long-stay residence permit — digital nomad (Foreigners Act, art. 24(1)(23) in conjunction with art. 24s)
Route status
Open to new applications under the rules recorded below.
| In force since | 2025-12-16 as of 2026-08-25[2] Decree № 286 of 12 December 2025 was promulgated in State Gazette issue 109 of 16 December 2025; its final provision § 3(1) states that § 1 — the amendments to the implementing rules, including the new чл. 32г — enters into force three days after the Decree's promulgation in the State Gazette. The Decree does not state a calendar date and none is computed here. The register lists the ground among the grounds of the live service. |
|---|
Residency route facts
Identity
| Official name (local) | разрешение за продължително пребиваване по чл. 24, ал. 1, т. 23 във връзка с чл. 24с от ЗЧРБ as of 2026-08-25[1][2][3] |
|---|---|
| Official name (English) | long-stay residence permit — digital nomad (Foreigners Act, art. 24(1)(23) in conjunction with art. 24s) as of 2026-08-25[3] Translation. The register's own heading for the ground is the two words 'са дигитални номади'. |
| Legal basis | Закон за чужденците в Република България, чл. 24, ал. 1, т. 23 във връзка с чл. 24с и § 1, т. 36 от допълнителните разпоредби; Правилник за прилагане на ЗЧРБ, чл. 32г as of 2026-08-25[1][2][3] The ground was created by § 9 of the Act amending and supplementing the Foreigners Act, State Gazette issue 52 of 27 June 2025 ('Създава се т. 23: „23. са дигитални номади.“'), together with a new чл. 24с and a new definition at § 1, т. 36 of the supplementary provisions. The procedure was created by § 1, item 12 of Council of Ministers Decree № 286 of 12 December 2025, which inserted чл. 32г into the implementing rules. |
| Instrument type | residence permit as of 2026-08-25[1] |
Who can apply
| Nationals not served by this route | EU, EEA as of 2026-08-25[1] |
|---|---|
| Criminal-record condition | Yes as of 2026-08-25[1] ЗЧРБ чл. 24, ал. 2 as reproduced by the register: foreigners aged 18 and over, other than stateless persons with status in Bulgaria, produce a criminal-record or police-registration certificate issued under the law of the state of nationality, of origin or of habitual residence, at first application. |
Permit terms
| Initial duration | 1 year as of 2026-08-25[3] ЗЧРБ чл. 24с, ал. 2: 'Срокът на валидност на разрешението по ал. 1 е една година.' |
|---|---|
| Renewable | Yes as of 2026-08-25[3] ЗЧРБ чл. 24с, ал. 2: 'Разрешението може да бъде удължено еднократно за още една година.' Where the permit expires while an extension procedure is under way, the foreigner has the right to remain on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria until a decision is taken on the application, provided it was filed within the permit's validity. |
| Renewal duration | 1 year as of 2026-08-25[3] ЗЧРБ чл. 24с, ал. 2: one further year, once. |
| Maximum total duration | up to 2 years as of 2026-08-25[3] One year plus a single extension of one further year, on the face of чл. 24с, ал. 2. The Act states the two limbs; the total is their sum and nothing further is provided for. |
| Work rights | none as of 2026-08-25[3] The ground rests on remote provision of services to recipients outside Bulgaria. Limbs 2 and 3 of the definition at § 1, т. 36 ЗЧРБ each require that the person 'не извършва работа и/или предоставя услуги на лица на територията на Република България', and limb 3 adds 'и/или не извършва дейност на свободна практика на територията на Република България'. Limb 1 states the condition differently — it requires the employer to be registered or established outside the EU, the EEA and Switzerland and the services to be provided remotely — and does not repeat the prohibition in terms. |
Permanent residence and citizenship
| Counts toward permanent residence | Not established from a qualifying source |
|---|
Requirements
