autonomous long-stay residence permit after dissolution of the marriage by divorce or death (Foreigners Act, art. 24(5))
Residency route facts
Identity
| Official name (local) | самостоятелно разрешение за продължително пребиваване по чл. 24, ал. 5 от ЗЧРБ as of 2026-08-25[1] |
|---|---|
| Official name (English) | autonomous long-stay residence permit after dissolution of the marriage by divorce or death (Foreigners Act, art. 24(5)) as of 2026-08-25[1] Translation. |
| Legal basis | Закон за чужденците в Република България, чл. 24, ал. 5 и ал. 6 as of 2026-08-25[1] |
| 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[2] 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 | Not established from a qualifying source as of 2026-08-25[1] |
| Work rights | Not established from a qualifying source as of 2026-08-25[3] |
Permanent residence and citizenship
| Counts toward permanent residence | Not established from a qualifying source |
|---|
Requirements
| Who can sponsor | specific permits as of 2026-08-25[1] The applicant is a person who was granted продължително or дългосрочно residence on the ground of чл. 24, ал. 1, т. 13 or т. 18 — that is, as the family member of a foreign resident or of a Bulgarian citizen — and whose marriage has been dissolved by divorce or death. There is no continuing sponsor; the field records the status the entitlement derives from. |
|---|---|
| Eligible relations | Not established from a qualifying source as of 2026-08-25[1] Not established. The register's text speaks of the dissolution of a marriage, which implies a spouse, but does not say whether other family members who held residence on the same grounds are covered. |
| Sponsor income requirement | Recorded at the source, but not reducible to a single value as of 2026-08-25[1] |
| Sponsor accommodation requirement | Yes as of 2026-08-25[1] ЗЧРБ чл. 24, ал. 2 as reproduced by the register applies to the grant of any продължително permit. |
| Sponsor waiting period | at least 2 years as of 2026-08-25[1] The register: the services for administrative control of foreigners may issue the autonomous permit once, where the family has resided continuously and lawfully on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria for at least two years. |
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 | Not established from a qualifying source as of 2026-08-25[1] |
| Quota |
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Physical presence
| none stated | to keep the permit as of 2026-08-25[1] |
|---|
Family inclusion
| Family members may be included | 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] 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 - [3] Закон за трудовата миграция и трудовата мобилност (консолидиран текст, PDF)
Министерство на труда и социалната политика · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-25