Does a child born in Bulgaria become a citizen?
Bulgarian citizenship at birth rests on two grounds: at least one parent being a Bulgarian citizen (descent), and being born on Bulgarian territory. The second is not unconditional: it applies if the child does not acquire another citizenship by descent.
Visas and residence · Last reviewed: 2026-10-08
This is not legal or financial advice
Descent: a Bulgarian parent
Under Article 8 of the Law on Bulgarian Citizenship (Закон за българското гражданство, ЗБГ), everyone who has at least one parent who is a Bulgarian citizen is a Bulgarian citizen by descent. Under Article 9, a person acknowledged by a Bulgarian citizen, or whose descent from a Bulgarian citizen is established by a court decision, is also a citizen by descent.
Birthplace: a child born in Bulgaria
Under Article 10, anyone born in Bulgaria is a Bulgarian citizen if they do not acquire another citizenship by descent. Under Article 11, a child found in Bulgaria whose parents are unknown is treated as born there. Whether the parents' own country gives the child its citizenship depends on that country's law; this article does not interpret it, and the Ministry of Justice or a consulate can tell you.
If not at birth: facilitated routes
- Article 15: a person of Bulgarian origin, adopted under full adoption by a Bulgarian citizen, or one of whose parents is or died as a Bulgarian citizen, can naturalise without the residence, income, language and release-from-citizenship conditions of Article 12. The Ministry of Justice list states a fee of 153.39 euro for this article, and 51.13 euro for students up to 26 with a university certificate.
- Article 18: a child up to 14 with only one Bulgarian parent can become a Bulgarian citizen without the Article 12 conditions if both parents (or the surviving one) give written consent; a child of 14 to 18 can do so if they request it.
- Article 17: children up to 14 acquire citizenship if their parents or the surviving parent take Bulgarian citizenship, or one of them does while the other is Bulgarian; those aged 14 to 18 if they request it.
- Article 13 (general rule): persons born in Bulgaria with at least three years of permanent or long-term residence can apply if they meet the other conditions; see the related articles.
Establishing citizenship
To obtain a document confirming that a person is a Bulgarian citizen, an application to establish the existence of Bulgarian citizenship is made under Article 39 of the law, through the municipality of the permanent address or, abroad, a Bulgarian consulate, and forwarded to the Ministry of Justice. The Ministry page states a state fee of 127.82 euro; documents include the birth certificate, a document showing when and how the person left the country, any foreign citizenship document and photographs.
This page is not legal advice
Frequently asked questions
Does every child born in Bulgaria become a Bulgarian citizen?
No. Under Article 10 only if the child does not acquire another citizenship by descent. The law of the parents' country matters here.
If only one parent is a Bulgarian citizen, is the child a citizen?
Under Article 8, if at least one parent is a Bulgarian citizen, the child is a Bulgarian citizen by descent.
What is the fee for establishing citizenship?
The Ministry of Justice page states 127.82 euro; confirm the current amount on the page.
Sources
The information on this page is based on the official sources listed below. Legislation changes — open the links and verify the current position.
- Министерство на правосъдието — Закон за българското гражданство (текст на сайта на МП, раздел „Нормативни актове и други документи“) — https://www.mjs.bg/home/index/da142820-e272-40f7-a000-5dfe864283ee?top=1 · 2026-10-08
- Министерство на правосъдието — Придобиване на българско гражданство по обща натурализация на основание чл. 15 от ЗБГ (списък на документите) — https://www.mjs.bg/home/index/f3655a73-7405-4832-8757-8e68be5d7683 · 2026-10-08
- Министерство на правосъдието — Установяване наличието на българско гражданство (списък на документите) — https://www.mjs.bg/home/index/3a41c69f-b741-42f4-8e72-b66bc0a8af75 · 2026-10-08
Related topics
Bulgarian citizenship through Bulgarian origin
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