The Bulgarian long-stay D visa file
The long-stay visa, known in Bulgarian practice as visa D, is the first formal link on the way to settling in Bulgaria, and it does one job: it makes lawful entry possible and opens the residence procedure inside the country. This page is about building the file rather than defining the visa; for the definition, see the D visa overview.
Visas and residence · Last reviewed: 2026-10-10
This is not legal or financial advice
The ground carries the file
A consular officer is answering one question: will this person be in Bulgaria for the purpose stated, and do the documents support that purpose? So the centre of the file is the legal ground, not the form. Once the ground is fixed, the required documents follow from it. When the ground is vague, even a thick folder is weak.
| Ground | Core document | Body involved at the next stage |
|---|---|---|
| Employment | Employment contract and, where needed, labour-market authorisation | Employment administration and Migration Directorate |
| Study | Admission letter from the higher-education institution | The institution and the Migration Directorate |
| Family reunification | Certified marriage, birth or descent record | Migration Directorate |
| Business activity | Commercial register entry and evidence of activity | Commercial Register and Migration Directorate |
| Stable income | Official records showing income continuity | Migration Directorate |
| Bulgarian descent | Certificate of origin and civil-status records | The authority establishing origin and Migration |
Why it can only be filed abroad
Only Bulgarian diplomatic and consular missions issue long-stay visas. That is a design choice, not an inconvenience: the settlement decision is reviewed before the person enters. The practical consequence is that entering for a short stay and then switching to a long-stay visa from inside is not normally possible; most people have to leave and start again through a mission.
From appointment to decision
Confirm the competent mission
The application goes to the mission covering the country where you live. Check the consular district on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs pages; filing with the wrong mission means the file is not accepted.Complete the file before the appointment
Apostilles, translations and certifications take the longest. A missing document on the day means the file is not opened or is suspended.Attend in person
Long-stay applications normally require personal attendance and biometric enrolment. Ask in advance which steps a representative may take on your behalf.Respond quickly to requests for further documents
A request to complete the file pauses it. Delay can end the procedure or leave earlier documents stale, because some certificates are only accepted while recent.Plan entry and the in-country filing
Issue of the visa is not the finish line. Entry and the application to the Migration Directorate must both fit inside the visa's validity window.
Freshness of documents versus the certification chain
Criminal-record certificates, civil-status records and income evidence usually have to be recent, so a document obtained too early can be treated as stale on the day of filing. At the same time, apostilles and sworn translations take time. Managing that tension is the real planning problem: decide the order in which documents are obtained at the start, not as you go.
An apostille is not a translation
Grounds for refusal
- The stated purpose and the supporting documents do not match.
- Accommodation or means of subsistence are not evidenced; statements alone are not assessed.
- Passport validity is too short for the intended stay.
- Filing with documents that lack certification or translation.
- Recorded breaches during earlier stays, or an entry ban in force.
If the visa is refused
A refusal carries reasons, and the appeal route and deadline are set out in the decision itself. Refiling the same file will not change the outcome if the ground was not accepted, though completing an incomplete file and refiling makes sense. Keep the decision: later applications may ask you to declare previous refusals, and an inconsistent declaration becomes a fresh ground for refusal.
The first days after issue
- Time your entry so that the residence filing fits inside the visa's validity.
- Have your accommodation document — title deed or notarised tenancy agreement — ready before you travel.
- Confirm your health insurance is valid for Bulgaria; the condition is checked again at the residence stage.
- Ask the relevant Migration unit in what order address registration and the residence filing should be done.
Type D visa values on the official pages
The values below were read on 10 October 2026 on the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs pages on visas and consular fees and in the Ministry of Interior's residence service description. They can differ by mission and by ground, so confirm them with the mission where you apply.
| Topic | Value on the official page |
|---|---|
| Application fee for a type D visa (Article 15(1) of the Foreigners Act) | 100 euro; the fee is not refunded if the visa is refused |
| Long-stay visa fee under Article 15(2) of the same Act | 200 euro |
| Fee exemption | applicants under 6 years and family members of Bulgarian and EU citizens |
| Personal interview | mandatory for a long-stay visa application, with no exception |
| Passport | valid for at least 3 months after the planned departure; at least 2 blank pages for the visa; issued within the last 10 years |
| When to apply | no earlier than 3 months before the planned trip |
| Health insurance | valid in EU countries for the whole stay; cover cannot be less than 30 thousand euro |
| Photograph | 3.5 × 4.5 cm on a light background; the face takes up 70–80% of the photo |
| Residence application after the visa | no later than 14 days before the type D visa expires (the period in the residence service description) |
The ministry's page says that in many countries, Türkiye among them, visa applications are also taken at application centres run by an outside service provider. It does not say whether a type D file can be lodged there or how the mandatory interview is arranged, so ask the mission.
Travelling in the Schengen area on the visa
The same page says Bulgaria has issued uniform (Schengen) visas since 31 March 2024, and that holders of long-stay visas issued by Bulgaria that stayed valid after that date can travel in the Schengen area under the rule of at most 90 days in any 180-day period. The European Commission's short-stay calculator, for its part, says that periods spent on a long-stay (type D) visa or an EU residence permit are not entered in it and are not subject to the 90/180 rule. In other words, time in the country that issued the visa is long-stay time, while trips to other Schengen countries are tracked separately.
These figures are a dated reading
Frequently asked questions
Can a D visa be issued once I am already in Bulgaria?
No. It is issued exclusively by missions abroad, no other visa converts into it, and no domestic authority can substitute for it.
Does the visa let me work straight away?
Not by itself. A visa granted on an employment ground reflects an authorisation obtained separately; access to the labour market follows the rules for that ground, not the visa sticker. Confirm what you are permitted to do before starting work.
My purpose changed after the visa was issued — is it still valid?
The visa was issued for a stated purpose. Changing the purpose before the residence procedure normally triggers a new assessment rather than carrying the visa across.
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 външните работи — Visa for Bulgaria — https://www.mfa.bg/en/services-travel/consular-services/travel-bulgaria/visa-bulgaria · 2026-10-10
- Министерство на външните работи — Fees (консулски такси) — https://www.mfa.bg/en/services-travel/consular-services/fees · 2026-10-10
- ИИСДА — Разрешаване на продължително пребиваване на чужденци (МВР, режим 238) — https://iisda.government.bg/adm_services/services/service_provision/21815 · 2026-10-10
- Европейска комисия — Short-stay calculator (90/180) — https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies/schengen/border-crossing/short-stay-calculator_en · 2026-10-10
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