Emigration to Bulgaria – residence permit, permanent residence, relocation, advantages and cons

With the guys we have known for several years. And finally they wrote a long-awaited post about how they emigrated to Bulgaria. Honestly, we ourselves also sometimes think about Bulgaria, for example, instead of Serbia, all the while listening, like some other acquaintances, they buy an apartment there. Given that the scheme for obtaining a residence permit pretty easy, it looks tempting. So it is doubly interesting. It was read about this country first hand. By the way, for wintering it also fits, albeit with some reservations. But now without reservations anywhere, I see, someone has already gone over from Asia to countries colder, the same Montenegro.

The content of the article

• 1 About us
• 2 Why is Bulgaria?
  • 2.1 Nature. Climate. Sea
  • 2.2 People
  • 2.3 Language
  • 2.4 Transportation
  • 2.5 Infrastructure. Children. The medicine
  • 2.6 Power
  • 2.7 Prices
  • 2.8 Real Estate. Rent and purchase
  • 2.9 Car in Bulgaria
  • 2.10 Where can I travel from Bulgaria
  • 2.11 How to get to Bulgaria
  • 2.12 Visa issue
• 3 Emigration to Bulgaria
  • 3.1 How to get a residence permit
  • 3.2 Permanent residence
• 4 Short Pros and Cons
  • 4.1 Pros:
  • 4.2 Cons:

About Us

We have no antipathy towards the Russian Federation and the desire to move from Russia and not come back, we just can not live without travel and without the sea! Relatives can’t cool our passion for traveling nor our children. We have, by the way, three children: a six-year-old son Stepan, two-year-old daughter Sophia (so named on the eve of our moving to Bulgaria) and baby Maria, born this spring already here in Bulgaria. It was the children at some point that affected the desire not just settling down, but having a house to which we can return from every our journey.

We visited 24 countries in Europe and Asia, half of which together with children! Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Hong Kong, Germany, France, Netherlands, Poland, Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, etc. Nam I liked it very much in Finland, but it’s too cold for us. BUT Asian countries for permanent residence, we did not consider never because of the great distance from Russia, the language barrier, constant heat, specific cuisine and many others features—

The main ones when choosing a permanent location for us were The following criteria:

1. Proximity to the Russian Federation. In Russia, relatives and grandmothers. Desirable so that the flight does not last more than 2-3 hours, and the road by car no more than 2-3 days.
2. Heat.
3. Be sure the sea.
4. Lack of language barrier.
5. Low prices for real estate and accommodation.
6. Location of the country as a starting point for further travel

In Bulgaria we found even more than we were looking for. Sea and ski the slopes. Beautiful nature and mild climate. Endless roads and magical places like Kaliakra, Mermaids and Nessebar. Low prices almost everything: from fruits and vegetables to cars and real estate.

Ideal places do not happen, so we found small ones. disadvantages, which also honestly tell in this article—

This is our Traveler’s Diary and our Bulgaria—

We hope that the information will be useful to readers. Life Trip. Hello from Bulgaria! Michael, Elena, Stepa, Sonya and Masha. Welcome to our diary.travel blog and to our groups. VKontakte, Instagram and Periscope.

Why exactly Bulgaria?

Nature. Climate. Sea

The climate in Bulgaria is mild. In summer it is + 25 + 30 degrees Celsius and water temperature in the sea + 22 + 25 degrees. Many mineral sources throughout the country. Virtually the entire coast of the Black the seas stretch excellent sandy beaches, many of which are awarded Blue flag for cleanliness.

In winter, the average temperature is 0 + 5— Snow on the coast is rare. BUT Here at the ski resorts south of Sofia – Bansko, Borovets and Pamporovo snow is enough. Coast to ski Resorts or Sofia – about 400 km, as from Moscow to Smolensk.

