
Obtain the relevant Type D visa and apply for permanent residence with the Migration Directorate.
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3
Maintain investment
Hold the investment for the required period; pursue naturalisation after the standard residence period.