Original document : https://www.gov.uk/guidance/living-in-bulgaria
Change description : 2019-09-23 16:50:00: Brexit update: healthcare section updated to reflect transitional arrangements announcement [Brexit]
Showing diff : 2019-09-03 16:31:09 +00:00..2019-09-23 17:16:20 +00:00
Guidance
Official information for British people moving to and living in Bulgaria, including Brexit guidance, residency, healthcare and driving.
This page tells you what to do ahead of Brexit. It will be updated if anything changes, including if a deal is agreed.
The British Embassy regularly holds events across Bulgaria for UK nationalsnationals. Attend one of our citizen outreach meetings to keep up to date on working and living in theBulgaria EU
You can also:
See our travel advice for entry requirements for Bulgaria.
Read our guidance on moving or retiring abroad.
If you are staying more than 3 months, you must apply to your nearest police department for residency.
You will need to provide documentation proving that:
or
You will also need to show your passport.
You must check with Migration Directorate of the Ministry of Interior or with your nearest police department what further documentation you may need to apply for residency.
Once you have been resident in Bulgaria for 5 years, you can apply to Migration Directorate for a permanent residency certificate.
See the Ministry of Interior’s Migration Directorate website for how to get long-term and permanent residence permits or contact your local migration office or call +359 (2) 982 4808, email: migration@mvr.bg.
There will be no change to the rights and status of UK nationals living in Bulgaria while the UK remains in the EU.
If the UK leaves the EU with a deal and in the event of changes to residency rules or registration processes after Brexit, we will update this page as soon as information is available.
If the UK leaves the EU without a deal, the Bulgarian Ministry of Interior have published guidance on residency and the proposed re-registration scheme for UK nationals lawfully residing in Bulgaria by exit date.
Read our travel advice for Bulgaria and sign up for up-to-date information on local laws and customs, safety and emergencies.
You can apply for your British passport from Bulgaria.
If there is a deal, nothing will change until the end of 2020. During this time you can continue to travel freely in the EU with your UK passport. What happens after 2020 will form the next part of negotiations.
If there’s no deal, new travel rules will apply. You should have at least 6 months left on an adult or child passport to travel to most countries in Europe (not including Ireland).
If you renewed your current passport before the previous one expired, extra months may have been added to its expiry date. Any extra months on your passport over 10 years may not count towards the 6 months needed.
You should check your passport is valid for travel before you book your trip. You’ll need to renew your passport before travelling if you do not have enough time left on your passport.
If there’s no deal, UK nationals will not need visas for short stays elsewhere in the EU. You will be able to stay up to 90 days in another EU, EEA or EFTA country, within a 180 day period. You should retain evidence of travel (e.g. train and plane tickets), in case these are requested by national authorities. If you hold a residence permit from an EU, EEA or EFTA country, you will be able to transit through other EU, EEA or EFTA countries to reach your country of residence. The Bulgarian Ministry of Interior have published guidance on travelling to Bulgaria after Brexit - your passport should be valid for at least 3 months after the date of your departure. We will update this guidance as more information becomes available.
Once you have been a permanent resident in Bulgaria for 5 years, you can apply for Bulgarian citizenship.
For your Bulgarian citizenship application, you may need to order a birth, marriage or death certificate from the UK. You may also need a UK criminal records certificate in the UK.
You may also be required to have these and other UK documents officially translated and legalised (apostilled).
If you apply for Bulgarian citizenship after Brexit, you will have to renounce your UK citizenship.
Read our travel advice for Bulgaria.
The NHS has more information about healthcare for UK nationals living in and visiting Bulgaria.
You can find English-speaking doctors in Bulgaria.
You should also check your prescriptions are legal in Bulgaria.
If you live in Bulgaria and receive an exportable UK pension, contribution-based Employment Support Allowance or another exportable benefit, you may be entitled to state healthcare paid for by the UK. You will need to apply for a certificate of entitlement known as an S1 certificate. To apply, call +44 (0)191 218 1999. When you get your form, register with your Regional Health Insurance Fund office before registering with a GP.
If you are resident in Bulgaria, you must not use your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) from the UK to access healthcare in Bulgaria.
When you travel from Bulgaria for a temporary stay in another European Economic Area (EEA) country or Switzerland, you can use an EHIC to access state-provided healthcare in that country. During that short stay:
If you are a student, read the NHS guidance on healthcare and studying abroadabroad..
