Citizenship by origin

A person of Bulgarian origin can become a Bulgarian citizen through a simplified procedure: no residence permit in Bulgaria, no language exam, no proof of income and no need to give up your current citizenship (Art. 15(1) of the Bulgarian Citizenship Act). You apply in person at the Ministry of Justice in Sofia or at a Bulgarian embassy or consulate.

application fee

€153.39

students under 26 — €51.13

legal time limit

up to 9 months

until the decree is proposed

descent

up to 3rd degree

parent, grandparent or great-grandparent

application

in person

with an interview

Who counts as a person of Bulgarian origin

Under the Act, this is a person with at least one ascendant who is Bulgarian (§ 2(1) of the Supplementary Provisions). For the application, however, you must prove descent from such an ascendant up to and including the third degree — a parent, grandparent or great-grandparent (Art. 15(2)).

The proof must be official documents issued by Bulgarian or foreign authorities: birth and marriage records, registration documents and similar. They must show the ascendant’s names and their relation to you — usually a chain of birth records from you back to the ancestor.

If the documents are not enough

Where facts in the documents need clarifying, the Minister of Justice may ask you for more documents within 14 days or ask the Advisory Council at the Executive Agency for Bulgarians Abroad to establish your origin (Art. 29(4)). The Council gives its opinion within 2 months and considers whether you use Bulgarian, whether you identify as a person of Bulgarian origin, and whether you:

• belong to a Bulgarian community or minority in another country;
• come from a place that was once part of the Bulgarian state or the Bulgarian Exarchate;
• have ascendants who used the traditional Bulgarian naming system.

How to apply

1. Gather the documents

   The list is on the Ministry of Justice website. Foreign documents need legalisation or an apostille and a Bulgarian translation. The application and documents must be in Bulgarian.

2. Book an appointment

   For the Ministry of Justice, online at publicbg.mjs.bg/BgSubmissionDoc. For an embassy or consulate, follow that mission’s booking rules; an appointment is needed there too.

3. Attend in person

   You submit the application and are interviewed using a questionnaire approved by the Minister. The embassy or consulate gives a reasoned opinion and forwards the case to the Ministry.

4. Track your case

   You receive a registration number and a PIN. Check progress at publicbg.mjs.bg/BgInfo. If you applied abroad, the number and PIN are sent to the mission, which lets you know.

5. Decree

   The Minister makes a proposal to the President after the Citizenship Council’s view and opinions from the Ministry of Interior and the State Agency for National Security. Citizenship is granted by presidential decree, effective on the day it is issued.

If the Minister misses the deadline, you can appeal to the Sofia Region Administrative Court (Art. 35(5)). While the case is open, you must tell the Ministry within one month about any change in the circumstances relevant to your application (Art. 32a).

How you learn the result

Once a decree is issued, the status check at publicbg.mjs.bg/BgInfo shows that your application has been granted, with the decree number. A refusal comes as the President declining to issue a decree on the Minister’s proposal. In April–June 2026 alone, decrees granted citizenship to 2,262 people and 406 were refused (Citizenship Commission report).

Certificate and oath

After the decree the Ministry of Justice issues a certificate of acquired citizenship. The Citizenship Act does not require an oath, and the Ministry’s page on collecting the certificate does not mention one.

• In Sofia — the certificate is collected in person only, at 1 Slavyanska St, desk 1, after booking a date and time at publicbg.mjs.bg/BgInfo and confirming by email.
• Abroad — if you applied through an embassy or consulate, the certificate is sent there for you to collect.
• Bring an identity document, 2 passport photos and proof of payment of the €51.13 fee (€20.45 for under-18s and students under 26).

Your first Bulgarian documents

When you collect the certificate, you give an address in Bulgaria for registration. If you have none, you can use the official address — Sredets district in Sofia. The Ministry notifies the municipality and the Ministry of Interior, the municipality enters you in the population register and you get a personal number (EGN). The two photos are used for your first ID card and passport.

Once you have an EGN, apply for a passport and ID card in Bulgaria or at an embassy — see the passport guide. What happens to your children is covered in the guide on citizenship for a child born abroad.