Bulgaria Digital Nomad Visa: Requirements, Income and How to Apply

The Bulgaria digital nomad visa is a long-stay residence permit for people who work remotely for an employer, their own company or clients outside Bulgaria. You need a gross income of at least 50 times Bulgaria’s minimum monthly wage, about €31,010 a year (€2,584 a month) to be safe. You get a type D visa from a Bulgarian consulate first, then apply for the permit in person in Bulgaria. It lasts one year and can be extended once, so two years at most. If you become tax resident, you pay Bulgaria’s flat 10% income tax. It doesn’t lead to permanent residency or citizenship on its own.

At a glance

Minimum income	About €31,010 a year before tax (€2,584 a month); see below
First permit	1 year
Renewable?	Yes, once, for 1 more year
Apply from inside Bulgaria?	No. You need a type D visa from a consulate first
Leads to permanent residency?	No, not on its own
Leads to citizenship?	No
Special tax regime	None, but Bulgaria’s income tax is a flat 10% for residents
Freelancers and business owners?	Yes, each has its own category

What can and can’t you do on the Bulgaria digital nomad visa?

You can:

• Live in Bulgaria for up to two years
• Work remotely for an employer or your own company based outside the EU, the EEA and Switzerland
• Freelance for clients anywhere outside Bulgaria, once you’ve been freelancing for at least a year
• Bring your spouse and children, who apply for their own permits
• Travel to other Schengen countries for up to 90 days in any 180

You can’t:

• Work for an employer, or through a company, based in the EU, the EEA or Switzerland
• Work for, or provide services to, people or businesses in Bulgaria
• Freelance in Bulgaria
• Apply from inside Bulgaria without a type D visa
• Stay longer than two years on this permit, or count it toward permanent residency on its own

Who can apply for the Bulgaria digital nomad visa?

The route opened on 20 December 2025, when the detailed rules came into force. It’s for citizens of countries outside the EU, the EEA and Switzerland who provide remote services using information technology, in one of three categories:

• Employee: you have an employment contract with an employer registered outside the EU, the EEA and Switzerland. If the contract is fixed-term, it must have at least as long left to run as the permit.
• Business owner or manager: you’re the legal representative, a board member, the owner, or a partner or shareholder with more than 25% of a company registered outside the EU, the EEA and Switzerland, and you provide your remote services through it.
• Freelancer: you’ve personally provided remote services for at least a year before you apply.

Watch the employer rule. Bulgaria doesn’t accept employees of companies in other EU countries, though most other digital nomad visas do. If you work for a German or Irish company, for example, this route doesn’t fit.

Freelancers aren’t limited to non-EU clients. The law only rules out work for people and businesses in Bulgaria, and freelance activity in Bulgaria. You need at least one client contract and a reference from a client, showing the work is fully remote.

Business owners don’t need to employ themselves. Owners and directors have their own category, so a US LLC or a UK limited company can qualify you through your stake in it. You need a company registration certificate less than six months old showing who owns it, plus at least one client contract and a client reference. If the certificate doesn’t show the owners, which is common for US LLCs, add a document from the company’s management confirming them. How you pay yourself has tax consequences in more than one country, so get professional advice before you rely on this route.

What’s the minimum income for the Bulgaria digital nomad visa?

Bulgaria doesn’t set a fixed figure. The law asks for an average annual gross income of at least 50 times the Bulgarian minimum monthly wage, “for the previous calendar year”. That wording can be read two ways:

Reading	Minimum wage used	Threshold a year	A month
Last year’s minimum wage	2025: €550.66	€27,533	€2,294
This year’s minimum wage	2026: €620.20	€31,010	€2,584

Innovires, a Bulgarian law firm, says the Migration Directorate has no settled practice yet. Aim to show at least €31,010 so you clear the bar under either reading. If you apply in 2027, €31,010 is the figure under the first reading. The second would use the 2027 minimum wage, and the government has proposed €660 a month, which would put the bar at €33,000 a year (€2,750 a month). To be safe in 2027, aim for €33,000.

The figure is before tax, and the income has to come from outside Bulgaria. You prove it with your contract, payslips or invoices, bank statements and, if you’re a freelancer or business owner, tax returns or company accounts.

