long-stay residence permit — foreign religious minister invited by a registered denomination (Foreigners Act, art. 24(1)(16))
Residency route facts
Identity
| Official name (local) | разрешение за продължително пребиваване по чл. 24, ал. 1, т. 16 от ЗЧРБ as of 2026-08-25[1] |
|---|---|
| Official name (English) | long-stay residence permit — foreign religious minister invited by a registered denomination (Foreigners Act, art. 24(1)(16)) as of 2026-08-25[1] Translation. |
| Legal basis | Закон за чужденците в Република България, чл. 24, ал. 1, т. 16; Правилник за прилагане на ЗЧРБ, чл. 27 as of 2026-08-25[1][3] |
| 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 | up to 1 year as of 2026-08-25[4] 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. |
|---|---|
| Renewable | Yes as of 2026-08-25[1] The register's filing rule — no later than 14 days before the permitted stay expires — presupposes extension. |
| Work rights | none as of 2026-08-25[5] ЗТМТМ чл. 8, ал. 1, т. 2: holders of продължително residence granted on the grounds of чл. 24, ал. 1, т. 2, 6–8, 10, 14, 16, 19 and 20 ЗЧРБ have no right of access to the labour market. Point 16 is in that closed enumeration, so this is a sourced negative, not an absence of information: the permit authorises the religious ministry for which it was granted and not employment generally. |
Permanent residence and citizenship
| Counts toward permanent residence | Not established from a qualifying source |
|---|
Requirements
| Job offer required | Not established from a qualifying source as of 2026-08-25[1] Not stated by the register for this ground. |
|---|---|
| Labour-market test | No as of 2026-08-25[5] No labour-market test arises: ЗТМТМ чл. 8, ал. 1, т. 2 denies labour-market access to holders of this ground altogether. |
| Employer sponsorship | Yes as of 2026-08-25[1][3] The register requires a positive opinion of the Directorate 'Religious Denominations' of the Council of Ministers under the Religious Denominations Act, in the applicant's capacity as a foreign religious minister invited by the central leadership of a registered denomination. ПМС № 286 of 12 December 2025 rewrote чл. 27 of the implementing rules to require exactly that document, and the amending Act at State Gazette issue 52 of 27 June 2025 deleted from чл. 24, ал. 1, т. 16 the alternative limb requiring a permission of the Minister of Justice for non-profit activity. |
| Own means requirement | Recorded at the source, but not reducible to a single value as of 2026-08-25[1] |
Process
| Where to apply from | in-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 time | up to 14 days as of 2026-08-25[1] Register: up to 14 days from filing, extendable by one month. |
| Fees |
|
| Quota |
|
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 | authorisation required as of 2026-08-25[2][5] 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.
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 | 5 |
|---|---|
| of which official (tier 1) | 5 |
| 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] 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] 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 - [4] 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 - [5] Закон за трудовата миграция и трудовата мобилност (консолидиран текст, PDF)
Министерство на труда и социалната политика · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-25