A very pleasant off season in Bulgaria – autumn and spring. We often the whole family strolled along the beach or promenade in April, May, September, October and even the end of November. For example, this photo was taken just three weeks ago – in early November:

The sun and temperature + 15 + 20 – in the order of things – But the most a large amount of precipitation in Bulgaria – in January and early June.

In Bulgaria, very beautiful nature! Forests, mountains, vineyards, fields of roses or sunflowers.

We really fell in love with Kaliakra and Mermaid – we wrote about these places on the blog, but believe me, no descriptions and photos are compare to reality!

It is impossible to describe the feelings when you stand at the chapel on the very edge the steep cape Kaliakra and you look at the endless sea from a height sixteen-story house!

How fascinating is the fog on the night mountain serpentine or early in the morning the bay, the embankment and half Varna! This you will not see in any movie!

People

People in Bulgaria are friendly and responsive. In the order of things to help get off the bus with the sidecar, even if the man is with the sidecar— For a dozen trips to Bulgaria and almost a year of life here we are not faced with any hostility or aggression. Attitude to Russian, as a nation, in general, positive.

I am glad that Bulgaria is an Orthodox country. There is Muslims (mostly Turks) and Roma, but their percentage is not big. In Varna, near the railway lines there is a district, considered gypsy – striking half-destroyed the barracks. Sami Gypsies have only been seen once for all time (mother with children), although the whole of Varna and the coast of Bulgaria traveled along across. Therefore, we will not say anything bad about gypsies—

The crime situation in Bulgaria is quite calm. By Bulgarian news we see some reports of perfect crime is extremely rare, and then in the depths of the country or Sofia — Life with the beach “sideways” relaxes, and does not push on offense is a fact!

Bulgarians, like most Europeans living by the sea, leisurely, a little lazy and slightly unnecessary. In this there is its appeal, but sometimes it is annoying. For example, when You schedule an appointment or time for delivery at one time, and waiting not what you ordered, and a few hours later—

I really liked the musical preferences of the Bulgarians. Frank pops are not many. Very popular modern Bulgarian and foreign rap and hip-hop, alternative rock, as well as classic rock like Scorpions, Deep Purple, Uriah Heep or something heavier. There are often rock festivals, gathering fans from nearby countries, or just concerts in parks, collecting residents of nearby houses.

Tongue

The language in Bulgaria is very similar to Russian. Cyrillic alphabet. Many words are written and pronounced absolutely identical to Russian. language. Even without knowing a word in Bulgarian, you can understand each other. In addition, the older generation, especially in Varna and northern Bulgaria, they often know Russian well enough. If you understand a friend friend in the Russian-Bulgarian does not work, the majority of young people speaks English well—

However, “neponyatki”, sometimes very funny, it is quite possible! how times because of the similarity of the language. The fact is that many words are written and pronounced similarly, but mean exactly the opposite – For example:

Bulgarian “to the right” means “straight” – “Dinah” means “watermelon” – “Table” means “chair” –

And there are many such examples. Yes, and do not forget that Bulgaria – the only country in the world where a nod of the head means “no”, and shaking your head to the side – “yes.” Get used to this is unrealistic. Try to learn, without moving your head, just say “yes” or “not”.

Transport

I am writing about Varna. In other cities, public transport is not enjoyed.

There are a lot of buses and trolleybuses, they drive clearly according to the schedule. The fare for the city – 0.50 euro. Last time in buses appeared free Wi-Fi.

Taxi costs about 0.50 euro per kilometer. Even to / from airport. But, only if on the counter! Pricing must necessarily hanging on the rear passenger window. On the availability and operation of the counter be sure to focus attention or fare in a predatory way grow by 2-3 times!

The airport is located about 8 km from the center of Varna. Railway station and bus station – almost in the center of Varna.

Infrastructure. Children. The medicine

If a residence permit is at least one of the parents, you can easily and practically free to send a child to kindergarten or school. Tested on personal experience. On the same rights as the Bulgarians – without extortion and with free textbooks— Bulgarian seizes children instantly. And upon completion of training, the child will Diploma listed in the European Union.

