Volunteer in Bulgaria

Visa

Once you have signed an agreement with a host organisation in the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria, you must obtain a visa "type D" at the Bulgarian embassy or consulate in your home country.

Residence permit

Once you have arrived in Bulgaria with your valid visa (in case you need a visa to enter the country), you must also obtain a residence permit from the Migration Directorate.

In order to obtain the right of prolonged residence (residence permit), the third-country national shall personally submit, to the Migration Directorate - MoI or the relevant Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Interior, an application form to which he/she shall attach the following:

• a copy of a valid passport or a document substituting it containing the pages with the photo, the personal data, a visa under Art. 15, Para. 1 of the Law on Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria, when required, and the stamp for the last entry into the country; in order to verify the authenticity of the copy, the original passport or document substituting it shall also be presented;
• a document proving that the state fee under Art. 10, Para. 3 of Tariff № 4 on the fees that are collected in the system of the Ministry of Interior under the Law on State Fees was paid, when the payment has not been made electronically;
• a proof for available housing;
• a compulsory medical insurance which is valid on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria when the person is not insured under the Law on Health Insurance;
• an evidence of stable, regular, predictable and sufficient means of subsistence, without resorting to the social assistance system, in an amount not less than the minimum monthly salary, the minimum education grant or the minimum pension for the country, for the period of residence on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria;
• a criminal record certificate issued by the state whose citizen is the third-country national or by the state of the third-country national’s usual residence - upon initial submission of an application;
• an agreement with the host organisation on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria, containing the place of conducting, description and duration of the voluntary activity.

Prolonged residence permit may be obtained by members of the family of a third-country national who has received a prolonged residence— where the documents certifying the family relations and the right to maintenance have been recognised or admitted for execution under the Bulgarian legislation.

For this purpose, an application for family reunification should be submitted to the Migration Directorate or the relevant Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Interior by the third-country national with a residence permitted for at least one year on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria to which he/she applies: evidence of stable, regular, planned and sufficient means to support family members without resorting to the system of social assistance, in the amount not less than the minimum monthly salary or the minimum pension for the country, for the period of residence on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria. Such evidence may be a declaration, bank statement and others, certifying the availability of sufficient financial resources.

In accordance with the provision of Art. 24d(1) of the Law on Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria (LFRB), a long-term residence status shall be granted to a third-country national who has resided legally and without interruption on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria within 5 years before submitting the application for a long-term residence permit. After its acquisition, the status of long-term residence is permanent, insofar as no grounds have arisen for its revocation under Art. 40 LFRB.

The periods of residence of the third-country nationals who are members of staff of diplomatic missions or consular representations or of representations of international organisations accredited in the Republic of Bulgaria, and members of their families and to persons residing exclusively on a temporary basis, such as au pair workers, seasonal workers, cross-border service providers, workers or employees posted by a service provider to provide cross-border services, or where their residence permit is formally limited, are not taken into account when calculating the period of residence under Paragraph 1.

When calculating the period of residence under Paragraph 1, only half of the time of residence of the third-country nationals as students, pupils or trainees on the grounds of Art. 24c LFRB, shall be taken into account.

Only the periods of residence of the persons referred to as above shall not be taken into account.