Bulgaria Pensioner Residence Visa 2026 — The EU's Lowest Income Threshold

Who qualifies for the Bulgarian pensioner visa?

Anyone who has acquired pension rights in Turkey or another country and receives a regular pension may apply. There is no age limit, no Bulgarian language requirement, and no obligation to buy property or invest. The only requirement is documented, regular income sufficient to support yourself in Bulgaria (Foreigners Act, Art. 24(1)(10)).

This is the lowest income threshold for a retirement residence permit in the European Union. Portugal's D7 asks for €920 a month, Spain €2,400, Italy €2,700 and Greece €3,500; Bulgaria's benchmark is its own minimum pension.

2026 income threshold: €348 per month

The law sets no fixed figure; the benchmark is Bulgaria's minimum pension — €347.51 as of 1 July 2026. In practice a regular pension above €348 is accepted.

Even Turkey's lowest state pension clears this threshold. A concrete example: a retiree receiving a gross monthly pension of 23,552 TRY from the Turkish social security institution equals roughly €427 at October 2026 rates — 23% above the threshold.

Is the gross or the net amount counted?

This detail decides Turkish files and is absent from most sources. The gross (total) monthly pension is what is assessed, not the net amount received. In the example above, gross is 23,552 TRY (≈€427) while the net paid is 21,091 TRY (≈€382). Because the gross figure applies, the margin is comfortable.

We confirmed this directly with a law firm practising in Bulgaria (October 2026). Even so, we advise applying with a pension at least 10% above the threshold to absorb currency movement.

Does the pension have to be transferred to Bulgaria?

No. Your pension does not need to be paid into a Bulgarian bank account; it may continue to be paid in Turkey. What is required is documentation of the income — the Turkish social security pension statement, apostilled and translated. The statement is issued through the Turkish state portal and carries a QR verification code.

Is the money in the bank blocked?

No. The funds are not blocked, frozen or paid to anyone. The account is in your own name, the money is yours, and you may use it whenever you wish. Its presence at the time of application simply demonstrates that you can support yourself — it is not a guarantee or a deposit.

The expected amount is roughly twelve months of the minimum pension, about €4,170. Once the permit is granted you may withdraw it, spend it in Bulgaria, or leave it where it is. The account can be opened under power of attorney, so no trip is needed for this step either.

Does the health insurance cost €30,000?

No — €30,000 is not what you pay; it is the minimum cover the policy must provide. In other words, the insurer must be prepared to meet costs of up to €30,000 on your behalf.

What you actually pay is the annual premium: €75-100. It varies somewhat with age and scope of cover, but rarely leaves that band. It is one of the smallest items in the file.

Do you qualify? A 60-second check

#	Question	Why it is asked
1	Have you acquired pension rights?	This is a retirement permit. If you are still working and not yet retired, it is not open to you.
2	Is your gross pension above €348 a month?	The benchmark is Bulgaria's minimum pension. The gross figure counts, not the net.
3	Can you show about €4,170 in a bank account?	The money is not blocked and stays yours; it need only be in the account at the time of application.
4	Is your passport valid for at least 18 months?	A short passport means a short permit.
5	Is your criminal record clean?	An apostilled criminal record is a mandatory part of the file.

Your result

• Yes to all five: your file qualifies. Next step is documents and apostilles; the process takes 3-4 months.
• Close to the threshold on question 2 (€348-400): technically eligible, but exposed to currency movement. Rental income, a second pension or a spouse's income strengthens the file.
• No to question 1: this route is closed to you, but Bulgaria's trade representation route is open to company owners.

What will it cost in total?

The figures below come from two independent firms practising in Bulgaria whose fee schedules we obtained separately and which matched each other.

Official fees

• Type D visa fee: €100 (€200 expedited)
• Visa application centre service charge: ~€30
• One-year residence permit: €255-256
• Residence card: €20 (30 days) · €40 (10 days) · €102 (4 days)

Third-party costs

• Health insurance (1 year, minimum €30,000 cover): €75-100
• Translation and notarisation (5-7 documents): €250-400
• Bulgarian bank account opening (by power of attorney): €150
• Apostille and notarised power of attorney in Turkey: €50-120

State fees and third-party costs together: approximately €1,050-1,650, plus the legal fee in Bulgaria.

