Bulgaria · Citizenship
Bulgarian Citizenship for Founders
Bulgarian citizenship is a long-horizon goal for a Startup Visa founder. Naturalization is governed by the Bulgarian Citizenship Act and handled by the Ministry of Justice, after the applicant has built a lawful residence history in Bulgaria.
- Startup route
- Startup Visa (certificate for a high-tech and/or innovative project)
- Minimum capital
- No fixed capital; personal funds of 3 minimum wages
- Permanent residence
- 5 years of legal residence
- Citizenship
- Varies; confirm with the Ministry of Justice
Naturalization under the Bulgarian Citizenship Act
Foreign founders who want a Bulgarian passport follow the general naturalization procedure of the Bulgarian Citizenship Act, which the Ministry of Justice administers through its Bulgarian citizenship service. The Startup Visa route does not shorten that procedure: the certificate and the residence permit it supports are immigration documents with no citizenship effect. The residence period, language requirement and document list for naturalization depend on the applicant's status and background, so the current conditions should be taken from the Ministry of Justice before any planning. Whether a previous citizenship can be kept also depends on the applicant's nationality and on the legal basis of the application.
- Legal basis
- Bulgarian Citizenship Act
- Authority
- Ministry of Justice
- Residence period
- Varies; confirm with the Ministry of Justice
- Dual citizenship
- Restricted; confirm the rule for your nationality
- Investor route
- None listed as open; verify any offer with the ministry
Requirements
- A lawful residence history in Bulgaria built on valid residence permits.
- An application filed with the Ministry of Justice under the Bulgarian Citizenship Act.
- The residence, language and document conditions the Ministry of Justice applies at the time of filing.
- Attention to the rules on keeping or giving up a previous citizenship.
How to apply
- Build lawful residence through the certificate-based permit and any follow-on residence grounds.
- Consider long-term or permanent residence, available after five years of legal residence.
- Check the current naturalization conditions with the Ministry of Justice.
- File the naturalization application with the supporting documents the ministry requires.
Investment and citizenship
Bulgaria's Startup Visa is built around an innovative project, not a capital transfer, and it carries no citizenship benefit. Founders may come across older material describing Bulgarian residence or citizenship linked to investment. No investor citizenship route is presented on this page as open. Anyone weighing such an offer should obtain written confirmation of its legal basis from the Ministry of Justice before committing money, and should treat with caution any intermediary that promises a Bulgarian passport within a fixed time.
Questions and answers
Does the Bulgarian Startup Visa lead directly to citizenship?
No. The certificate supports a long-term residence permit and nothing more. Citizenship requires a separate naturalization application under the Bulgarian Citizenship Act, which the Ministry of Justice handles, after the founder has lived in Bulgaria lawfully for the period the Act requires.
Can I keep my current passport if I become Bulgarian?
It depends. Bulgarian rules on keeping a previous citizenship differ by the applicant's nationality and by the legal route to Bulgarian citizenship, so the answer is not the same for every founder. The Ministry of Justice can confirm what applies, and the home country's own rules on dual nationality matter too.
Is citizenship by investment available in Bulgaria?
No investment-based citizenship route is listed here as open. Bulgaria's founder route runs through the Ministry of Innovation and Growth certificate and ordinary residence rules. Any adviser offering Bulgarian citizenship for an investment should be asked for the exact legal provision, which can then be checked with the Ministry of Justice.
Official sources
- Bulgarian citizenship - Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Bulgariawww.mjs.bg
- 3263 Issuance of a sertificate for a high-tech and/or innovative project, StartUp Visa - Ministry of Innovation and Growthwww.mig.government.bg
- Self-employed worker in Bulgaria - EU Immigration Portalhome-affairs.ec.europa.eu
Reviewed October 2026. Immigration rules change often. Confirm the current requirements with the official authority or a licensed adviser before applying.
Your path in Bulgaria.
Startup visa
Ministry certificate once an expert council scores the project 8 of 14 or more
02Temporary residence
Long-term permit tied to a 1-year certificate, extendable by 2 years
03Permanent residence
Long-term or permanent residence after 5 years of legal residence
04Citizenship
Naturalization under the Bulgarian Citizenship Act via the Ministry of Justice