Not earning €2,584 a month yet? The Portable Income Launchpad is a six-week program for experienced professionals turning their expertise into remote income that meets a visa threshold like this one.

What health insurance do you need?

You need health insurance that’s valid in Bulgaria for the type D visa and again for the permit. Bulgaria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs asks visa applicants for cover of at least €30,000 for the whole stay, including emergency medical care, emergency hospital treatment and repatriation, from an insurer licensed in the EU.

Once you hold the permit, ask an accountant whether you also need to pay into Bulgaria’s national health insurance system.

Can you bring your family?

Yes, but not on your permit. Bulgarian law lets the family members of someone with a long-stay permit apply for long-stay permits of their own. Your spouse and children each need a type D visa and their own application, with proof of the family relationship.

The digital nomad rules don’t add an income amount per family member, but each family member’s application has to meet the general conditions, including accommodation, health insurance and enough money to live on. The law covers family members of someone who has already been granted a permit, so your family apply once you have yours. Plan the timing with the consulate.

How long does the permit last, and can you renew it?

The permit lasts one year and can be extended once, for another year. That’s a hard limit of two years on this route.

To extend, you apply in person at least 14 days before your permit expires and show you still meet every condition. If your permit runs out while the extension is being processed, you can stay in Bulgaria until there’s a decision, as long as you applied in time. An extension is refused if you’ve been living in Bulgaria for some other purpose, such as working locally.

Bulgaria has been fully in the Schengen area since 1 January 2025, so you can travel in other Schengen countries for up to 90 days in any 180.

How are you taxed in Bulgaria on this visa?

Bulgaria has no tax regime written for digital nomads. Its standard personal income tax is a flat 10%.

The permit doesn’t make you tax resident by itself. Under Bulgarian tax law, you’re tax resident if, among other tests, you:

• Spend more than 183 days in any 12-month period in Bulgaria, or
• Have your center of vital interests there: your family, property and the place you work from

You become resident for the year in which you pass 183 days. As a resident, you’re taxed on your worldwide income and file a return between 10 January and 30 April of the following year.

The 10% rate can be a big saving for someone from the US or the UK, but only for income Bulgaria actually gets to tax. US citizens still file US tax returns wherever they live. UK residents should check whether they’re still UK tax resident under the UK’s residence rules. Bulgaria’s tax treaties decide which country taxes what. This is general information, not tax advice. Talk to a tax adviser who knows both Bulgaria and your home country before you move.

Does the Bulgaria digital nomad visa lead to permanent residency or citizenship?

Not on its own. Bulgaria’s permanent residence and EU long-term residence both need five years of continuous legal residence, and this permit stops at two.

You could switch to another type of permit before the two years run out, but don’t count on your digital nomad years toward the five. Bulgarian law leaves out time on “formally limited” or purely temporary permits when it counts toward EU long-term residence, and there’s no official guidance on whether digital nomad years count toward permanent residence. Plan any switch with a lawyer.

Citizenship is further away still. You need to have held permanent or long-term residence for at least five years, speak Bulgarian, and generally give up your existing citizenship. That last rule doesn’t apply to EU citizens or to anyone married to a Bulgarian citizen, but otherwise it applies to US and UK citizens.

If you want a long-term base in the EU, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece have digital nomad routes that lead to permanent residency.

If you want to stay longer

Apart from a permit for people who receive a pension, Bulgaria has no residence permit for people living on remote or passive income. If you’re a freelancer, or a business owner willing to work as a freelancer in Bulgaria, the realistic next step is Bulgaria’s freelance permit. You can keep working for clients abroad, but you become self-employed in Bulgaria, which the digital nomad permit rules out. You register there and have to keep up with Bulgarian social security contributions and tax. You first need a permit from Bulgaria’s Employment Agency, issued on a detailed activity plan that shows an economic or social benefit, and you have to show specialized knowledge, skills and experience. It’s granted for up to a year at a time, and you report on your plan each time you renew. The fee is €204.52 (the law still states it as 400 leva).

