long-stay residence permit — accredited correspondent of a foreign mass medium (Foreigners Act, art. 24(1)(9))

Route status

Active as of 2026-08-25[1]

Open to new applications under the rules recorded below.

Residency route facts

Identity

Identity
Official name (local)разрешение за продължително пребиваване по чл. 24, ал. 1, т. 9 от ЗЧРБ as of 2026-08-25[1]
Official name (English)long-stay residence permit — accredited correspondent of a foreign mass medium (Foreigners Act, art. 24(1)(9)) as of 2026-08-25[1]
Translation.
Legal basisЗакон за чужденците в Република България, чл. 24, ал. 1, т. 9 as of 2026-08-25[1]
Instrument typeresidence permit as of 2026-08-25[1]

Who can apply

Who can apply
Nationals not served by this routeEU, EEA as of 2026-08-25[1]
Criminal-record conditionYes 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

Permit terms
Initial durationup to 1 year as of 2026-08-25[3]
ЗЧРБ чл. 23, ал. 1, т. 2: продължително residence is 'with a permitted term of up to one year, save in the cases provided for in this Act'. The register prices the permit in two bands, up to 6 months and up to 1 year.
RenewableYes as of 2026-08-25[1]
The register's filing rule — no later than 14 days before the permitted stay expires — presupposes extension.
Work rightsown activity only as of 2026-08-25[4]
ЗТМТМ чл. 9, ал. 1, т. 8: no labour-market access permit is required for correspondents of foreign mass media officially accredited in Bulgaria. The exemption is tied to that capacity; ЗТМТМ чл. 8, ал. 1, т. 2, which denies labour-market access to holders of продължително residence on certain чл. 24, ал. 1 grounds, does not list т. 9.

Permanent residence and citizenship

Permanent residence and citizenship
Counts toward permanent residenceNot established from a qualifying source

Requirements

Requirements
Job offer requiredNot established from a qualifying source as of 2026-08-25[1]
Not stated by the register for this ground.
Labour-market testNo as of 2026-08-25[4]
ЗТМТМ чл. 9, ал. 1, т. 8: no labour-market access permit is required, so no access test applies.
Employer sponsorshipYes as of 2026-08-25[1]
The register requires an accreditation document issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Own means requirementRecorded at the source, but not reducible to a single value as of 2026-08-25[1]

Process

Process
Where to apply fromin-country only as of 2026-08-25[1]
The register: filed in person no later than 14 days before the permitted stay or the type D visa expires.
Statutory processing timeup to 14 days as of 2026-08-25[1]
Register: up to 14 days from filing, extendable by one month.
Fees
    • Kind: application
    • Amount: BGN 10 one-off as of 2026-08-25[1]
      Source states the threshold in Bulgarian leva. Bulgaria adopted the euro on 2026-01-01 at the fixed rate 1 EUR = 1.95583 BGN; none of the sources consulted publishes a redenominated figure for this threshold.
    • Charged per: application
    • Paid by: applicant
    • Condition: payable on filing
    • Kind: issuance
    • Amount: BGN 200 one-off as of 2026-08-25[1]
      Source states the threshold in Bulgarian leva. Bulgaria adopted the euro on 2026-01-01 at the fixed rate 1 EUR = 1.95583 BGN; none of the sources consulted publishes a redenominated figure for this threshold.
    • Charged per: applicant
    • Paid by: applicant
    • Condition: permit issued for up to 6 months
    • Kind: issuance
    • Amount: BGN 500 one-off as of 2026-08-25[1]
      Source states the threshold in Bulgarian leva. Bulgaria adopted the euro on 2026-01-01 at the fixed rate 1 EUR = 1.95583 BGN; none of the sources consulted publishes a redenominated figure for this threshold.
    • Charged per: applicant
    • Paid by: applicant
    • Condition: permit issued for up to 1 year
Quota
  • Quota exists: Not established from a qualifying source

Physical presence

Physical presence
none statedto keep the permit as of 2026-08-25[1]

Family inclusion

Family inclusion
Family members may be includedYes 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 relationsNot established from a qualifying source
Family members' work rightsauthorisation required as of 2026-08-25[2][4]
ЗТМТМ чл. 8, ал. 2, т. 4 lists family members of a foreigner with продължително residence among those who may be granted access to the labour market, and the Employment Agency issues them a work permit under ЗТМТМ чл. 40, ал. 2 subject to чл. 7, ал. 1, т. 3 (specialised knowledge, skills and professional experience). Access is therefore permitted but conditional on a prior authorisation.

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.

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Verification

Verification
Sources cited4
of which official (tier 1)4
Oldest as-of date2026-08-25
Newest as-of date2026-08-25
Reviewed on2026-08-26
Schema version1.1

Sources

  1. [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. [2] Режим 1271: Издаване на разрешение за работа на работници-граждани на трети държави в Република България (Административен регистър, услуга на Агенцията по заетостта)
    Администрация на Министерския съвет / Агенция по заетостта · official guidance · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-25
  3. [3] Закон за чужденците в Република България (консолидиран текст)
    Министерство на иновациите и растежа (публикуван текст на закона) · statute · Tier 1 · Published 2022-03-18 · Accessed 2026-08-25 · Amended by bg-dv-zid-zchrb-52-2025
  4. [4] Закон за трудовата миграция и трудовата мобилност (консолидиран текст, PDF)
    Министерство на труда и социалната политика · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-25

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