Permanent and current address

Every Bulgarian citizen is entered in the population register with a permanent and a current address. The permanent address is always in Bulgaria. The current address is where you live and can be abroad — in that case only the country is recorded. Addresses are registered with the municipality and, from abroad, also through a Bulgarian embassy or consulate.

permanent address

1

always in Bulgaria

current address abroad

country only

no town or street

deadline

30 days

to register a new current address

local elections

6 months

with a current address abroad you cannot vote

The difference

Why the address matters

• Official mail. State and municipal bodies contact you at your permanent address. Letters, summonses and notices go there even if you live abroad.
• Documents. The address is part of the data in your identity documents. If your permanent address is changed by the authorities, the law requires you to replace your identity documents within one month.
• Local elections. If your current address has been abroad for the 6 months before the election, you are removed from the voter lists for municipal councillors and mayors.
• European Parliament elections. If on the date the lists are drawn up your current address is in a non-EU country, you are removed from the voter lists in Bulgaria.
• Taxes. A permanent address in Bulgaria is one of the criteria for tax residence. If the centre of your vital interests is abroad, this is assessed separately — see the guide on taxes.
• Local taxes. Building tax and the waste collection charge are paid by the owner of the property, wherever they live.

How to register or change an address

1. Choose the address

   The address must be in the national register of addresses. You need a document showing you own or may use the property. If you are not the owner, the owner gives written consent — in person before an official or with a notarised signature.

2. Prepare the documents

   If you register with a parent, child or spouse, no property documents are needed — the municipality checks the relationship itself. An address may have up to twice as many registered residents as the home normally houses (three times for relatives). The limit does not apply to the owner.

3. Submit the application

   The permanent address is registered with an application, the current address with an address card, at the municipality, district or mayoralty. You apply in person or, exceptionally, through a representative with a notarised specific power of attorney. From abroad you can also apply through a Bulgarian embassy or consulate.

4. Current address abroad

   The address card is filed with the municipality of your permanent address. Only the country where you live is recorded. A change of current address must be registered within 30 days.

Some municipalities accept applications electronically — through the egov.bg portal or by email with a qualified electronic signature — and give a discount on the certificate fee. In Stara Zagora, for example, a permanent address certificate costs €2.56, and half that for a fully electronic service. Check your municipality’s website.

If you have no address in Bulgaria

Bulgarian citizens living abroad who have never been entered in the population register and cannot give a permanent address are registered by the authorities in Sredets district of Sofia Municipality.

If you are already registered but have nowhere to register and cannot present a property document or the owner’s consent, since 10 December 2024 you can register an official (service) address in the municipality of your last registration. The municipality is not responsible for mail received at a service address.