There’s a catch. Bulgarian law refuses a long-stay permit if its purpose doesn’t match the purpose of your type D visa, so switching usually means getting a new D visa for the new purpose from a consulate abroad. Check with a Bulgarian lawyer before you plan around it.

If you’re an employee, there’s no remote-work route beyond this permit. Staying on would mean a Bulgarian employer and a work permit, or an investment route, such as buying property worth at least €306,775 (600,000 leva in the law).

How do you apply for the Bulgaria digital nomad visa?

There are two stages: a type D visa from a Bulgarian consulate, then the residence permit in Bulgaria.

From the US or the UK

1. Gather your documents. Foreign documents need an apostille and a certified Bulgarian translation. You’ll need:
   • a passport with at least two blank pages. Bulgaria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs visa D sheet asks for at least 18 months’ validity
   • proof of income above the threshold
   • if you’re employed, your employment contract and a certificate less than six months old showing your employer exists
   • if you own a company, your company documents plus at least one client contract and a client reference
   • if you freelance, at least one client contract and a client reference
   • a criminal record certificate from your country of citizenship or where you usually live. In the US, that’s an FBI Identity History Summary, and in the UK, an ACRO police certificate
   • proof of accommodation in Bulgaria. For a rental, consulates ask for a notarized declaration from the owner
   • health insurance valid in Bulgaria
2. Apply for a type D visa in person at the Bulgarian embassy or consulate that covers where you live. Interviews are required. You normally apply in your country of residence, not one you’re visiting. The visa fee is €100.
3. Wait for the visa. Innovires and the immigration law firm Fragomen put this at about one to two months. The visa lets you stay up to 180 days.
4. Travel to Bulgaria and apply for the permit in person at the Migration Directorate in Sofia or the migration unit of your regional Interior Ministry office. Apply no later than 14 days before your visa stay ends. Choose “I am a digital nomad” on the application form.
5. Wait for a decision. The law gives the Directorate 14 days, which it can extend by a month if it needs more documents. If it asks for more, you have 14 days to send them.
6. Collect your residence card. You pay a permit fee of about €260 for a year, plus a card fee that’s higher if you want the card faster. Fragomen and Innovires say the card takes three to 30 days.

US and UK citizens can visit Bulgaria visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180, but that doesn’t help here. You can’t switch to this permit from a visitor stay.

Can you apply from inside Bulgaria?

No. The law only grants this permit to people who already hold a type D visa, and you get that from a consulate abroad.

Why do applications get refused?

Among other grounds, Bulgarian law says the Directorate refuses a permit or extension if you don’t meet the conditions, if your documents are false, or if your employer’s business exists mainly to help foreigners get residence. Refusals come with reasons, and you can appeal them in court. You can also appeal a visa refusal to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the administrative court in Sofia.

Other things that can sink an application, based on the rules:

• Income below 50 times the minimum wage, or a threshold worked out on the wrong year’s wage
• An employer or company based in an EU country, the EEA or Switzerland
• A company stake of 25% or less, without a management or legal representative role
• Freelancing for less than a year, or no client contract and reference
• Any work for people or businesses in Bulgaria
• Missing apostilles or Bulgarian translations
• Applying for the permit too late, or without a type D visa
• At extension, using the permit for something other than remote work

Who this visa suits

Bulgaria’s digital nomad visa suits you if you want a base in the EU for up to two years, your income clears about €31,000 a year, and you work for yourself or for a company outside the EU.

Bear in mind it’s still new. Applications only opened in December 2025, the authorities haven’t settled how they calculate the income threshold, and there are very few reports yet from people who’ve been through it. Expect to do more checking than you would for an established route, and consider working with a Bulgarian lawyer.

The tax situation is good. Once you’re tax resident, Bulgaria taxes your income at a flat 10%. Your home country may still tax you, though, so get professional tax advice before you plan around it.

It isn’t a pathway to anything permanent. The permit stops at two years and doesn’t lead to permanent residency or citizenship. Staying longer usually means a new visa from abroad and becoming self-employed in Bulgaria.

Look elsewhere if you work for a company in another EU country, because that rules you out, or if you want to settle. Croatia doesn’t tax your remote work income at all, Malta lets you stay up to four years, and Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece lead to permanent residency.

