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Visas,If residencyyou andwere citizenship living in Bulgaria before 1 January 2021

MakeSome sureparts youof meetthis theguide entryonly requirementsapply forif you have been living in Bulgaria since before you1 travel.

VisasJanuary and2021. You residenceshould permits

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YouOnce mayyou behave ablebeen toresident applyin Bulgaria for permanent5 residencyconsecutive inyears, Bulgaria if you havecan beenapply residentto inthe BulgariaMigration Directorate for 5a consecutivepermanent years.residency permit.

Applying for Bulgarian citizenship

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You may haveneed to giverenounce up (renounce) your BritishUK citizenshipcitizenship, to become a Bulgarian citizen, depending on your personal circumstances –(for for example, if you are not married to a Bulgarian citizen.citizen).

For Bulgariayour onlyBulgarian recognises dual citizenship withapplication, theyou UKmay inneed certainto circumstances.     

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ResidencyVisas and residency if you movedwere toliving in Bulgaria before 1 January 2021

If you movedhave tolived in Bulgaria since before 1 January 2021, and have been legally living there since then, you and your family members have rights under the Withdrawal Agreement.

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You cardsshould ifrequest youa movednew toresidence Bulgariacard before(документ 1за Januaryпребиваване) 2021

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Different rules apply asif youryou familyare travelling member.to other EU and Schengen countries as a resident of Bulgaria.

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If you haveare a BulgarianUK residencenational permitwith orrights long-stayunder visa, the timeWithdrawal Agreement, you spendwill inbe Bulgariaexempt doesfrom notEES countregistration towardsif you have the 90-daycorrect visa-freedocumentation. periodView youthe canEU’s spendfrequently inasked thequestions Schengenabout area.the EES.

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EuropeanIf Entry/Exityou Systemwere (EES)living in Bulgaria before 1 January 2021

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If you’reyou legallycannot prove that you are a resident in BulgariaBulgaria, butyou domay notbe haveasked aadditional newquestions residenceat card,the contactborder to enter the MigrationEU. DirectorateYour ofpassport themay Ministrybe ofstamped on entry and exit. This will not affect your rights in the Interiorcountry foror informationcountries onwhere howyou tolive getor one.

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If legallyyou sinceare beforeplanning 1to Januarymove 2021,to asBulgaria youand havework, rightsyou undermay theneed Withdrawala Agreement.visa.

To apply for a job,job you may need to provide a:

• a UK policecriminal certificaterecords check
• Bulgarian, criminalknown recordsas certificatea –DBS youcheck.

  You can get thisa Bulgarian criminal records certificate from the Judicial Records Register atfrom any Bulgarian Regional Court (Районен съд) or from the Ministry of Justice. You can read the details and download application forms at the Ministry of Justice website (in Bulgarian)Bulgarian).

  Read:

  • working or providing services in Bulgaria
  • working in an EU country
  • EU guidance on working in an EU country

  If you were living in Bulgaria before 1 January 2021

  You have the right to work under the Withdrawal Agreement, if you have a residence document (Документ за пребиваване) or have applied for one.

  If you live in Bulgaria and were regularly commuting to work in another EU or EuropeanEFTA Free Trade Association (EFTA) country before 1 January 2021, read our guidance for frontier workers.

  Recognition

  Professional of qualifications

  IfYou may need to get your professional qualification recognised if you want to work in Bulgaria,a youprofession maythat needis regulated in Bulgaria.

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  • how to get your foreignqualification qualifications recognised in Bulgaria.

  Driving

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You should seek specialised legal advice when purchasing property abroad.in  Bulgaria.

You can purchase buildings, apartments and real estate in Bulgaria. However, you can only purchase agricultural land if you’veyou livedhave resided in Bulgaria for more than 5 years. YouUK nationals can still inheritacquire agricultural land.land through inheritance.

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VotingDriving in Bulgaria

UK elections

You cannot renew or replace your UK, Gibraltar, Jersey, Guernsey or Isle of Man licence if you live in Bulgaria. Read ourthe guidance on moving,what livingyou ormust retiringdo abroad.to Thisdrive coverslegally howin to:Bulgaria:

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BulgarianExchanging electionsyour UK, Gibraltar, Jersey or Guernsey licence

YouIf cannotyou votehabitually live in Bulgaria, and have a Bulgarian electionsresidence unlesspermit, you holdmust exchange your driving licence for a Bulgarian orone.

To EUexchange citizenship.your EUlicence citizensplease canvisit onlyyour votenearest inTraffic municipalPolice electionsoffice. ifThese theyare meetsituated residencyat requirements.your nearest Regional Police Department (in Bulgarian).

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• YouYour doBulgaria notresidence needdocument.

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• studying

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• travel

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YouCategories canof alsoentitlement contact:

• yourare highercarried educationover provider in line with those set out on the submitted UK driving licence. If you only want to retain the entitlements necessary for driving a car or Bulgaria
• motorbike, you can do that by stating this in writing when submitting the Bulgarianapplication. MinistryTo ofdo Educationthis, anda Scienceseparate (inapplication Bulgarian)
• should be submitted in free text or using the Bulgarianforms Embassyprepared in London

Children

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The25 EuropeanBGN Commissionto providesexchange informationyour aboutdriving licence – the schoolfee systemcan inbe Bulgaria.paid on site via card or at any bank.

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For morefurther information,details checkplease read the Bulgarian Ministrygovernment’s ofguidance Educationfor andUK Sciencenationals (inon Bulgarian)how website.to exchange your driving licence.

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ThePlease Ministrynote ofthat Labourthe andapplication Socialfor Policy’sexchanging Socialyour Assistancedriving Agencylicence (inwill Bulgarian)be isin Bulgarian. If you don’t speak Bulgarian, you should consider bringing a Bulgarian speaker with you. If you decide to hire a professional translator or interpreter, you will be responsible for earlyany yearscosts childcarerelated servicesto intheir Bulgaria.services. If you need help finding a translator or interpreter please click this link.

Births,

Exchanging deaths,your marriagesIsle andof civilMan partnerships

licence

If you have a licence from the Isle of Man you may need to take a test.

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to Bulgaria

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Driving Thisoutside coversBulgaria howwith to:

a Bulgarian licence

• register

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  To drive in another country, in addition to your Bulgarian licence you may need to apply for an IDP (in Bulgarian).

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to apply for a British passport.

Deaths

If someone dies in Bulgaria, read our guidance on:

• what to do whenafter someone dies abroad
• bereavement in Bulgaria
• finding English-speaking funeral directors in Bulgaria

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ReadFind ourout guidancehow onyou moving,can livingget married or retiringget a civil partnership abroad.

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Divorce

To andvisit separation

other countries with your pet, check the rules for the country you’re travelling to. Contact your vet to get the travel documents your pet needs.

Read our guidance onon:

• bringing moving,your livingpet orto retiringGreat abroadBritain. Check Thisthat coversyour howpet’s rabies vaccinations are up to getdate. aVets divorcein orGreat endBritain acannot civilenter partnership.rabies   vaccination details in non-UK issued pet passports

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