The infrastructure is developing, but so far it is still felt in some places. Post-Soviet Heritage— Although, take a walk through the pedestrian streets Varna in the Old Town is very nice, and at any time of the year.

Many restaurants and cafes. Many large shopping centers. International hypermarkets such as Metro, IKEA, Decatlon, Kaufland, Billa, Praktiker— Tesco no.

A huge niche is the hotel and construction business.

Medicine is average. Cheap dental services. With a residence permit medicine is paid, but not very expensive. Reception at the doctor will cost about 10 euros. With permanent residence – medical assistance in most cases are free.

My wife gave birth to a daughter at the end of May at the Maichin House clinic in Varna. I liked everything, everyone is happy. Chamber, attitude and service good ones. Cost of delivery just 800 euros. More details about childbirth in Bulgaria, and the important nuances of obtaining a birth certificate will be on our blog. If this question is interesting, subscribe, so as not to miss.

Nutrition

For children and adults with a sensitive stomach Bulgarian cuisine, unequivocally, will be much more comfortable Asian –

We liked the cuisine in Bulgaria very much. Olives, cheese, fish, Tomatoes – Reminds Greek and Italian. Wide Meat dishes are common. There are borrowings from Turkish cuisine. Pizza for sale. Popular grill. Large selection of seafood. Of national Bulgarian dishes note bannitsa and shopsky salad.

In Bulgaria, tasty beer and good inexpensive wine.

Prices

Prices in Bulgaria in national currency – in BGN. 1 euro = 1.95 left. This course has remained unchanged for many years.

Inexpensive shopping in malls. Cheap alcohol. Prices very low on most foods and on vegetables and fruits. For example:

1 kg of sweet cherry – 1 euro 1 kg of tomatoes – 0.80 euro 1 kg of apples – 0.70 euros 1 kg of potatoes – 0.50 euros 1 kg of chicken – 2-2.50 euros 1 kg of pork – 2.50-4.50 euros 1 liter of beer – 0.90 euros

A little expensive chocolate and dairy products.

Restaurant prices are very reasonable even at a new rate. Account in Most restaurants will cost 3-10 euros per person.

At concerts, often taking place in Bulgarian parks, the entrance, as a rule, free, and food and alcohol are very cheap. For example, a 0.5 l glass of beer at such events will cost only 0.50 euros, and kebabs – 1 euro!

Distributed sites coupons. Coupons can be very cheap eat at restaurants, visit beauty salons or perform tourist trips to neighboring European countries.

The property. Rent and purchase

What to choose? If you need apartments only for summer holidays – Golden Sands and Sunny Beach. If the sea is not important but interested in ski resorts or keeping serious business, then – Sofia. For permanent residence near the sea – Varna or Burgas. Burgas, it seemed to us, is too gray, and in Russian there speaks a much smaller percentage of the population than in Varna. Therefore, our choice is Varna.

In Bulgaria, low-cost rental housing. With long stays, rent a nice spacious fully furnished apartment in Varna can be just for 150-200 euros per month.

The range of prices for property in Bulgaria is quite large, approximately from 500 to 1500 euro / sq.m. In Sofia, Varna, Burgas and in good holiday complexes – more expensive. In residential areas and for city – cheaper. There are reliable large realtors and developers, and there is a “divorce.” If someone needs help and advice – refer to the blog, help. We have experience, contacts and dating

We approached the choice of real estate thoroughly – came to Bulgaria for this purpose five times and traveled the entire coast. Reason in that we were not interested in resort real estate. Type Resorts Golden Sands or Sunny Beach live only in summer – from June to August, in the rest of the months they are like post-apocalyptic extinct ghost towns.