For a retiree who continues to live in Turkey and spends a few months a year in Bulgaria, the first-year total is roughly €2,100-2,500. If you relocate fully and rent a home, rent and deposit are added and the first year moves to the €5,800-8,400 range.

From the second year: renewal fee and card around €275, insurance €75-100, plus the address cost.

How long must you stay in Bulgaria?

There are two distinct regimes, and confusing them is a common mistake.

• To keep the residence card: roughly two months a year in Bulgaria is sufficient. The card is renewed annually and you continue living in Turkey.
• To move to permanent residence: you must spend at least half of each year in Bulgaria for five years.

Can you work on this permit?

No. A pension-based residence permit does not grant the right to employment or self-employment in Bulgaria. If you intend to work, the correct routes are trade representation, company formation or a work permit.

Tax: the point to watch

Bulgaria levies a flat 10% income tax, among the lowest in the EU. But there is a detail most advisers leave out: spending more than 183 days in Bulgaria in a calendar year makes you a Bulgarian tax resident, and your worldwide income — including your Turkish pension — becomes taxable there at 10%. A double taxation treaty between Turkey and Bulgaria makes the risk manageable, but a filing obligation arises.

A retiree staying two months a year does not become tax resident. In other words, the permanent-residence objective and tax residence lead to the same door — a matter to settle at the start of the plan.

Do you have to rent a home?

An address in Bulgaria is mandatory for the residence application. There are three ways to provide one: a one-year lease in your own name, a notarised host declaration (декларация от домакин), or buying property in Bulgaria.

In practice an address arrangement can be resolved for a few hundred euros a year, whereas a real lease in Varna or Burgas means €300-450 a month for a one-bedroom flat, plus a month's deposit and agency commission. This single item drives the difference in price.

Can you buy property in Bulgaria?

Turkish citizens may buy buildings and apartments held in condominium. However, under Article 22 of the Bulgarian Constitution, non-EU individuals may not acquire land — this covers detached houses with a plot, building plots and agricultural land. The only route is to set up a Bulgarian company and hold the property through it; a wholly foreign-owned Bulgarian company is permitted and counts as a domestic legal person.

Process and realistic timeline

1. Documents and apostilles (2-4 weeks): pension statement, apostilled criminal record, passport valid at least 18 months, health insurance, proof of address in Bulgaria.
2. Address and bank account (1-2 weeks): both handled under power of attorney, without travelling.
3. Type D visa application at the Bulgarian mission in Turkey. The legal decision period is up to 30 working days; in practice 3-6 weeks.
4. Entry to Bulgaria: address registration within 5 days, residence application and biometrics with the Migration Directorate within 14 days.
5. Residence card: decision in about 15 days; card issued on a 4, 10 or 30-day track.

Realistic end-to-end time: 3-4 months, with a single trip to Bulgaria for biometrics.

Permanent residence and citizenship

After five years of long-term residence you may obtain permanent residence or EU long-term resident status. Citizenship requires a further five years from permanent residence — ten years in total — with a Bulgarian language interview, and ordinary naturalisation raises the question of renouncing your existing citizenship.

An important exception: if you have Bulgarian ancestry, the position changes entirely. Article 15 of the Citizenship Act exempts persons of Bulgarian origin from the residence requirement, which means EU citizenship can be pursued while continuing to live in Turkey, and Turkish citizenship is retained. If a parent, grandparent or great-grandparent was Bulgarian, this route is worth examining.

How Resida Global works with you

We assess your file free of charge: whether your pension clears the threshold, which documents are needed, what the total comes to and how long it takes — given to you in writing at the outset.

Document preparation, the apostille and translation plan, the consulate appointment and case tracking sit with us; legal and administrative steps in Bulgaria sit with our local lawyer partners. You deal with one point of contact, in Turkish.

One thing we state plainly: we work only through fully lawful channels. We have no interest in any method that promises a guaranteed timeline or outcome, or claims to "speed up" the procedure.