How much deposit do landlords in Bulgaria actually ask for if I have no residency yet?

You do not need residency or a Bulgarian ID number to rent - a passport is enough to sign a tenancy contract, and plenty of landlords rent to newly arrived foreigners. So nobody can legitimately charge you extra for that. The norms in 2026: one month deposit is standard. Two months appears for higher-end furnished flats, pets, or landlords who have been burned before - it is not a foreigner surcharge, but it is negotiable. The agency fee is the painful part: when an agency markets the flat, the tenant typically pays half to a full month as commission, and in Sofia a full month is common. So first month plus one month deposit plus commission is a normal worst case. Since Bulgaria adopted the euro in January 2026 rents are quoted in euro. A few practical points: pay the deposit by bank transfer so there is a record, and insist on a written contract - bilingual if possible. There is no deposit protection scheme like in the UK, so your protection is documentation: do a written handover protocol with meter readings and photos of every room, signed by both sides. Utilities usually stay in the name of the landlord and you simply pay the bills, which is normal practice here. Watch for one red flag: anyone asking you to wire a deposit before you or someone you trust has physically seen the flat. That is the classic rental scam everywhere, including Sofia. We cover contracts, deposits and handover in detail in our guide at /guides/renting-apartment-bulgaria-long-term.