You can find English-speaking doctors in Bulgaria.
You should also check your prescriptions are legal in Bulgaria.
If you plan to visit Bulgaria after Brexit, you should continue to buy travel insurance as you would for a non-EU country. If you have a UK-issued EHIC, it will still be valid until the day the UK leaves the EU.
If there is a deal, your current rights to access healthcare in Bulgaria will remain the same until the end of the implementation period, as long as you remain a resident in Bulgaria.
If there’s no deal, your access to healthcare may change. If you are a permanent or temporary resident you should review the status of your healthcare cover.
If you currently have your healthcare costs paid for by the UK government, we can help if you are asked to pay for treatment during the first 6 months after Brexit. To organise a payment, you must give your healthcare provider’s details to the NHS Business Services Authority’s Overseas Healthcare Services.
Read the NHS guidance on healthcare for UK nationals in Bulgaria and how it may change after UK leaves the EU.
Your residency status will determine your eligibility for access to Bulgarian national healthcare. If you are a permanent resident, register with the Bulgarian National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) through your regional office. If you are a long-term resident, you must arrange private healthcare cover.
The UK has offered to continue paying the country you live in for your healthcare in the event of no deal, just as it does now. The government has proposed maintaining current healthcare cooperation with Bulgaria for S1 form holders until the end of December 2020. If there’s no deal, and there is no arrangement with Bulgaria to continue reciprocal healthcare, those receiving coverage through the S1 form will not be covered.
Your EHIC may not be valid in the event there’s no deal. The UK has offered to maintain the EHIC scheme, however this is reliant on Bulgaria continuing to accept UK EHICs.
UK nationals will be able to return to the UK for treatment.
Read the NHS guidance on healthcare for UK nationals in Bulgaria and how it may change after UK leaves the EU.
Read our guidance on working in another EU country.
Some jobs may require a UK criminal records check, known as a DBS check.
You can get a Bulgarian criminal records certificate from the Judicial Records Register from any Bulgarian Regional Court (Районен съд) or from the Ministry of Justice. You can see details and download application forms at the Ministry of Justice website (in Bulgarian language only).
If there is a deal, your right to work will not change until the end of implementation period.
If you’re planning to start a business, provide a service, or do a job in a regulated profession after Brexit, you should read our further guidance.
For information on education, read studying in the European Union after Brexit.
The European Commission has published guidance on professional qualifications. If you have already been recognised by an EU country as holding valid professional qualifications, this will remain valid after Brexit. If you hold qualifications gained in the UK before Brexit, you should obtain recognition in a EU27 Member State before Brexit day.
You can read our guidance on tax if you leave the UK to live abroad and tax on your UK income if you live abroad.
The UK has a double-taxation agreement with Bulgaria to ensure people do not pay tax on the same income in both countries.
You can read our guidance about paying income tax in Bulgaria.
In Bulgaria, you should expect to pay personal income tax and home owners’ tax. Additional taxes exist, including a vehicle tax and a fee for rubbish collection. See National Revenue Agency.
We recommend you get professional advice on paying tax in Bulgaria.
You may be able to pay National Insurance while abroad in order to protect your State Pension and entitlement to other benefits and allowances.
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You will need to tell the UK government offices that deal with your benefits, pension and tax if you are moving or retiring abroad. See State Pension if you retire abroad and new State Pension.
If you have not worked in Bulgaria, you should claim your UK State Pension by contacting the International Pension Centre.
If you have worked in several EU countries, see State Pensions abroad.
If you get a ‘life certificate’ from the UK Pension Service you need to respond as soon as possible. Your payments may be suspended if you do not.
The UK government will continue to pay a State Pension to those eligible in the EU after Brexit. Your UK State Pension will be uprated in April 2020, 2021 and 2022 if you live in the EU, EEA or Switzerland.
If there is a deal and you work and pay social security contributions in Bulgaria, you will still be able to add your UK social security contributions towards your Bulgarian pension. This will happen even if you claim your pension after the end of the implementation period.
Also, you can read our guidance on pensions if there’s no deal.
You may still be able to claim some UK benefits like child and disability benefits if you live in Bulgaria. You should:
If you are abroad for more than 4 weeks, many income-related benefits such as Pension Credit and Housing Benefit cannot be paid.
You may be eligible to claim some Bulgarian social security benefits. You can get information about local Bulgarian benefits and pensions from the National Social Security Institute.
