Once a foreign national has been granted a right of residence, they can bring their family to live with them in the Republic of Bulgaria. The family relationship has to be proved, the sponsor must satisfy certain conditions, and the required documents go to the competent administrative authorities.
Below we set out the main grounds for family reunification in Bulgaria, what applicants must meet, and how to bring the procedure to a successful end.
Who is entitled to apply
The sponsor, who is the main applicant, needs a Bulgarian residence permit valid for at least one year. For the purposes of the law, "family members" means the spouse and unmarried children under 18, adopted children included.
What to submit
- a valid passport (copy);
- proof that accommodation is secured;
- proof that the family members have stable, regular, predictable and sufficient means of subsistence, set at EUR 7,500 per person;
- a criminal record certificate for the family member, dated as at the filing date and issued by the state of the foreign national's citizenship or by the state of their habitual residence, required when the application is first submitted;
- a marriage certificate or a birth certificate.
Stages of the procedure
There are three main stages:
- the main applicant lodges the family reunification application with the Migration Directorate, alone and without the family attending;
- once the decision is favourable, the family members request a Visa D, under a facilitated regime, at the Bulgarian consulate where they permanently live;
- when they have arrived in Bulgaria, an application is made for a residence permit that follows the status of the main applicant.
How long it takes
The application for family reunification is decided within one month. Family members receive their Visas D under the facilitated regime, while the residence permits are issued once they are in Bulgaria.
Our support
We handle both the first grant of a right of residence and the family reunification that follows. For the family members we put together the whole set of documents, agree with them how the papers proving family ties are issued and sent to Bulgaria, including whether legalisation is needed, and have them translated in Bulgaria as the law requires.
Once the family reunification permit has been granted, we arrange the Visa D interview and support you in the last stage before the Migration Directorate in Bulgaria.
Examples from our work
Questions we are often asked
- Which documents does family reunification in Bulgaria require?
- You need the sponsor's identity document, proof of the family relationship (a marriage or birth certificate), proof of accommodation and income, and health insurance. Every foreign document has to be legalised and translated.
- How much time does family reunification in Bulgaria take?
- On average the Migration Directorate takes 1–3 months to process a case. Before travelling to Bulgaria, family members are advised to request a long-stay visa (type D) at a Bulgarian consulate.
- Which relatives may join a foreign national holding residence in Bulgaria?
- Reunification is open to the spouse and to minor children; in certain cases dependent parents and adult children with disabilities qualify too.
Please note
Nothing here is legal advice; it is general information. As the law is amended from time to time, contact us if you need an up-to-date, binding view of your own case.
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