Do teachers need a Bulgarian diploma?

A teaching qualification is required under the Bulgarian standard for teaching staff. Check with the Ministry before applying whether a particular foreign diploma will be accepted. For teachers without a teaching qualification, the programme funds a 250-hour course at a Bulgarian university.

Can the school meet in a church or a local school?

Yes, as long as the premises meet the requirements of the country. Proof of premises is attached to the proposal.

Can I open a Sunday school as a private individual?

Not with Ministry support. Funding goes only to organisations — a registered association of Bulgarians, a church community or an embassy.

How long until we receive funding?

For the list: apply by 31 January, decision by 31 May, the first 50% by 31 July. Under the programme the 70% advance is paid within three months of project approval.

How to open a Bulgarian Sunday school abroad

A Sunday school is opened by an organisation registered in the country where you live — usually an association of Bulgarians or a Bulgarian Orthodox church community. To receive support from the Ministry of Education and Science (MON), it must meet the requirements of Decree No. 90 of 2018 or of the national programme “Native Language and Culture Abroad”. Without state support a school can still run under local rules, but its pupils will not receive certificates under the Bulgarian procedure.

pupils: min. 20; for the Decree No. 90 list
pupils: min. 10; for a programme project
registration: 1 year; of the organisation before joining the list
deadline: 31 January; to join the list

What a Sunday school teaches

Bulgarian Sunday schools abroad teach pre-school children (aged 4–7) and pupils in years 1 to 12 Bulgarian language and literature, history and geography as they relate to Bulgaria. They do not award a completed school year or a level of education — pupils continue at their local school.

A school may also organise:

extra activities — music, dance, theatre, art, local studies, knowledge of Christianity — in groups of at least 10 children;
preparation for Bulgarian universities — in groups of at least 5 under Decree No. 90, with at least 100 teaching hours a year per subject.

Requirements

Under Decree No. 90/2018, a school seeking a place on the Ministry list must have:

an organisation registered for educational and cultural activity at least one year before applying;
at least 20 children and pupils in the three core subjects;
teachers and a head with the professional qualification of “teacher”;
premises that meet the requirements of local law;
a parents’ council of at least three parents, elected at a meeting within a month of the start of the school year;
curricula and materials approved by the Ministry, and school records — class registers, minutes, a register of certificates.

Step by step

Register an organisation
An association or foundation under local law, with educational and cultural activity in its statutes. Registration rules and times differ from country to country — check with the local registry.
Find teachers and premises
You need teachers with a teaching qualification and a head with the same. The premises must meet local requirements — safety, hygiene, insurance.
Enrol pupils and elect a parents’ council
Draw up lists by class with year of birth and hold a parents’ meeting. Parents of more than half of the pupils must take part; remote participation is allowed.
Apply to the Ministry
Online, through the Ministry’s system (world.mon.bg): by 31 January to join the list, or within 30 days of the programme call for a yearly project.
Wait for the decision
An inter-ministerial committee (Education, Foreign Affairs, Culture and the Executive Agency for Bulgarians Abroad) assesses proposals. The embassy confirms the organisation’s activity.
Report
By 15 October — an update; within a month of the end of the year — data on pupils who completed it; by 31 July — the annual report of the head and the parents’ council.

Dates for joining the list

by 31 JanuaryProposalthrough the online system
by 30 AprilCommitteedraft list or refusal
by 31 MayMinister’s decisionlist published within a week
by 31 July50% of the funding
by 31 DecemberRemaining fundingafter the 15 October update

Funding

For schools on the list, funding is calculated from rates: fixed costs, a rate per pupil (in-person or online), per university applicant and a supplement for extra activities. The rates are set each year by ministerial order and may vary with prices in the country. The money covers staff pay, rent, running costs and equipment.

For a programme project the 2026/2027 ceiling is €20,000 per project and €125 per pupil, with a teaching hour up to €15 and rent up to €750.

Textbooks and curricula

Teaching follows the Ministry’s curricula for teaching abroad. The Ministry supplies textbooks and materials for teaching abroad on request and within its budget (Art. 7 of Decree No. 103/1993), and programme funds can buy materials, books and their shipping from Bulgaria.

Online teaching

Under Decree No. 90 teaching is in person. Online teaching with at least 30% in-person hours, or fully online, is allowed in listed cases — for example when a pupil cannot reach the nearest Sunday school. Requests are made at least 15 days before the school year starts.

From practice

These tips are not Ministry requirements but the experience of existing schools:

start by talking to the embassy or consulate — they know whether there is already a school nearby, and the programme may turn down a project in an area with another supported school;
look for free premises in a local school, church or community centre: rent is often the biggest cost;
keep records of every expense from day one — reporting rules are strict and rejected costs must be repaid.