Bulgaria · Citizenship by descent
Naturalisation on the Basis of Bulgarian Origin (Article 15)
Open, but the March 2021 amendments tightened it in real ways. Lineage is now capped at the great-grandparent generation. The old two-stage certificate from the State Agency for Bulgarians Abroad has been abolished. Evidence of origin now goes straight to the Ministry of Justice and must consist of official documents issued by Bulgarian or foreign state bodies. The statutory decision period was cut from 12 to 9 months.
For anyone who qualifies, this route beats the investor track by a wide margin. It waives the two things that make Bulgarian naturalisation unappealing: the language test and the renunciation requirement. If there is a Bulgarian great-grandparent in the family, this is the conversation to have, not the one about the EUR 511k fund.
Qualifying routes
An ancestor up to and including a great-grandparent qualifies. This waives the residence period, the financial self-sufficiency requirement, the language test and the renunciation requirement.
The facts
- Total landed cost
- The state fee was raised in 2025 to BGN 1,000, about EUR 511, plus archival research and certified translation
- Route type
- By ancestry
- Timeline
- 1–2 years (Some sources report a longer wait. The 9-month statutory period is not the practical reality)
- Physical presence
- None
- Family
- Each applicant qualifies in their own right, within the three-degree limit
- Permanent residency
- Not applicable. This route leads to direct citizenship
- Citizenship
- Direct, with no residence period required
- Language test
- None. The language test is statutorily waived for the Bulgarian origin route
- Dual citizenship
- Permitted
- Requirements
- a documented Bulgarian ancestor, no further back than the great-grandparent levelofficial, state-issued documents proving the ascendant and the relationshipa clean criminal record
- The SABA scandal is why this route is now hard. On 31 October 2018, Petar Haralampiev, head of the State Agency for Bulgarians Abroad, was arrested along with roughly 20 officials. They were charged with organised crime, bribery, forgery and abuse of office over a ring selling fake Bulgarian-ancestry certificates at about EUR 5,000 each. Reportedly the ring produced around 40 fake documents a week since June 2017, targeting North Macedonia, Serbia, Moldova and Ukraine. This directly led to the 2021 removal of SABA from the chain and a tightening of evidentiary standards.
- Lineage has been capped at the great-grandparent generation since 2021. Deeper ancestry no longer qualifies.
- Evidence must now come from official documents issued by state bodies naming the ascendant and the relationship. Family testimony and organisation certificates no longer suffice.
- Unverified: several commercial sites claim Bulgaria introduced B1 or A1 integration testing and an online Ministry of Justice portal in 2026. They contradict each other on the level required, and we found no official confirmation. The Article 15 language waiver is statutory, and there is no evidence it has been repealed. Do not rely on these claims either way. Verify directly.
- The Citizenship Act was amended in State Gazette No. 61 of 29 July 2025, with parts in force from 31 January 2026. These include a one-month deadline for proposals to revoke naturalisation in terrorism-related cases. This bears on risk, not on eligibility.