You can request proof of the time you’ve worked in the UK from HMRC if you are asked for this.
The UK government will continue to pay child benefits and disability benefits to eligible people living in the EU after Brexit.
If there is a deal and you work and pay social security contributions in Bulgaria, your UK social security contributions will be taken into account when applying for Bulgaria contributions-based benefits. This will happen even if you claim contributions-based benefits after the end of the implementation period.
If there’s no deal, you can read our guidance on benefits and pensions in a no deal scenario.
Read our guidance on what you need to drive abroad and road travel in Bulgaria.
If you are resident in Bulgaria, you should exchange your UK licence for a Bulgarian driving licence within six months after first registering with Bulgarian authorities.
To exchange your UK driving licence for a local one, contact the traffic police department at your nearest Regional Police Department.
You can still use your Bulgarian licence in the UK for short visits or exchange it for a UK licence without taking a test if you return to live in the UK.
Read our guidance on driving licence renewal and exchange and taking a vehicle out of the UK.
If there is a deal, driving licence rules will stay the same during the implementation period.
Read our guidance on driving in the EU after Brexit.
If there’s no deal, the Bulgarian Ministry of Interior has published guidance on driving in Bulgaria after the exit date. Short-term visitors from the UK will be able to drive with their UK driving licences, without the need to have an International Driving Permit.
You may be able to vote in some UK elections. You can:
If you are resident in Bulgaria, you can vote in local municipal and European Parliamentary Elections.
Once the UK leaves the EU, UK nationals in Bulgaria will no longer be eligible to vote in local and European Parliamentary elections.
If your child is born in Bulgaria, you will need to register a birth abroad.
If one of your loved ones dies in Bulgaria you can:
Find out how you can get married abroad.
Find out about notarial and documentary services for UK nationals in Bulgaria.
You can read our guidance on:
While the UK is still a Member State you’ll be able to travel with your pet to the EU under the current pet travel rules using your current EU pet passport.
If you’re travelling with your pet for the first time you’ll have to visit your vet to get a pet passport.
When the UK leaves the EU, you will still be able to travel to and from the UK with a cat, dog or ferret but the rules will change. Read our guidance on pet travel to Europe after Brexit.
Read guidance on returning your cat, dog or ferret to the UK.
For moving pet horses and other equines read guidance on export horses and ponies: special rules.
As well as the European emergency number 112, Bulgaria also has:
You can also look at emergency numbers in Bulgaria.
If you’re the victim of crime, have been arrested, or are affected by a crisis abroad, contact your nearest British embassy or consulate.
You should read our guidance on:
Please note that this information is provided as a guide only. Definitive information should be obtained from the Bulgarian authorities. The FCO will not be liable for any inaccuracies in this information.
2024-10-29 10:12
The EU has delayed the introduction of its new Entry Exit Scheme (EES) with no new introduced date yet confirmed.
2024-08-02 09:51
Information on EES travel was added
2024-05-22 12:56
Information on travel documents for UK citizens in light of Bulgaria’s accession to Schengen.
2023-08-31 12:17
Changes made to the ‘Exchanging your UK, Gibraltar, Jersey or Guernsey driving licence’ section. Due to changes in Bulgarian legislation, UK nationals can now exchange their driving licences without providing a Certificate of Secondary Education.
2023-07-24 13:00
Information reviewed and updated. July 2023.
2022-01-01 07:00
Visas and residency guidance updated, following the 31 December 2021 residency deadline for people with rights under the Withdrawal Agreement.
2021-03-04 11:36
Coronavirus section updated with a link to guidance on vaccines
2021-01-25 16:06
Information added on driving licence validity and rules on buying property
2020-09-11 14:48
Passports and travel section updated to include information on passport validity and entry requirements when travelling to other European countries from January 2021.
2020-01-23 14:10
Brexit update: includes further details on passport validity, healthcare rights and State Pension updating if the UK leaves the EU with a deal.
2019-09-23 16:50
Brexit update: healthcare section updated to reflect transitional arrangements announcement
2019-09-03 17:04
Brexit update: Pensions section updated to include further details on State Pension uprating.
2019-04-15 15:59
EU Exit updates: new information added to the following sections: “Passports and travel after the UK leaves the EU”; “Pensions after the UK leaves the EU” and “Returning to the UK”
2019-04-11 16:14
EU Exit update: Updated information in visas and residency, working, passports and travel, driving, healthcare and voting.