Investment in Class A, Class B, or Priority Investment as per the Investment Promotion Act:

A foreigner making and/or maintaining an investment that has been certified as Class A, Class B, or Priority Investment as per the Investment Promotion Act may be granted permanent residence.

Permanent residence may be granted to:

  1. A partner or shareholder with personal shareholding of not less than 50 per cent of the company’s registered capital, or
  2. a representative or procurator whose name has been duly entered in the Commercial Register with the Registry Agency, or
  3. an individual hired under a labor contract in a key and/or controlling position in
    1. R&D,
    2. Production,
    3. Marketing, or
    4. Any key activity of the company, or
    5. Any other activity that is essential for the implementation of the investment.
  4. The foreigner immigrant can make the investment as an individual or invest the EUR 300,000 to acquire minimum 50% stake in a Bulgarian company that will, in turn, invest the aforesaid amount in real estate in Bulgaria.
  5. The payment for purchase of real estate should be made through a Bulgarian bank.
  6. The investor can seek financing for the purchase provided the total loan outstanding is not more than 25% of the value of the real estate as on the date of application of permanent residence.

The applicant and family members are exempt from the mandatory residence requirement when holding this permanent residence permit. The permit is issued for a period of one year and the investment in real estate must be maintained to prevent suspension of the permit. The investor can apply for citizenship after a period of five years of permanent residence.