The Bulgarian government has proposed significantly tightening the rules for maintaining permanent residency for foreigners, including investors. According to the bill submitted to parliament, permanent residents may be required to be physically present in Bulgaria for at least 183 days during each calendar year.
Bill No. 52-602-01-29, amending the Law on Foreigners of the Republic of Bulgaria, was submitted by the Council of Ministers to the National Assembly on July 28, 2026, according to official data from the Bulgarian parliament.
The bill is currently under review, so the new regulations are not yet in effect.
The main change concerns the distinction between two residency regimes for foreigners.
For holders of EU long-term resident status, it is proposed to maintain the current principle, under which a prolonged continuous absence from the territory of the European Union may serve as grounds for loss of status.
For holders of a Bulgarian permanent residence permit, it is proposed to introduce a significantly stricter national requirement: a foreign national must actually spend more than half the year in Bulgaria.
Thus, if the bill is adopted in its current form, merely holding a Bulgarian permanent residence permit while residing permanently in another country will not be sufficient.
The new rule will affect investors
These changes are of particular significance for foreigners who obtained permanent residence through investment.
Current Bulgarian legislation provides several options for obtaining permanent residence through investment. Specifically, the official government portal lists investments of at least 1 million leva in certain Bulgarian investment funds and a number of other instruments, while a threshold of 2 million leva applies to certain types of securities.
Following Bulgaria’s transition to the euro, the corresponding amounts are converted to the new currency at a fixed exchange rate. The former threshold of 1 million leva corresponds to approximately EUR 511,300, while 2 million leva is equivalent to about EUR 1.02 million.
However, another significant change is taking effect: an investment will no longer automatically allow the holder of permanent residence to live permanently outside Bulgaria.
In the published version of the new requirement, no separate exception is provided for investment residents. This is precisely why the changes could significantly reduce the appeal of the Bulgarian investment program for people who viewed permanent residence primarily as an additional European status rather than as a basis for actually moving to the country.
The new rule potentially applies to a much broader segment than just investors. It may also apply to other foreigners with permanent residence in Bulgaria—including individuals who obtained permanent residence after a long period of residence in the country, certain family members of Bulgarian citizens, and foreigners of Bulgarian origin.
Thus, the proposed changes effectively alter the very concept of permanent residence: the state aims to more closely link the possession of this status to a person’s actual physical presence in the country.
This may prove particularly important for foreigners who hold Bulgarian permanent residence but spend most of the year working or conducting business in other EU countries, the United Kingdom, the United States, CIS countries, or the Middle East.
Investment Thresholds Are Converted from Levs to Euros
The bill also brings the financial requirements of immigration law into line with Bulgaria’s transition to the euro.
Specifically, the previous amounts in levs are replaced by their equivalents in euros.
The threshold of 1 million leva corresponds to approximately EUR 511,000, 2 million leva to about EUR 1.02 million, and 6 million leva to approximately EUR 3.07 million.
This is primarily a technical conversion, so the actual value of the investment requirements does not change significantly as a result of this change.
Permanent Residency Through Investment in Bulgaria Remains in Place; Citizenship-by-Investment Has Been Abolished
It is important to distinguish between the two programs.
Bulgaria previously abandoned the fast-track scheme for direct acquisition of citizenship through investment, which had drawn serious criticism from EU institutions.
However, the investment-based grounds for obtaining a permanent residence permit remain in place. Official government information still lists several types of investments that can serve as grounds for granting a foreigner a permanent residence permit.
It is precisely this program that may now become significantly less “passive”: it will no longer be sufficient for an investor to simply maintain their investment—if the amendments are adopted, they will also have to actually spend a significant portion of the year in Bulgaria.
It is not yet possible to speak of the mandatory 183 days as a rule that has come into effect.
The bill has only just been submitted to parliament and must undergo review by the relevant committees and the parliamentary procedure. The National Assembly currently lists it on its official website as a document submitted by the Council of Ministers, with no information regarding its final adoption.
During the review process, lawmakers may amend the 183-day requirement, add exemptions for certain categories of foreigners, or provide for a transition period for current permanent residents.
Legal experts have specifically pointed out the absence of a clear transition mechanism in the initial draft. Therefore, one of the most important issues to be addressed during parliamentary review will be whether the new requirements will apply to foreigners who obtained permanent residence under the previous rules.
