Bulgarian investment incentives and grants: where to look
An investor in Bulgaria has three separate doors: the investment certificate and incentive service of InvestBulgaria Agency, calls opened by EU funds, and regional aid under the corporate income tax law. None of them guarantees that an applicant will get anything; this page only explains what each door is for and where to follow it.
Companies and taxes · Last reviewed: 2026-10-07
This is not legal or financial advice
What InvestBulgaria Agency offers
InvestBulgaria Agency (IBA) describes itself as a «one-stop shop» for investors and lists four groups of services: attraction, communication and coordination, the certification procedure with incentive applications, and post-certification support. The expert teams on its site are split by sector: automotive, electronics, health and life sciences, IT and business process outsourcing, robotics and mechatronics, and manufacturing.
According to its Services page, the agency helps get investment projects certified under the Investment Promotion Act so that they can benefit from certain incentives. The items the page lists are:
- Acquiring land or limited rights in rem over immovable property without a tender.
- Social security cashback.
- Reimbursement of training costs.
- Financing of elements of the technical infrastructure.
- A shortcut on administrative time limits.
The same page says suitable projects may receive regional aid in the form of retained tax under article 189 of the Corporate Income Tax Act, subject to certain conditions. The page gives no amounts, percentages or investment thresholds, so we give none; for the conditions see the agency's «Legal framework» section and the text of the law.
EU funds and grant calls
IBA lists «information about available government grants and EU funding» among its services. Bulgaria's EU funds portal, eufunds.bg, lists the operational programmes and offers a search section for «open calls». A grant call is tied to a specific programme, region and type of applicant, and each call has its own guidelines. That is why we do not quote current calls, amounts or rates here.
General caution, verify for each call
What concerns Turkish investors: foreign investment screening
IBA's «FDI screening» page says a prior-authorisation regime applies to certain foreign direct investments. According to the page a «foreign investor» is a natural or legal person established outside the European Union; setting up a new enterprise and expanding an existing one count as direct investment, while portfolio investment without a role in management does not. Turkey is not an EU member, so a person established in Turkey falls within that definition.
The page says mandatory screening applies where there is a direct or indirect acquisition of at least 10 percent of the capital of an enterprise established in Bulgaria, where the investment amounts to or exceeds 2,000,000 euros, or where the investment goes to an enterprise in high-tech activities. Critical infrastructure, critical technologies, critical resources and access to sensitive information are listed as covered areas. The application goes through IBA to the Interdepartmental Screening Council; according to the page the decision period is 45 days from a valid application, extendable by up to 30 days.
A lawyer decides whether you are in scope
A practical order
Define the project
Sector, location, jobs and the type of investment decide which door applies (certificate, grant call or none).Assess foreign-investment screening
If you invest from outside the European Union, review the thresholds and the sector with a lawyer.Choose the incentive route
Contact IBA for a certificate; follow the open calls of the relevant programme on eufunds.bg for grants.Document the conditions
Each incentive or call has its own conditions and later reporting (the IBA site has an employment reporting system). Count that burden in before applying.
This page is not legal or financial advice
Frequently asked questions
If I invest in Bulgaria, will I get a grant?
No, that cannot be guaranteed. Grants depend on applying to the open calls of specific programmes and being selected; you can follow calls on eufunds.bg.
What does an investment certificate do?
According to IBA, a certificate opens the way for the project to use some incentives under the Investment Promotion Act (for example tender-free acquisition of property, social security cashback, reimbursement of training costs). The conditions are in the law and in the agency's legal-framework section.
Does an investor from Turkey need extra permission?
It can be so if the investment reaches certain thresholds or sectors. According to IBA's page, some direct investments by persons established outside the EU are subject to prior authorisation; assess your case with a lawyer.
Sources
The information on this page is based on the official sources listed below. Legislation changes — open the links and verify the current position.
- InvestBulgaria Agency — IBA Services (англ.) — https://investbg.government.bg/services/ · 2026-10-07
- InvestBulgaria Agency — FDI screening (англ.) — https://investbg.government.bg/fdi-screening/ · 2026-10-07
- InvestBulgaria Agency — начална страница — https://investbg.government.bg/ · 2026-10-07
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