The Bulgarian Citizenship Act gives a legal opportunity to every foreigner who has Bulgarian roots to acquire Bulgarian citizenship by origin. This provides him not only with residence on the territory of our country for a certain period but with equal rights with all other Bulgarian citizens.
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Which person is of Bulgarian origin?
A person of Bulgarian origin is a foreigner with at least one Bulgarian ascendant. This could be the applicant’s mother or father. The acquisition of Bulgarian citizenship by ascending origin is the most common case in practice. Everyone who is acknowledged by a Bulgarian citizen or who has an effective court decision establishing that he or she originates from a Bulgarian citizen also has the right to apply for Bulgarian citizenship by origin.
A person who has been adopted by a Bulgarian citizen or whose parent is a Bulgarian citizen or has died as a Bulgarian citizen may also apply under the same simplified procedure.
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How do you prove your Bulgarian origin?
Bulgarian origin by ancestors is proved by a certificate of Bulgarian origin issued by the State Agency for Bulgarians Abroad. This document states explicitly and clearly the information on the basis of which the Bulgarian origin has been established. A person who has been adopted by a Bulgarian citizen must obtain an official copy of an effective decision for admission of full adoption and an official document that the adopter is a Bulgarian citizen. The person applying on the last grounds (a parent who is a Bulgarian citizen or who deceased as a Bulgarian citizen) must present an official document issued by the respective municipality or by the Ministry of Justice.
These are the most important documents in the procedure for acquiring Bulgarian citizenship by origin. There are a number of other documents that need to be submitted, but they are easy to obtain. These are, for example, a birth certificate, a criminal record certificate, a CV of the applicant and others.
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Where do you submit your application documents?
Once you have all the necessary documents, you should book the date and time for their submission to the Bulgarian Ministry of Justice HERE. The documents can also be submitted to the diplomatic or consular missions of Bulgaria abroad. For the convenience of the applicants, the submission of documents is carried out simultaneously with the interview. For children, the interview is conducted with their parents or guardians. The documents are submitted personally by the applicant for Bulgarian citizenship only after booking and confirming the date and time for the interview. The documents in a foreign language are submitted with a translation into Bulgarian.
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When can I get my Bulgarian citizenship?
After successfully submitting all the required documents and passing the interview, there is a waiting period for a response. Bulgarian citizenship is acquired by a decree of the President of the Republic of Bulgaria at the proposal of the Minister of Justice. The application for citizenship of origin is considered within 12 months, and in other cases – within 18 months.
For the preparation of the necessary application documents, advice and full assistance, including reserving the date and time for the interview, you can contact us via the Contact Form.
