Bulgaria for Digital Nomads: The New Permit, Routes, and Real Costs (2026)

For years the honest answer was "Bulgaria has no digital nomad visa — here are the workarounds." That changed: amendments to the Foreigners Act adopted in June 2025 created a dedicated digital nomad residence permit, and applications opened on December 20, 2025. Combined with full Schengen membership, the euro, gigabit internet, and a 10% flat tax, Bulgaria jumped from "underrated workaround" to one of the strongest nomad bases in Europe.

This guide covers the new permit's actual rules, the routes for every passport, the 90/180 Schengen math, the best cities, and the tax basics.

First fork: which passport do you hold?

• EU/EEA/Swiss citizens need no permit of any kind — arrive, work remotely, and register after 3 months. Your entire process is the same-day certificate described in EU citizens moving to Bulgaria.
• Non-EU nationals (US, UK, Canada, etc.) now have four realistic options: the 90-day Schengen allowance for short stints, the digital nomad permit for 1-2 years, the freelance permit, or a Bulgarian company. The wider map is in Bulgaria residence permits explained.

The digital nomad permit: verified rules

The framework: Foreigners Act amendments (June 2025) plus the government decree of December 10, 2025 defining the procedure. Key parameters:

Who qualifies — third-country nationals performing work remotely, via information technology, for employers or clients outside Bulgaria, in one of three profiles:

1. Remote employee of a company registered outside Bulgaria
2. Owner or partner holding at least 25% of a foreign company, working for it remotely
3. Freelancer/independent professional with foreign clients and at least 1 year of documented activity

The income test — average annual income for the previous calendar year of at least 50 times the Bulgarian monthly minimum wage. With the 2026 minimum wage at €620.20/month, that is about €31,010 per year (roughly €2,585/month). The bar moves every time the minimum wage does — verify the current figure when you apply.

What you get — a continuous residence permit for 1 year, extendable once for a second year. No Bulgarian work permit needed. You may not work for Bulgarian companies or serve Bulgarian clients on this permit.

The process:

1. Assemble proof of the remote relationship (contract, company documents, client invoices) and income (tax returns, bank statements) — apostilled and translated where applicable.
2. Apply for a D visa at your Bulgarian consulate (fee €100).
3. Enter Bulgaria and file for the permit at the Migration Directorate (permit fee about €256 for the year, card about €18).
4. Realistic door-to-door: 3-5 months.

After two years the permit is exhausted — switch to another ground (freelance permit, Bulgarian company employment, family) if you want to stay and build toward the 5-year permanent residence clock.

The 90-day Schengen math (it changed)

Bulgaria joined Schengen fully on January 1, 2025 (air/sea March 31, 2024). Consequences for nomads:

• Your visa-free days in Bulgaria now draw from the common 90-in-180 Schengen pool. Bulgaria-then-Greece-then-Bulgaria no longer resets anything.
• The classic pre-2024 hack — 90 days Schengen, 90 days Bulgaria, repeat — is dead.
• The upside: once you hold a Bulgarian D visa or residence permit, you travel the whole Schengen area freely (90/180 in other member states).

For non-EU nomads who want more than a quarter in the region, a permit is now the only clean answer.

Alternative routes if the nomad permit does not fit

• Freelance permit — for those with Bulgarian clients or income below the nomad bar but a solid local business plan. Harder file (2 years of experience, B1 Bulgarian under the current ordinance, Employment Agency approval).
• Bulgarian company (EOOD) — form a company (about €1-2 in capital is legally possible, real setup costs €200-500), invoice clients through it, and pay yourself. On its own a small EOOD does not grant residence (the business residence ground wants 10 Bulgarian employees) — but it pairs well with other statuses and is the standard structure EU-citizen freelancers use. Full comparison: freelancer vs. company EOOD.
• Study, family, or employment grounds — covered in the main residence permits guide linked above.

Taxes: the honest intro

• Spend 183+ days in Bulgaria in a 12-month window (or make it your center of vital interests) and you become a Bulgarian tax resident.
• Personal income tax is a flat 10% — among the lowest in the EU. Sole traders pay 15%; the freelancer regime enjoys a 25% deemed expense deduction.
• Social security contributions apply once you are locally insured (self-insured contributions are calculated on an income base capped well below high nomad incomes — typically a few hundred euros a month all-in).
• US citizens still file with the IRS (FEIE/foreign tax credits); UK nationals mind the Statutory Residence Test. Bulgaria has treaties with both.

Run your numbers and read the tax guide for foreigners before you commit — the 10% headline is real, but residency timing decides whose taxman owns your year.

Where to base yourself

Deep dives: our city guides cover Sofia, Plovdiv, and Varna in detail — and Bansko, the mountain nomad capital, deserves its own look. Budget check: the cost of living calculator on Melssa.

Internet is a Bulgarian superpower: gigabit fiber in cities for €10-15/month, solid 5G, and cafe Wi-Fi that actually works. Details in internet and mobile plans.

Landing week: the practical sequence

1. SIM or eSIM the day you arrive — prepaid plans with generous data cost €5-10/month from any of the three carriers.
2. Coworking pass — day passes run €8-15 and let you audition spaces before committing to a month.
3. Bank account once your registration or permit and personal number exist — EU fintechs work from day one, but a local IBAN makes rent and utilities frictionless.
4. Transport — Sofia's metro plus intercity buses and trains cover most nomad needs; nobody rents a car for city life, only for mountain weekends.
5. Community — Bansko and Sofia run weekly nomad events; one coworking membership does more for your first month than any app.

FAQ

Is the digital nomad permit income requirement gross or net?

The decree references your average annual income for the prior year as evidenced by tax and bank documents — practitioners read it as gross documented income. Have your tax return and 12 months of statements tell one consistent story.

Can my spouse and kids join me on the nomad permit?

Family reunification is tied to your continuous-residence status; a 1-2 year capped permit makes sponsorship timing tight. Families often route the working spouse through the nomad permit and the family through family reunification immediately after — have a lawyer sequence it.

Do nomad-permit years count toward permanent residence?

They are lawful continuous residence, but the permit caps at 2 years total — you must switch grounds to reach the 5-year mark.

Can I work from Bulgaria for a US employer without any of this for 3 months?

Yes — within your 90 Schengen days, remote work for a foreign employer on a visa-free stint is the accepted norm.

Is Bulgaria actually safe and livable?

Yes — statistically among the calmer EU countries for daily life, with the usual big-city awareness rules. And read what changed with Schengen and the euro for why 2026 is the inflection point.

Sources

• The Sofia Globe — Government approves digital nomad permit procedure (Dec 2025)
• Fragomen — Bulgaria: Digital Nomad Residence Permit Introduced
• Kinstellar — Bulgaria introduces residence permit for digital nomads
• Wolf Theiss — Bulgaria defines residence rules for digital nomads
• BTA — Minimum wage rises to EUR 620.20 in 2026

Immigration rules change — always confirm current requirements with the Bulgarian Migration Directorate or an immigration lawyer before applying.