What I’d check first: whether your employer or company is registered outside the EU, the EEA and Switzerland, and whether your income clears €31,010 a year before tax.

How does the Bulgaria digital nomad visa compare with other countries?

Country	Minimum income (a month)	First permit	Apply from inside the country?	Leads to permanent residency?
Bulgaria	About €2,584	1 year, renewable once (2 years max)	No	No
Malta	€3,500	1 year, renewable to 4 years	Yes, online	No
Estonia	About €3,960	Up to 1 year, then a second visa of up to 6 months	Yes	No
Croatia	€3,622.50	Up to 18 months, no renewal	Yes, if visa-free	Not on its own
Italy	About €2,066	1 year, renewable	No	Yes, after 5 years
Spain	About €2,849	Up to 3 years in Spain, or a 1-year visa then up to 3 years	Yes	Yes, after 5 years
Portugal	€3,680	4-month visa, then 2-year permit (renewals 3 years)	No	Yes, after 5 years
Greece	€3,500, after tax	1-year visa, then a 2-year permit	No, since February 2026	Yes, after 5 years on the permit

Bulgaria has one of the lowest income bars here, after Italy, and its flat 10% tax is low by EU standards. But it stops at two years. That’s longer than Croatia or Estonia, but Malta allows four and the countries with a route to permanent residency let you keep renewing. It’s also the only one here that rules out employees of EU companies. For the full side-by-side comparison, see our digital nomad visas page.

FAQ

How much income do I need for the Bulgaria digital nomad visa?

50 times the Bulgarian minimum monthly wage, before tax. That’s €31,010 a year on the 2026 wage, or €27,533 on the 2025 wage. Aim for €31,010, because there’s no settled practice on which year applies. In 2027, aim for €33,000 if the proposed minimum wage of €660 is adopted.

Can I apply if my employer is in another EU country?

No. Employees must work for an employer registered outside the EU, the EEA and Switzerland. Freelancers can have clients anywhere except Bulgaria.

How long can I stay?

One year, extendable once, so two years in total.

How much tax will I pay in Bulgaria?

If you become tax resident, Bulgaria’s flat 10% applies to your worldwide income. Your home country may still tax you, so get advice.

Is it easy for Americans to move to Bulgaria on this visa?

It’s manageable, but slower than visa-free routes. You need a type D visa from a Bulgarian consulate in the US, with an apostilled FBI check and Bulgarian translations, and then you apply for the permit in person in Bulgaria. US citizens can’t start the process as visitors.

Can I apply from inside Bulgaria?

No. You need a type D visa from a Bulgarian consulate first, then you apply for the permit in Bulgaria.

Does it lead to permanent residence?

Not on its own, because it stops after two years and permanent residence needs five. Freelancers and business owners can apply for Bulgaria’s freelance permit to stay longer, usually with a new D visa from a consulate abroad, but your digital nomad years may not count, so get legal advice first.

If you don’t qualify: alternatives and similar visas

If you work for an EU employer, or want more than two years, compare your options on our digital nomad visas page, or start with:

• Croatia’s digital nomad visa, which accepts employees of any foreign company and doesn’t tax your remote work income
• Spain’s digital nomad visa, with a path to permanent residency after five years
• Malta’s digital nomad visa, for up to four years with 10% tax after a tax-free first year

Sources

• Law on Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria (law text, in Bulgarian)
• Regulation implementing the Law on Foreigners (law text, in Bulgarian)
• Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Visa for Bulgaria (official)
• National Revenue Agency: minimum wage from 1 January 2026 (official, in Bulgarian)
• Labour Migration and Labour Mobility Act (law text, in Bulgarian)
• Personal Income Taxes Act (law text, in Bulgarian)
• Bulgarian Citizenship Act (law text, in Bulgarian)
• Innovires: Digital nomad visa Bulgaria (Bulgarian law firm)
• Fragomen: Bulgaria digital nomad residence permit introduced (immigration law firm)

Educational information, not legal, immigration or tax advice. Rules change, so check the official sources before you apply.