The Bulgarian personal number for foreigners (ЛНЧ)
ЛНЧ stands for „личен номер на чужденец“ — the personal number that makes a foreign national identifiable across Bulgarian administrative registers. You do not file a separate application „for a number“: it is generated when your residence status is entered into the register, and it appears on your residence document. Much of the friction people hit in their first months in Bulgaria traces back to not having one yet.
Visas and residence · Last reviewed: 2026-08-16
The number is a key, not a permission
An ЛНЧ does not create a right to stay; it makes an already recorded right findable in the systems. The distinction matters in practice: holding a number does not prove your status is currently valid, and the end of a status does not erase the number. Treat status and identifier as two separate things.
Who gets one
- Third-country nationals whose long-term or permanent residence has been registered.
- EU, EEA and Swiss citizens who have registered their residence — here the number follows from registration and is not a foreigner's permit.
- People registered under temporary or international protection.
- Certain people with a Bulgarian tax or social-security obligation but no residence here; in those cases a different register may issue the identifier.
How it differs from ЕГН
| ЕГН | ЛНЧ | |
|---|---|---|
| Issued to | Bulgarian citizens and some permanent residents | People recorded with foreign-national status |
| Reflects | Entry in the population register | Entry in the register of foreigners |
| Appears on | ID card and civil-status documents | Residence document and administrative records |
| Maintained by | ГРАО and municipal civil-registry units | МВР and Directorate „Migration“ |
Where you will be asked for it
Opening a bank account, registering an employment contract, tax registration, joining the health-insurance system, enrolling a child in school, registering a vehicle, and signing in to electronic administrative services. Without the number, most of that chain does not start — which is why the usual order is address registration, residence registration, then the number.
If the number was recorded incorrectly
Work out which record is wrong
If the number on your residence document differs from the one an institution holds, the error is usually in the secondary record rather than on the document.Go to the primary register
Corrections on the foreigners' side run through Directorate „Migration“; corrections on the civil-registration and address side run through ГРАО and the relevant municipality.Push the correction down the chain
After the fix, your employer, bank, tax and health records each need updating separately — corrections do not propagate automatically everywhere.
No fees or processing times here
This is not legal or financial advice
Frequently asked questions
Do EU citizens get an ЛНЧ or an ЕГН in Bulgaria?
EU, EEA and Swiss citizens who register their residence normally receive an ЛНЧ, because the register behind it is the one for foreign nationals. An ЕГН comes into play with citizenship or, in some cases, permanent residence.
Can I use the number to log in to Bulgarian e-services?
The number identifies you, but electronic services also require an accepted means of electronic identification. Check what is currently accepted on egov.bg before assuming the number alone is enough.
Does the number change when my residence ground changes?
As a rule the identifier stays with you while the legal ground changes. If a new document shows a different number, ask Directorate „Migration“ to confirm it explicitly before using it with banks or employers.
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 вътрешните работи (МВР) — https://www.mvr.bg/ · 2026-08-16
- Дирекция „Миграция“ — МВР — https://www.migration.mvr.bg/ · 2026-08-16
- ГД ГРАО — гражданска регистрация и административно обслужване — https://www.grao.bg/ · 2026-08-16
- Единен портал за електронни административни услуги (egov.bg) — https://egov.bg/ · 2026-08-16
- Национална агенция за приходите (НАП) — https://nra.bg/ · 2026-08-16
Related topics
ЕГН: Bulgaria's civil identification number
ЕГН identifies people entered in Bulgaria's population register. Who receives one, where it appears, and what it means for foreign nationals.
Types of Bulgarian residence permit and how they differ
What separates continued, EU long-term and permanent residence? Who decides, how each status is acquired, and the ways it can be lost.
Address registration and personal number in Bulgaria
Why address registration comes before everything else: the municipality's role, permanent versus current address, and the difference between ЕГН and ЛНЧ.
Opening a bank account in Bulgaria
Why banks ask for identity, address and source-of-funds evidence, how resident and non-resident treatment differs, and what IBAN and SEPA mean here.