I do not recommend any small cities and towns, perhaps that to pensioners. Well, or if you want to buy a house in the village. Scatter house prices, by the way, from 5,000 euros for the wreck in the wilderness to 500,000 Euro for a big new mansion on the coast of Varna with a stunning kind of. But when buying a house, keep in mind that for land registration in ownership of a residence permit is not enough, it is only possible with permanent residence.

We needed an apartment suitable for permanent accommodation; not far from the sea, but not on the beach; in quiet green area, but not far from the center; with developed infrastructure, but not in the midst of concrete boxes— And we found such a place on the outskirts of Varna – in the Galata area. And the view from here is beautiful.

The apartment of 80 square meters in a modern residential complex cost to us at 46,000 euros (575 euros / sq.m).

Here it is necessary to take into account an important nuance – the total area apartments in Bulgaria are measured along with the area of balconies, walls and common areas (parts of landings, which are divided into all tenants). The actual living space of our eighty meter the apartment was about 65 meters. But, anyway, buying proved successful.

The price usually includes windows, doors, sockets. What’s up with the finish? Building materials and finishing works (non-luxury) in Bulgaria is very cheap. Our budget was limited. Everything building materials and equipment we purchased in stores Praktiker and Mr.Bricolage. A hired team made repairs. For all about everything we paid only 5500 euros! For this money we received completely turnkey with works and installation: tile, laminate, painting walls, tiled bathroom with bathtub plumbing and boiler, two air conditioners.

– Another approximately 1,500 euros cost us a refrigerator, washer, TV and furniture of economy class (kitchen, living room, hall and a couple sofas). – Notarial design of the apartment in the property cost about 2,000 euros. – Annual property tax plus export garbage – about 50 euros per year. – Utility bills by meter for electricity and water – an average of 40 euros per month. Internet and TV – 12 euros per month. – Management company fee – 8 Euro per month.

These are our expenses with our apartment. Amounts may vary as in smaller, and in a big way. Especially if you purchase resort real estate. In this case, instead of a penny card the management company will receive a support fee in the amount of 6-12 euros in year per square meter, regardless of whether you live or not. For our square meter, if it is a resort complex by the sea, payment could make up 500-1000 euros per year— Amount, to put it mildly, not little!

Car in Bulgaria

Make a car bought in Bulgaria Russian can either representation, or on themselves in the presence of a residence permit.

Ride around the coast or inland by car very interesting, but you can rush to the neighboring European countries. AT Bulgaria cheap car rental. With a long lease especially not in the summer season, the rental price starts from only 6 euros per day.

The cost of fuel is one of the cheapest in Europe – on average 1.10 euro per liter.

The vast majority of the population drive their own cars. Old, used, but in fair condition. The market for used cars imported from Europe is very developed Buy a ten-year minivan or golf class in really good condition can be for 1500 euros. And for 4000 euros you can buy already a four year old car in excellent condition. If not collapsing ruble exchange rate, then these prices would be generally wonderful—

Where can I travel from Bulgaria

On your own car you open all of Europe! But consider that go to the Schengen zone is possible only on a Schengen visa. If there is a residence permit, then Schengen is done here in Bulgaria without any problems.

From Bulgaria you can quickly and inexpensively go by bus to Turkey, Greece, Romania, Hungary, Montenegro, Croatia, Italy and not only.

A huge number of cheap offers to rest abroad can be found on local coupon sites.

From Sofia you can fly by plane to Europe and even further— Loukostera WizzAir, Ryanair, Alitalia are presented – Tickets most European countries, Turkey and the UAE, usually cost from 30 to 100 euros. And Istanbul and Dubai are the largest “hubs” Middle Eastern region through which one can easily get to every corner of Asia!

How to get to Bulgaria

Bulgaria can be reached by train, by plane, by by car and by bus from Istanbul. We tried everything ways

The experience of the road to Bulgaria on the train does not repeat the hunt – Well, sooo boring, long and with many hours late.

2000 km to Bulgaria by car we drove with two children for 2-3 days – quite real and very interesting. About this trip you can read on our blog. True, now you have to make a detour circling Ukraine.

