Bulgarian Citizenship: All Pathways for Ukrainians
Bulgarian citizenship can be obtained in four ways — by Bulgarian origin up to the third degree of kinship, by birth on the territory of Bulgaria, through naturalization based on permanent residence, or through marriage to a citizen of the country. The investment route, the so-called “golden passports,” was abolished as early as 2022 and has not been reinstated.
International Law Firm "Zahist" advises clients on acquiring Bulgarian citizenship. In our practice, most inquiries concern the origin pathway — many Ukrainians, especially from Odesa Region, have Bulgarian roots they were not even aware of until they began collecting archival documents.
We review all four current pathways, which documents are required for each, and how long it takes to consider an application.
Citizenship by origin — the simplest pathway
Citizenship by origin (по произход) is available to those who can documentarily prove the Bulgarian origin of a relative up to and including the third degree of kinship — under Article 15 of the Bulgarian Citizenship Act.
Proof consists of official documents issued by Bulgarian or foreign competent authorities. These include birth certificates indicating a relative’s Bulgarian nationality, certificates from Bulgarian communities and diasporas, and extracts from parish registers of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.
The procedure usually proceeds in two stages: first, a certificate of Bulgarian origin is obtained, the review of which takes on average about 9 months, and only then is the citizenship application itself filed.
Applications of persons of Bulgarian origin are considered by the Citizenship Council at the Ministry of Justice within up to 3 months — substantially faster than general naturalization.
Another practical advantage is that persons of Bulgarian origin may obtain a permanent residence permit immediately after entering Bulgaria, without going through intermediate stay statuses that are usually required for other pathways.
Unlike general naturalization, this pathway does not require renunciation of Ukrainian citizenship and is not tied to a prior period of residence in Bulgaria — documentary confirmation of the family link is the decisive factor.
In practice, collecting archival documents is the longest and most complex stage of the entire procedure. Church parish registers may be held in different archives, and some pre-war records have not been digitized at all, so the search should begin well before the planned filing of the application.
Citizenship by birth in Bulgaria
Citizenship by birth applies to persons born on the territory of Bulgaria who did not acquire any other citizenship by descent — in practice this is a rare and narrow category of cases.
For most children born to Ukrainian families on the territory of Bulgaria, this pathway is not relevant, because they already acquire Ukrainian citizenship by descent from their parents.
This pathway is of practical significance mainly for children whose parents themselves are stateless or whose citizenship is for some reason not transmitted under the general rule — a rare category, but one provided for by law.
Naturalization under the general procedure
General naturalization requires at least 5 years of lawful residence in Bulgaria on the basis of a permanent residence permit — specifically permanent, not temporary or long-term stay.
Additional conditions include the absence of a conviction for an intentional crime, confirmed stable income, and knowledge of the Bulgarian language at a level sufficient for everyday communication.
Applications for general naturalization are considered by the same Citizenship Council, but the time limit here is significantly longer — up to 18 months, almost six times the period for applications by origin.
Five years of permanent residence means precisely the status of permanent stay, not any lawful presence in the country in general; prior years on a temporary permit are, as a rule, not counted toward this period.
Before applying for permanent stay, it is usually necessary first to live in Bulgaria for a certain time on a temporary permit — for example, through employment or study. Therefore the actual time until filing a citizenship application is often longer than the formal 5 years.
Naturalization through marriage to a Bulgarian citizen
Marriage to a Bulgarian citizen reduces the residence requirement from 5 to 3 years — provided that the marital relationship has lasted at least 3 years and the spouses actually live together in Bulgaria.
This is a form of naturalization, not a separate standalone procedure — therefore other general requirements, including the absence of a criminal conviction, remain the same as for ordinary naturalization.
Divorce before filing the application or before the case is concluded usually means loss of the right to the shortened period — the applicant is left only with the general five-year pathway, as for other categories.
Sham marriages concluded solely to obtain citizenship are a separate risk category: if the authority finds indications that the marriage is not a genuine family union, the application will be refused regardless of formally complied-with time limits.
| Pathway | Main condition | Review period |
| By origin | Bulgarian origin of a relative up to the 3rd degree | Up to 3 months (plus ~9 months for the origin certificate) |
| By birth in Bulgaria | Birth on the territory of the country without other citizenship by descent | Individual, rare cases |
| General naturalization | 5 years of permanent residence | Up to 18 months |
| Naturalization through marriage | 3 years of marriage to a Bulgarian citizen | Up to 18 months |
The investment pathway is no longer in force
Citizenship by investment — the so-called “golden passports” for investments from 1 million leva — was officially abolished by a parliamentary amendment to the Citizenship Act as early as September 2022.
As of 2026 this regime remains abolished, and there are no official plans for its restoration — therefore offers to “buy” Bulgarian citizenship through investment should be treated as outdated or unreliable information.
Intermediaries who continue to advertise “citizenship by investment” as a current option are most likely either using outdated data or offering processing through one of the four legal pathways under another name. The specific legal basis should be clarified before paying for any services.
Legal assistance with acquiring Bulgarian citizenship
Determining whether there are documentary grounds for the origin pathway and collecting archival documents correctly the first time is a task that saves months compared with collecting them again after a refusal.
Lawyers of International Law Firm "Zahist" help verify the existence of Bulgarian origin, prepare an application for a certificate of origin or for general naturalization, and support the filing of documents with the competent authorities.
We also advise on which pathway fits a particular situation if there are no formal grounds by origin — permanent residence or marriage may prove a more realistic alternative.
If you plan to apply for Bulgarian citizenship and want to identify the fastest pathway for your situation, contact International Law Firm "Zahist" — we will review your case at a consultation.
