Does forming a company give you Bulgarian residence?

Companies and taxes · Last reviewed: 2026-08-23

Two statutes, two questions

In Bulgarian law, "do I have a company" and "may I live here" are answered by different acts. The first belongs to the Commercial Act and the Commercial Register Act; the second to the Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria Act. Entry in the register creates no right of stay, and equally a residence permit obliges nobody to incorporate. The two files proceed before different authorities on different grounds.

Grasping that distinction prevents most of the wasted money in this area. A company formed purely in the hope of residence, with no real activity, generates annual accounting and filing duties, costs time and money to wind up, and on administrative review a finding of no genuine activity weakens the file rather than supporting it.

For EU nationals the picture is different

For nationals of the EU, the European Economic Area and Switzerland the question is registration rather than permission. Freedom of establishment flows directly from Union law and covers the right to pursue economic activity; the administration recognises that right rather than creating it. The remainder of this page concerns third-country nationals.

The grounds where a company genuinely helps

The procedure we measured

According to the Migration Directorate of the Ministry of Interior, an application for a residence permit is filed in person, either with the directorate or with the migration unit of the relevant regional directorate. The decision period is 14 days, extendable to 1 month where the case is legally or factually complex or additional documents are required. On the visa side, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs consular tariff sets a fee of 100 euro for an application under Article 15(1) of the Foreigners Act and 200 euro under Article 15(2). These values were read on 23 August 2026.

The means requirement: there is no single number

The common question — how many euro a month must I show — has no single answer, because the law sets a test rather than a fixed sum: the applicant must demonstrate the ability to support themselves throughout the stay without recourse to the social assistance system, and the level required cannot fall below the minimum monthly wage, the minimum stipend or the minimum pension. According to the General Labour Inspectorate, the minimum gross monthly wage applicable from 1 January 2026 is 620.20 euro, with an hourly rate of 3.74 euro. Those values were read on 23 August 2026 and change each year by government decree, so the subsistence level moves with them. Different residence categories may attract different levels; confirm the binding figure with the Migration Directorate for your own ground.

1. 1

   Establish the ground first

   Before incorporating, write down which residence ground you will rely on. If the ground is unclear, a company will not clarify it — it only adds cost.
2. 2

   Read the conditions in the statute

   The Foreigners Act lists separate conditions for each ground: housing, health insurance, means of subsistence, a criminal record certificate and, where relevant, sectoral approval.
3. 3

   Obtain the long-stay visa abroad

   For third-country nationals the in-country procedure normally rests on a long-stay visa issued by a Bulgarian mission abroad.
4. 4

   File in person and track the deadline

   The application is filed in person, the decision period is 14 days and it can be extended. A missing document is the most common cause of delay.

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