Bulgaria is а cool place for living, no matter of your age and profession. It is a democratic, legal country and a member state of the EU, which allows you to move freely between the countries of the union. Once you have received the right of residence, you have almost all the rights and protections that Bulgarian citizens have. In the recent years, there is a tendency for more and more foreigners to seek permanent settlement in Bulgaria. While the procedure for obtaining temporary and long-term residence for EU citizens is comparatively easy, the third-country nationals have more requirements to meet which will be described in this article.
First step for long-term visa for Bulgaria
The first step in obtaining a long-term residence permit from a foreigner is the issuance of a Visa type “D” – for long-term residence on the territory of Bulgaria. Its issuance is generally regulated in Article 15, para. 1 of the Law on Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria.
Art. 15, para. 1: A long-term residence visa with a validity period of up to 6 months and with the right of residence for up to 180 days can be issued to a foreigner who wishes to obtain a permit for a prolonged, long-term or permanent residence in the Republic of Bulgaria on one of the grounds, specified in this law.
A long-term residence visa with a validity period of up to one year and a right of residence of up to 360 days may be issued to foreigners who carry out scientific research or are students on training programs of up to one academic year, specialists or trainees, foreigners seconded by a foreign employer to carry out specific tasks related to the control and coordination of the execution of a contract for tourist services, as well as to foreigners sent by a foreign employer to carry out investments certified in accordance with the Law on the Promotion of Investments (pursuant to Art. 15, para. 2).
About visa type “D”
After obtaining Visa type “D”, you have the right to multiple entries into the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria during the period for which the long-term residence visa was issued.
Visa type “D” is issued by a Bulgarian diplomatic missions abroad – embassy or consulate. If there is none in your country, the competent authority to issue Visa type “D” is the Bulgarian embassy responsible for the respective country. This procedure must be carried out before the person has entered the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria. Even in cases where a foreign citizen is on the territory of Bulgaria (for example, when a Visa type “C” is issued), in order to issue a Visa type “D”, he must return to his home country and obtain a set of documents necessary for the issuance of a Visa type “D”. This procedure is a bit formal and time consuming, so arm yourself with patience. You have to for the expiration of the response period, which can be up to 2 months from the date of application.
It is very important that all the required documents are prepared correctly and provided on time. Their review by the Bulgarian diplomatic mission is quite thorough and it is not rare that, due to small inaccuracies, a refusal is issued. This is where the other problem arises – there are not many legal options for appealing and contesting this type of refusal. Most of them are regulated in European regulations and rules, and not by the national legislation of the Republic of Bulgaria.
Conclusion and legal assistance
To avoid this situation, here comes our role. Legalla’s team has the necessary knowledge and experience in relation to the issuance of a long-term residence visa type “D”. We will tell you what documents are needed by your side and we will prepare all of the others. After that, you can count on us to guide you through the procedure before the competent authorities step by step. Don’t hesitate to contact us. Our team will reply you within 1 business day. If you want more information about us, don’t think twice before contacting on LinkedIn.