| Minimum income | 50 × national minimum monthly wage (a monthly figure), assessed annually measured over 12 months as of 2026-08-25[2][3] ЗЧРБ чл. 24с, ал. 1: the permit is issued, besides on the conditions of чл. 24, ал. 2 and of the implementing rules, if the foreigner proves an average annual income of not less than 50 (fifty) minimum monthly wages under the legislation of the Republic of Bulgaria for the preceding calendar year, the gross amount of the income acquired being taken into account. ППЗЧРБ чл. 32г, ал. 1, т. 1 repeats the test as a documentary requirement. The multiplier applies to the reference figure's own monthly amount and the resulting threshold is annual, so multiplier_basis is `figure_period`. The figure to be used is the minimum monthly wage for the preceding calendar year, which is not necessarily the one registered as current. |
|---|---|
| Qualifying income basis | employment abroad, own company abroad, freelance work for foreign clients as of 2026-08-25[3] § 1, т. 36 of the supplementary provisions to ЗЧРБ defines a digital nomad as a foreigner who: (1) is employed under an employment contract by an employer registered or established outside an EU Member State, an EEA state or the Swiss Confederation and who provides remote services using information technology — where the contract is fixed-term, its remaining term must be not shorter than the term of the residence permit issued on this ground; or (2) is the legal representative, a member of the management body, the owner, a partner or a shareholder holding more than 25 per cent of the capital of a company registered or established outside those states, through which they provide remote services using information technology and do not perform work or provide services to persons on Bulgarian territory; or (3) provides remote services in a personal capacity using information technology for a period of not less than one year before the date of the application and does not perform work or provide services to persons on Bulgarian territory and does not carry on freelance activity there. |
| Local work allowed | No as of 2026-08-25[3] Limbs 2 and 3 of § 1, т. 36 state the prohibition expressly; limb 1 does not repeat it, and that asymmetry is recorded rather than smoothed over. |
| Minimum remote-working history | at least 1 year as of 2026-08-25[3] |
| Route carries its own tax regime | Not established from a qualifying source |
Physical presence
| none stated | to keep the permit as of 2026-08-25[1] |
|---|
Family inclusion
| Family members may be included | Yes as of 2026-08-25[1] ЗЧРБ чл. 24, ал. 1, т. 13 as published by the register: family members of a foreigner who has been granted продължително or постоянно residence, and of a foreigner granted asylum or international protection, may themselves obtain продължително residence where the documents evidencing the family tie and the maintenance right are recognised under Bulgarian law. The family route itself is recorded separately as bg-semeystvo-na-chuzhdenets. |
|---|---|
| Eligible relations | Not established from a qualifying source |
| Family members' work rights | Not established from a qualifying source |
Your next step
Read the requirements above considering your own situation: the income multiple, the absence limits, who you can bring. Check the country record for the reference figure those amounts are calculated from, and for anything that has changed recently.
The next step is your own case. That assessment is legal work. Create profile for our assistance in this.
Profile benefits
- A 30-minute call with our consultant, who reads your profile first.
- An offer for legal support built around your case, covering the whole process.
Verification
| Sources cited | 3 |
|---|---|
| of which official (tier 1) | 3 |
| Oldest as-of date | 2026-08-25 |
| Newest as-of date | 2026-08-25 |
| Reviewed on | 2026-08-26 |
| Schema version | 1.1 |
Sources
- [1] Разрешаване на продължително пребиваване на чужденци — информация за предоставяне на услуга
Администрация на Министерския съвет — Административен регистър (ИИСДА) · official guidance · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-25 - [2] Постановление № 286 от 12 декември 2025 г. за изменение и допълнение на нормативни актове (изм. и доп. на Правилника за прилагане на Закона за чужденците в Република България)
Държавен вестник · gazette · Tier 1 · Published 2025-12-16 · Accessed 2026-08-25 - [3] Закон за изменение и допълнение на Закона за чужденците в Република България
Държавен вестник (Народно събрание) · gazette · Tier 1 · Published 2025-06-27 · Accessed 2026-08-25