Bulgaria has had a digital nomad residence permit in law since June 2025: State Gazette issue 52 of 27 June 2025 added digital nomads to the Law on Foreigners. The income rule is an average annual income of at least 50 minimum monthly wages for the previous calendar year, which for a 2026 application works out to BGN 53,850, about EUR 27,533. The permit lasts one year and can be renewed once. The statute is confirmed; the nomad-specific implementing steps are not, so the fees and timings below come from the general long-term residence service. Read 29 Sept 2026, translated from Bulgarian.
What the official sources say
| Item | Official statement | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Legal basis | Law on Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria, new Art. 24c, added by State Gazette issue 52 of 27 June 2025 | State Gazette |
| Who | Three categories: an employee of an employer registered outside the EU and EEA who provides services remotely using IT; an owner or shareholder of more than 25% of such a company; a freelancer who has provided remote services for at least one year | State Gazette |
| Income | Average annual income of not less than 50 minimum monthly wages for the previous calendar year | State Gazette |
| Duration | One year, renewable once for one more year | State Gazette |
| Family | Art. 24c contains no provision on accompanying family members | State Gazette |
| Also required | Housing, a criminal record certificate and means of support | State Gazette |
| Fee (general service) | Application BGN 10; permit up to 6 months BGN 200, up to 1 year BGN 500 | Register, service 21815 |
| Processing (general service) | Up to 120 days; standard 14 to 60 days, extendable by up to two months | Register |
| Where (general service) | Migration Directorate director, and directors of the State Border Police and regional directorates of the Ministry of Interior | Register |
| Insurance (general service) | Health insurance valid in Bulgaria, if you are not covered by law | Register |
The register page does not mention digital nomads. Its rows are the general long-term residence service, which is the nearest official statement of fees and timings, not a confirmed nomad procedure.
The income rule in euro
Bulgaria adopted the euro on 1 January 2026 at a fixed rate of 1.95583 lev per euro (ECB press release, 8 July 2025, confirmed through a search-result summary on 2 Nov 2026). The official pages we read still state amounts in lev, so here they are at the fixed rate (our arithmetic, rounded):
| Item | BGN | About EUR |
|---|---|---|
| Income for a 2026 application (50 x BGN 1,077) | 53,850 | 27,533 |
| The same, as a monthly average | 4,488 | 2,294 |
| Application fee (general service) | 10 | 5 |
| Permit up to 1 year (general service) | 500 | 256 |
To see how about EUR 27,500 a year compares, the lowest-income ranking and the Europe visa table set it against the other schemes.
The order of steps, as far as it is known
- The tracker record lists a type D long-stay visa as a prior step. The state news agency BTA reported that it is valid for up to six months with a stay of up to 180 days; we could not read this on the Foreign Ministry site, so treat it as reported.
- Under the general long-term residence service, the permit application goes to the Migration Directorate, the State Border Police or a regional directorate of the Ministry of Interior, with the income proof, housing, criminal record and insurance.
- Renewal once, for one more year. The law as read gives no route beyond the second year under this category.
What we could not confirm
- The nomad-specific implementing rules and the type D visa steps on the Foreign Ministry site, which did not load for us.
- Whether family reunification rules from other parts of the law apply to permit holders.
- Tax treatment, which the sources read do not address; the tax residency table explains how day-count residency tests work in general.
- A discrepancy in item numbering: the register cites Art. 24(1) item 22, the State Gazette text cites item 23.
Living there
Bansko is the city we cover in Bulgaria, with a Bansko city page and a guide to Bansko’s coworking and ski season. Bulgaria is a full Schengen member, so a short stay before the permit counts against the 90 in 180 day allowance; see the Europe hub.
Method
Built from the visa tracker record: the State Gazette amendment and the administrative register, read and translated on 29 Sept 2026, and the Ministry of Economy minimum wage page. The euro rate comes from the ECB press release, confirmed through a search-result summary on 2 Nov 2026. We did not apply for the permit.