Bulgaristan.bg

Turkish-language schooling in Bulgaria: what sources say

This page neither confirms nor denies that a school with Turkish as the language of instruction exists, because the official pages we reviewed show no such list. What we could confirm is how the arrangement for foreign children learning their mother tongue and culture works.

Education · Last reviewed: 2026-10-07

What the official pages say

According to the European Commission's Eurydice page, there are regulated terms, conditions and order for free training in the Bulgarian language for migrant children and children of citizens of EU member states, the European Economic Area and Switzerland, as well as for learning the mother tongue and culture of pupils of compulsory school age. Learning the mother tongue and culture is done at the request of the parents, at the school where the child studies or at another appropriate place determined by the diplomatic representation of the state of origin; the arrangement is run by that diplomatic representation.

  • Compulsory education runs from age seven to sixteen; school starts in the school year in which the child turns seven.
  • Eurydice's learner-support page mentions modules for pupils whose mother tongue is not Bulgarian and a centre for educational integration of ethnic-minority children.
  • From the 2024-2025 school year, all preschool children and pupils in grades 1 to 12 are provided with free textbooks and study sets; the subject «Mother Tongue» is included (Eurydice legislation page).

What to do in practice

  1. Ask the Turkish missions

    For how mother-tongue and culture lessons are run for Türkiye, ask the embassy in Sofia (80 Vasil Levski Blvd., phone +359 2 935 55 00) or the consulate general in Plovdiv (10 Filip Makedonski St., phone +359 32 632309); addresses and numbers come from the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry's Türkiye page.

  2. Put a written request to the school head

    According to Eurydice, lessons run at the parents' request; send your request to the school in writing and keep the reply.

  3. Ask about Bulgarian-language support

    Ask for the modules and support measures that help your child adapt to Bulgarian; see the article on language adaptation for details.

  4. Assess private and international schools separately

    The language of instruction and curriculum of private and international schools differ from school to school; see their own articles.

What we could not confirm

We found no official list of which school in which city offers Turkish lessons, so we name no schools. For current information, rely on the Turkish missions and the municipal education office.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a state school with Turkish as the language of instruction?

The official pages we reviewed give no such list; we neither say there is nor that there is not. Ask the Turkish missions and the education office.

Can my child learn their mother tongue at school?

According to Eurydice, mother-tongue and culture learning is done at the parents' request, at school or at a place set by the state-of-origin mission.

Sources

The information on this page is based on the official sources listed below. Legislation changes — open the links and verify the current position.

  1. Eurydice (Avrupa Komisyonu) — Bulgaristan: öğrenci destek önlemleri — https://eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu/eurypedia/bulgaria/support-measures-learners-early-childhood-and-school-education · 2026-10-07
  2. Eurydice (Avrupa Komisyonu) — Bulgaristan: mevzuat ve resmî politika belgeleri — https://eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu/eurypedia/bulgaria/legislation-and-official-policy-documents · 2026-10-07
  3. Министерство на външните работи (МВнР) — Türkiye sayfası: Türk temsilcilikleri Bulgaristan'da — https://www.mfa.bg/en/embassyinfo/t%C3%BCrkiye · 2026-10-07

Related topics

Turkish-language schooling in Bulgaria: what sources say | Bulgaristan.bg