--- title: "Stages of the Bulgarian Citizenship Interview and Application" url: https://yeniversiyon.pages.dev/en/stages-of-the-bulgarian-citizenship-application/ lang: en published: 2025-10-15 updated: 2025-10-22 description: "Every status of a Bulgarian citizenship file explained, from submission to the citizenship decree: what each message means, how long it lasts and what comes next." source: BulgaristanVatandas.com (https://bulgaristanvatandas.com) --- # Stages of the Bulgarian Citizenship Interview and Application > **On average, the whole process takes between 1.5 and 3 years, from the first submission of documents to the Bulgarian authorities until the citizenship decision becomes final. This period can vary depending on the scope of the application, the workload of the authorities reviewing it and any requests for additional documents.** Below, each status you may see when checking your file is explained in turn: what it means, how long it usually lasts and which status follows. ## The correspondence is irregular. [....] or Irregularities found: [.....] [Irregular / Additional] This status appears if documents are missing or if there is a problem with the documents you submitted. The `[.....]` part explains exactly what is wrong, and you are given 2 or 3 months to submit the requested documents to the Ministry of Justice together with a request for additional documents. The status can appear in the first few weeks after the interview or during later checks, before the file moves to `[Final]`. Shortly after you submit the requested documents, you return to your previous status. If you do not remedy the irregularities within the deadline, your application may be terminated by order of the minister or refused by the Citizenship Council. ## Application received, registration N:XXX/20XX/XX.XX.20XX at XX:XX [Submitted] This status appears when you apply for citizenship through a consular office of the Republic of Bulgaria abroad. The consulate sends your documents by diplomatic mail to the Bulgarian Ministry of Justice, where your file is opened and the citizenship procedure officially begins. This status usually lasts a few weeks; once your documents reach the Ministry of Justice and your file is opened, you move to `[Opened]`. ## File opened N:XXX/20XX/XX.XX.20XX [Opened] This status shows that the file for your citizenship application has been opened successfully. If you applied at the Ministry of Justice in Sofia, it appears on the day of your interview. If you applied through a Bulgarian consulate abroad, it appears once your documents reach the Ministry of Justice in Sofia and your file is opened. It usually lasts from a few days to a week, after which you move to `[Mandatory]`. ## File opened N:XXX/20XX/XX.XX.20XX. The file is at the stage of mandatory approval. [Mandatory] At this stage your citizenship application and documents are reviewed by various Bulgarian institutions (the Ministry of the Interior, the State Agency for National Security and others). Once these checks are complete, specialist officers forward your application to the Citizenship Council for a final decision. ## Your application will undergo a final expert review by the Citizenship Council. [Final] Your citizenship application has passed the mandatory background checks and is now under final review by the specialist officers of the Bulgarian Citizenship Directorate for any shortcomings. If there is a problem or a missing document in your application, you may move to `[Irregular]`. If your documents are in order, your application is forwarded to the Citizenship Council for a final decision. Applications that pass the final expert review usually move to `[Positive]`. In some cases the Citizenship Council may open an additional review to check the authenticity of your documents; you then move to `[Additional, with comma]`. ## Your application was reviewed by the Citizenship Council. Set aside for additional review, [.....] [Additional, with comma] Because of the rise in fraud involving forged documents (old documents, civil registry extracts, criminal record certificates and so on), the Citizenship Council has decided to check the authenticity of your documents further. This usually takes a few months, during which the authenticity of the documents is verified in cooperation between the issuing country and the Bulgarian consulate. ## Your application was reviewed by the Citizenship Council with a positive opinion. The documents were sent to the Vice President for approval. [Positive] Your citizenship application has been approved by the Citizenship Council and is awaiting official approval by the Vice President of Bulgaria. If your documents are in order, your next and final status will be `[Execution]`, which differs depending on where you applied. The exception is when the Vice President decides to review the application again, in which case you move to a temporary status. ## Booking an appointment to collect the citizenship certificate [UKAZ] **If you applied at the Ministry of Justice in Sofia:** [Execution] Congratulations! This means your application has been officially approved by the Vice President and you are a Bulgarian citizen. You need to book an appointment at the Ministry of Justice to collect your citizenship certificate; you will be asked to enter the required details and upload a scanned copy of your passport. When collecting the documents, you must present your ID, proof of payment of the citizenship fees and 2 recent photographs. More information is available on the [Ministry's website](https://www.justice.government.bg/home/index/95bc015d-ae9b-4474-8228-e8925ae55fdf). **If you applied through a Bulgarian consulate:** Your application has been sent to the consular service XXXXX-XXXXX. When collecting the documents, you will need to give your registered address in Bulgaria and provide 2 recent passport photographs. [Execution] Congratulations! Your application has been officially approved by the Vice President, and the citizenship certificate has been sent to the relevant embassy or consulate. Contact the embassy or consulate to find out whether the certificate has arrived and what you need to do. ## The Citizenship Council did not accept your application [.....] [Refusal] Your application has been refused by the Citizenship Council. The `[.....]` part states the reason. Applications are usually refused when there is insufficient proof of Bulgarian origin or when a background check returns a negative report. Once the decision is made, it is not possible to send additional documents or have the application reviewed again. If you believe you were refused unfairly, the only solution is to start again and reapply through the Ministry of Justice in Sofia or a Bulgarian consulate abroad. ## Review by the Vice President of Bulgaria. [Vice President] This status appears after your application has been reviewed positively by the Citizenship Council and the Vice President of Bulgaria is carrying out an additional review. The Vice President has the power to refuse if they disagree with the Council's opinion. Applications without sufficient proof of Bulgarian origin are usually reviewed at this stage. ## Refused by the Vice President of Bulgaria. [.....] [Refusal] Your application has been refused by the Vice President of Bulgaria. The `[.....]` part states the reason. ## Application registration N:XXX/20XX/XX.XX.20XX at XX:XX terminated by order of the minister LS-XX-XXX/XX.XX.20XX [Terminated] Your application has been terminated by the Minister of Justice, most likely because irregularities were not remedied. ## File in a status with no information. There is no information about the application number you are checking; the application has been completed. ## Application approved and certificate already collected. The application was accepted and you hold the citizenship certificate; the application is complete. ## Missing data. You are entering an incorrect application number or PIN. ## No such file is registered through a consulate. You are entering an incorrect file number. If you applied directly in Sofia, use the field above and enter your application number and PIN.