Topic: Birth and Marriage Registration
Bulgarian Citizenship for Your Child: Birth Registration in 2-3 Months
A child with a Bulgarian parent is a Bulgarian citizen from birth. Register the birth abroad, get an EGN and passport in about 2-3 months. Steps and documents.
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A child with at least one Bulgarian-citizen parent is a Bulgarian citizen from the moment of birth, wherever they were born. No citizenship application is needed. What you must do is report the birth to Bulgaria. Once the birth is entered in the Bulgarian civil registry, the child receives a personal number (EGN) and can get a Bulgarian passport. With complete documents, this usually takes 2-3 months.
This guide explains who qualifies, which documents you need, the steps in order, and the mistakes that most often delay a file.
Who can register a birth in Bulgaria?
Under the Bulgarian Citizenship Act, a person with at least one parent who is a Bulgarian citizen is a citizen by birth. The key question is simple: Was your own parent a Bulgarian citizen on the day your child was born?
- Yes: Your child is a citizen by descent. This is a birth registration, not a naturalisation. It is the fastest route.
- No (the parent obtained citizenship after the child was born): The child is not a citizen by birth. A minor child is usually included in the parent’s application or applies afterwards. A child who is already an adult applies on the basis of Bulgarian origin. See our guide on citizenship for adult children.
The child’s age does not block a birth registration. If the parent was a citizen at the time of birth, an adult son or daughter can be registered too.
Step-by-step birth registration
- Get the birth record from your home country. Ask the civil registry (for example, the population directorate in Türkiye) for an extract showing the child’s birth and parents.
- Apostille. Have the document apostilled by the competent authority in the issuing country.
- Sworn Bulgarian translation. The document and the apostille are translated into Bulgarian in the form accepted by Bulgarian authorities, and the translation is certified.
- Registration in Bulgaria. The birth is registered at the municipality of the permanent address of the mother. If the mother is not a Bulgarian citizen, the father’s permanent address is used. The municipality issues the Bulgarian birth certificate (акт за раждане).
- EGN and birth certificate. On registration the child receives a ten-digit personal number (EGN) and the Bulgarian birth certificate.
- Passport or ID card. With the Bulgarian birth certificate you apply for the child’s passport, in Bulgaria or at a Bulgarian consulate. We explain this step in getting a Bulgarian passport for a child.
Time limit: A Bulgarian citizen living abroad must report a child’s birth to Bulgaria within 6 months of the foreign authority issuing the birth record. If the period has passed, the registration can still be made, but extra steps may be requested. It is best to start without waiting.
Documents you need
| Document | Where to get it | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Child’s birth record (international extract) | Civil registry in your country | Must carry an apostille |
| Sworn Bulgarian translation | Sworn translator | The apostille is translated too |
| ID card or passport of the Bulgarian parent | The parent | EGN must be visible |
| Marriage record (if parents are married) | Civil registry in your country | If not yet entered in Bulgaria, first do a marriage registration |
| Power of attorney (if we handle the file) | Notary | Apostilled and translated |
A point often missed: If the parents’ marriage was never entered in the Bulgarian records, the municipality may ask for the marriage registration first. Planning both registrations together saves time.
How long does birth registration take?
Preparing the documents in your home country (birth record, apostille, translation) takes from a few days to two weeks. Registration in Bulgaria and issuing the EGN take a few weeks if the file is complete. The passport application follows. The whole process usually takes 2-3 months. Compared with a citizenship application, which takes about 1.5-3 years in practice, birth registration is by far the fastest way to give a child Bulgarian and European Union citizenship.
How to get the Bulgarian passport after registration
Once the birth is registered you hold the Bulgarian birth certificate and the child’s EGN. The passport application is made with these documents:
- Book an appointment. You can apply in Bulgaria at the competent police unit or at a Bulgarian consulate abroad.
- The child attends in person. Photo and fingerprint rules for young children depend on age, so check the current requirements before the appointment.
- Parental consent is required. If one parent cannot attend, a notarised consent is prepared.
- Collect the passport when it is ready. A Bulgarian ID card can also be issued alongside it.
We do not quote passport fees or validity periods here, because they change; confirm them from the official source before applying. With the passport your child can travel visa-free in the Schengen area and has the right to live, study and work in other EU countries.
How is the child’s name written?
In the Bulgarian birth certificate the name is transliterated into the Cyrillic alphabet from the foreign record. Letters that do not exist in Bulgarian are rendered differently, and the Latin spelling in the passport is generated from the Cyrillic entry. So the spelling chosen in the translation will follow the child in every later document. Choose one consistent spelling, matching the way the parents’ names appear in Bulgarian records. Changing a name after the certificate is issued is slow, so decide at the start. If a parent’s name differs between the foreign and Bulgarian records, a name equivalence certificate may be needed.
Example family situations
| Situation | Correct route |
|---|---|
| Mother is Bulgarian by birth and never lost citizenship. Baby born abroad. | Birth registration. The child is a citizen by descent. |
| Father became a citizen two years ago. Child was born five years ago. | Not a birth registration. A citizenship application, because the father was not a citizen at the birth. |
| Parents unmarried; the father is Bulgarian and has acknowledged the child. | Birth registration with documents showing the acknowledgement of paternity. |
| Mother is Bulgarian, father is a foreign national; the family lives abroad. | Birth registration through the mother. The child holds both citizenships. |
| Two siblings: one born before, one after the parent became a citizen. | Birth registration for the second child; separate assessment for the first. |
Your case may not match any of these exactly. That is normal; we map the route from your documents.
Birth registration versus a citizenship application
People often confuse the two. Birth registration records a citizenship that already exists: Bulgaria does not “grant” it to the child, it enters the fact that the child is a citizen. A citizenship application is for someone who is not yet a citizen and asks to be admitted; it involves an assessment and takes much longer. This is why birth registration is faster and requires no language test, income or residence condition.
Most common mistakes
- Sending a document without an apostille: It will not be accepted.
- Inconsistent names in the translation: If the parent’s name differs from the Bulgarian records, registration stops.
- Marriage not reported: The most frequent cause of delay.
- Ignoring the date the parent became a citizen: If it was after the birth, you need a citizenship application, not a registration.
Why use professional support?
Birth registration looks simple, but the documents must be prepared in the right order, names translated consistently and the correct municipality chosen. In our birth and marriage registration service we handle everything on your behalf, from the documents in your home country to registration in Bulgaria and the passport. You can send your documents for a free document review or book an online appointment.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to file a separate citizenship application for my child?
No. If the child’s mother or father was a Bulgarian citizen when the child was born, the child is a citizen by birth. Only the birth needs to be reported to Bulgaria.
How long does birth registration take?
With complete documents, the preparation abroad, the registration in Bulgaria and the issue of the EGN usually take 2-3 months in total. The passport can then be issued.
Do I have to travel to Bulgaria?
The registration can be carried out for you with a power of attorney. For the passport the child must apply in person, which can also be done at a Bulgarian consulate abroad.
My child is over 18. Can the birth still be registered?
Yes, if your parent was a Bulgarian citizen when you were born, there is no age limit. If the parent obtained citizenship later, the adult child applies separately on the basis of Bulgarian origin.
Can a birth be registered if the parents are not married?
Yes. Documents showing the acknowledgement of paternity then become important. We confirm which documents are needed in a preliminary consultation.
