Banks refuse me an account without a residence permit — but the D visa file needs a Bulgarian account. What now?

The loop feels airtight but it breaks easily once you know the moves — thousands of pensioner-route applicants get through it every year. First, know that nothing in Bulgarian law forbids banks from opening accounts for non-residents; it is bank policy and, frankly, branch discretion. The same bank that refuses you in one branch opens the account in another, depending on the staff's appetite for non-resident compliance paperwork. So the strategy is: target the large banks most accustomed to foreigners — DSK, UniCredit Bulbank, OBB, Postbank — go to big central-city branches rather than neighborhood ones, and try several. Bring your passport, proof of a Bulgarian address (a rental contract or preliminary property agreement works), something showing purpose (your D visa document checklist is genuinely persuasive — it shows exactly why you need the account), and evidence of source of funds like pension statements. Expect non-resident account fees somewhat higher than locals pay, and possibly a modest opening deposit. Second, the established workaround: a Bulgarian lawyer can open the account for you under power of attorney, often same-week, and immigration lawyers who handle pensioner D visas do this routinely as part of their package. If you are engaging help with the visa anyway, this dissolves the catch-22 entirely. Third, once your residence permit is issued, banking becomes normal — better fees, cards, online banking in English at the bigger banks. So treat the first account as a bridgehead, not a marriage. Branch-by-branch experience and the document list are covered in /guides/opening-bank-account-bulgaria.