By plane from Moscow you can reach Bulgaria in 2.5 hours direct S7 scheduled flights. In season tickets are noticeably more expensive. As an alternative, you can find an inexpensive charter from Russia Bulgaria or fly to Istanbul, take a walk on this beautiful city and get to Varna or Burgas for 6-8 hours by bus. Although, in the light of recent events, let’s see what will happen—

Visa issue

There is no visa free entry. Russians can enter Bulgaria by Schengen visa, if available. If not, you need to do Bulgarian visa at a Bulgarian consulate or visa center vfs.global, for example. The process of getting is like getting Schengen visa. The cost of a tourist visa – 35 euros, visa vfs.global collection – 1400 rubles. After one or two trips get multi-year for a year – not a problem.

Duration of stay on multivisa (at least Bulgarian, at least Schengen) – up to 180 days in 6 months.

Emigration to Bulgaria

To obtain a residence permit, and later permanent residence, it is not even necessary to buy the property! You can simply rent, as already mentioned, for 150-200 euros per month. Last but not least, a prerequisite for extending a residence permit was to stay in Bulgaria less than 6 months in a year— Now this rule has been abolished – Enough to come once a year for the renewal of documents.

How to get a residence permit

1. Open the Bulgarian representation of the Russian company. Russian LLC may be without activity, then in the Russian Federation elementary “zero reporting” is rented out once a year. Open Representation in Bulgaria can be easily independently or with the help of a Bulgarian company for 800-1000 euros. By no tax or reporting office in Bulgaria required.
2. To get insurance for godv Bulgarian insurance company. On-site can be issued for 70-80 euros per person.
3. Buy completed property in Bulgaria (with Act 16) or conclude a lease of real estate.

1. Provide a certificate of non-conviction.
2. Confirm financial condition. Account statement required from a Bulgarian bank with a sum of just over 2,000 euros per person. You can withdraw money back or immediately after receiving a bank statement, or the next day. The amount may vary because it depends on minimum wage.
3. To issue a visa D in the consulate of Bulgaria in the Russian Federation (issued on 6 months and costs 100 euros).
4. Pay about 250 euros per year for a residence permit.

Documents in Russian are translated by accredited consulate translators and certified.

Pensioners easier. Representation can not open a smaller amount is required on the account, etc.

Permanent residence

You can get permanent residence no earlier than 5 years after clearance For this can be absent in Bulgaria in general, not more than 30 months in 5 years, i.e. on average 6 months in a year. SPMZH You become a full-fledged citizen of Bulgaria, getting free medicine, for example, the right to work or to acquire land in the property—

Short pros and cons

If you compare Bulgaria, as an option for permanent accommodation with other European or Asian countries (for example, Thailand), what conclusions can be drawn?

Pros:

Not only the sea and excellent sandy beaches, but also ski resorts. Soft autumn, winter and spring. Mineral springs. As in Thailand, low prices for almost everything and low-cost real estate. Cheap used cars from Europe and acceptable for Europe fuel cost. Perhaps in the near future, “Schengen”. Abundance fruits and vegetables. Good, close to the Mediterranean, cuisine. Convenient location for travel and proximity to Russia. Ability to send a child to school or kindergarten almost free of charge on the residence permit of the parent. Obtaining a residence permit even without real estate representation and lease agreement. You can leave for a long time from Bulgaria, without prejudice to the residence permit and permanent residence. Lack of language barrier. Easy to open your business. The lowest taxes in Europe.

Minuses:

The short swimming season is from mid-June to early September. A little “sovok” infrastructure. Shortage of parking places in center. The popularity of smoking among the Bulgarians. Optional Bulgarians. On the shelves there are few 100% juices, but many foreign products with content of E-shek and monosodium glutamate (read composition). Moisture on coast (as, indeed, in Asia). Work on a residence permit can not be – only business or wait for permanent residence.

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