How to get Bulgarian Citizenship By Origin in 2021
Last Updated on August 29, 2024 by Bulgarian Citizenship Team
Art. 15 of the amended Bulgarian citizenship Act offers three categories of persons who are eligible to apply for Bulgarian citizenship by origin:
- A person of Bulgarian origin.
- A person adopted by a Bulgarian citizen under the conditions of full adoption.
- A person whose parent is a Bulgarian citizen or has died as a Bulgarian citizen.
The Citizenship Act, amended on 15th of March 2021, aims to design a faster and more transparent procedure to obtain Bulgarian citizenship by origin. There is no longer a need to apply for a certificate of Bulgarian origin with the State Agency for Bulgarians Abroad.
The Agency has had the highest levels of inefficiency and corruption among Bulgarian public bodies. The deadline for considering such an application was set by the law of one month. Unfortunately, for our more than 15 years of practice, the Agency has never issued a certificate of Bulgarian origin in less than six months.
The procedure now is a one-stage application procedure with the Ministry of Justice
Applicants now submit a set of documents proving Bulgarian origin, along with a set of citizenship application documents, to the Ministry of Justice. The procedure is no longer two-staged as it was before the amendments, when only applicants who got a Bulgarian origin certificate could apply for Bulgarian citizenship. Removing the stage of applying for a certificate of Bulgarian origin reduced the time to citizenship by 12 months.
Reduced consideration time
The amended Art. 35 of the Citizenship Act states that applications for Bulgarian citizenship by origin should be considered within nine months of application compared to 12 months before the Act amendments. This further reduces the time to citizenship by three months.
The amendments will certainly improve processing time and make the procedure more transparent. This is the end of the five-year application time consideration. The bureaucracy is substantially reduced, and there is a clear criterion.
There is no need to visit the nearest Bulgarian embassy or general consulate twice¾once to apply, and twelve months later to be interviewed. Now you can both apply and attend an interview during the same visit to the embassy or Ministry of Justice.
The improved path for citizenship by origin will undoubtedly increase the number of investors who would like to get Bulgarian citizenship by investment and ensure Bulgarian citizenship for their children.
Expected Amendments in Late 2024 to Early 2025:
The interim government has introduced a draft bill proposing amendments to the Citizenship Act, specifically targeting the process of obtaining Bulgarian citizenship by origin. The proposed changes would require all applicants to pass a language test, a requirement that was not previously applied to applicants by investment or those claiming citizenship by origin.
The Act has already been amended for Bulgaria Golden Visa applicants, who are now required to pass at least A1/A2 level Bulgarian language exams if they wish to pursue Bulgarian citizenship. Currently, applicants by origin are not yet affected by this change, but they are advised to proceed with their applications as soon as possible to avoid potential complications or negative surprises from future delays.
FAQs:
Do I need to apply for a certificate of Bulgarian with the State Agency for Bulgarians Abroad?
Applicants for Bulgarian citizenship by origin no longer need to apply for a certificate of Bulgarian origin. You have to provide evidence of Bulgarian origin when you file your citizenship application.
If I got Bulgarian citizenship by investment, when can my children apply for Bulgarian citizenship?
Your children can apply for Bulgarian citizenship straight after your citizenship application was approved.