---
title: "What Is the Bulgarian Residence Permit for Retirees?"
url: https://yeniversiyon.pages.dev/en/bulgarian-residence-permit-for-retirees/
lang: en
published: 2022-04-27
updated: 2022-12-06
description: "The Bulgarian residence permit for retirees lets pensioners live in Bulgaria for as long as they wish. Conditions, the D visa and the route to citizenship."
source: BulgaristanVatandas.com (https://bulgaristanvatandas.com)
---

# What Is the Bulgarian Residence Permit for Retirees?
## What Is the Bulgarian Residence Permit for Retirees?

**What is the Bulgarian residence permit for retirees?** **A residence permit on the basis of retirement** allows pensioners to live in Bulgaria for as long as they wish. The main criterion for this type of residence is having sufficient financial means to support yourself: non-EU citizens must show that they can cover their stay in Bulgaria from their pension or pension funds.

After retiring, a person can **apply for a Bulgarian residence permit for retirees**. A non-EU citizen can **obtain a type D visa** for up to six months, but must apply for a long-term residence permit within that period. Retirees can live in Bulgaria for as long as they wish with a residence permit. The applicant can choose to have their pension paid directly into a Bulgarian bank account: as residence permit holders, they can open a bank account in Bulgaria and receive their pension there.

**The Bulgarian residence permit for retirees** gives pensioners access to the country's mild climate, low cost of living and good quality of life. Bulgaria's EU membership and low cost of living make it a very attractive place for retirees.

The retiree residence permit is the easiest way to enter the country and obtain residence. If you are retired in Turkey and already receive a pension, you can benefit from this right; if you retired abroad, you can still benefit from it. For more information, you can contact us through our [online appointment page](/en/online-appointment/) or the [contact form](/en/contact/), or simply call us.

**Any retiree can obtain a residence permit on the basis of retirement.** The Bulgarian retiree residence permit can be obtained at any age, and the amount of your pension does not matter.

## **Can you obtain citizenship with a retiree residence permit?**

One of the most important questions for residence permit holders is how they can obtain citizenship. People who obtain a residence permit on the basis of retirement can apply for citizenship at the end of the 5th year after obtaining it. There are some conditions for citizenship, which you can find below.

-   Residence requirement

    > You can apply for citizenship at the end of the 5th year. You do not need to live in the country for the full 5 years, but you must live there for at least 2.5 years.

-   Bulgarian language requirement

    > For citizenship applications based on retirement, the Bulgarian government requires you to speak Bulgarian. The lowest level, A1, is enough, and it can be reached with a course of about 2 to 3 months. You can find more information about language levels [here](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_European_Framework_of_Reference_for_Languages).

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