Retiring in Bulgaria: the visa situation
As of our last check, Bulgaria does not offer a dedicated retirement or passive-income visa. Retirees who settle there typically use other residence routes, so plan on more paperwork than in countries with a purpose-built visa.
The Type D long-stay visa (up to 6 months, with a right to stay of up to 180 days) is issued to foreigners who wish to settle long term or permanently. Applicants must show a home, obligatory health insurance and sufficient means, and after arrival the visa is exchanged for a residence permit; a personal interview is mandatory.
Verified against bulgaria-embassy.org, last checked 2026-07-03.
The verified fields
There is no dedicated retirement visa: retirees use the general long-stay Type D visa and must prove sufficient subsistence means, without resorting to social assistance, of at least the Bulgarian minimum monthly wage or the minimum pension under Bulgarian law (both well under USD 1,000 per month).
The Type D long-stay visa (up to 6 months, with a right to stay of up to 180 days) is issued to foreigners who wish to settle long term or permanently. Applicants must show a home, obligatory health insurance and sufficient means, and after arrival the visa is exchanged for a residence permit; a personal interview is mandatory.
Before you act on this
Visa rules, income thresholds and processing practice change, sometimes with little notice. This page reflects what we could verify on the dates shown, nothing more. Always confirm the current requirements with the official immigration authority or a licensed immigration adviser before making plans, and treat the linked source as the authority, not us.
See how Bulgaria scores overall
The visa is one of six axes. RetireScore 67/100, ranked 30 of 40 countries on the default weights.