Bulgaria · Citizenship by descent
Naturalisation on the Basis of Bulgarian Origin (Article 15)
Open, but materially tightened by the March 2021 amendments, which capped lineage at the great-grandparent generation and abolished the two-stage State Agency for Bulgarians Abroad certificate. Evidence of origin now goes directly to the Ministry of Justice and must consist of official documents issued by Bulgarian or foreign state bodies. Statutory decision period cut from 12 to 9 months.
This is a far better route than the investor track for anyone who qualifies, because it waives the two things that make Bulgarian naturalisation unattractive: the language test and the renunciation requirement. If there is a Bulgarian great-grandparent, this — not the EUR 511k fund — is the conversation to have.
Qualifying routes
Ancestor up to and including a great-grandparent. Waives the residence period, financial self-sufficiency, the language test AND the renunciation requirement.
The facts
- Total landed cost
- State fee raised in 2025 to BGN 1,000 (about EUR 511), plus archival research and certified translation
- Timeline
- 12–24 months — Some sources report longer; the 9-month statutory period is not the practical reality
- Physical presence
- None
- Family
- each applicant qualifies in their own right within the three-degree limit
- Permanent residency
- n/a — direct citizenship
- Citizenship
- Direct, without a residence period
- Language test
- None — the language test is statutorily waived for the Bulgarian origin route
- Dual citizenship
- Permitted
- Requirements
- documented Bulgarian ancestor to the great-grandparent levelofficial state-issued documents evidencing the ascendant and the relationshipclean criminal record
- THE SABA SCANDAL is why this route is now hard. On 31 October 2018 Petar Haralampiev, head of the State Agency for Bulgarians Abroad, was arrested along with roughly 20 officials and charged with organised crime, bribery, forgery and abuse of office over a ring selling fake Bulgarian-ancestry certificates at about EUR 5,000 each — reportedly around 40 fake documents a week since June 2017, targeting North Macedonia, Serbia, Moldova and Ukraine. This directly caused the 2021 removal of SABA from the chain and the tightening of evidentiary standards.
- Lineage is capped at the great-grandparent generation since 2021. Deeper ancestry no longer qualifies.
- Evidence must now be official documents issued by state bodies naming the ascendant and the relationship — family testimony and organisation certificates no longer suffice.
- UNVERIFIED: several commercial sites claim Bulgaria introduced B1 or A1 integration testing and an online Ministry of Justice portal in 2026. They contradict each other on the level and we found no official confirmation. The Article 15 language waiver is statutory and we found no evidence it was repealed. Do not rely on these claims either way — verify directly.
- The Citizenship Act was amended in State Gazette No. 61 of 29 July 2025, with parts in force from 31 January 2026, including a one-month deadline for proposals to revoke naturalisation in terrorism-related cases. Relevant to risk rather than eligibility.