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@MasonD.

Hi sorry I can't help with answer,  but I'm following because now I have the same question.

I have a pension in payment,  but I'm still in my 50's. I  thought that the documents from this pension would suffice.

Really hoping that I am correct.  Really don't want to have to wait until state pension age.

Regards James.

Use both your pensions when applying for visa D as a retiree.

The letters from your pension funds should say " they are for life".  Translate, notarize, apostille them.

I used different category to get my prolonged residence but this is what my attorney in Bulgaria told me.

In the USA nothing is needed to be  translated or apostilled when applying in the Bulgarian Embassy for visa D. Apparently that is not the case in the UK.

In Bulgaria when I got my residence card everything was translated , notarized, apostilled. ( way too many fees for the notary:(

Minimum Pension in Bulgaria is now 523 Leva( 271 Euro). You need to show that you can meet that requirement as well and you need to show bank account that has 12 Bulgarian pensions in it.

271 x 12. This is euro 3252. Not bad. The bank account can be in dollars, euro, pounds whatever you want. I submitted a letter from my bank stating how much money I have in the account and that was just fine. ( no matter under what category you apply for visa D, you need to show bank account with funds in it that can satisfy the Bulgarian authorities. I had many times more money in the bank than the requirement ,just in case.)

Hi yes i used my private pension to retire at 58 two years ago, a lot depends if your pension is index linked with the way the national minimum wage is continuously rising here in Bulgaria if its not a drawdown pension that you can adjust according to your own financial needs.

If you are below state pension age here in Bulgaria the amount you are required to show as  income is now 933 leva per month and each year for the first five years of your prolonged stay residency you will need to show an amount equivalent to 12 x the current national minimum wage available in your bank account at the time of application for your new card. Once that 5yrs is over there is no such requirement if you are granted your permanent residency.

The pension I used was a drawdown pension, so no it didnt say the pension was for life, my military pension starts in May then my OAP in 7yrs. Im now on my second year of prolonged stay with no bother at all

Thanks for the replies, seems to have answered my question in the way i was hoping

@grahamstark1

I prefer at this point prolonged residence like you. Maybe will not change it ever to permanent. Must keep my door open to the US.

You are probably right about the amount of money that one needs to have in the bank.  My lawyer mentioned  some figures( which i did not memorize) but then she said that the money is more than enough in my account  and that is what I cared about. So I think it's best to hire a lawyer to advise new applicants correctly on the amount of money one needs to have in the bank. Everything is very fluid and changeable in the country. And the prices, salaries, pensions are going up so it is good to stay up to date. It is good to consider some passive income if a pension is too low.

The London Embassy told me it's based on simply having a pension income, not on being official retirement age. But for those under the state pension age, your pension needs to be at least the equivalent of the Bulgarian minimum wage, not the Bulgarian state pension, and as stated, 12 months worth already in the bank.

@TonyFF

Having permanent residence in Bulgaria doesn't give you citizenship so you will never give up your US rights. I dont choose prolonged stay, its the only option to foreigners (not EU Citizens) for the first five years unless like you your married to a Bulgarian or its for reunification and your husband or wife has already got a permanent residency status.

@MasonD

I put in for my retirement visa in December and it will be ready to pickup when I return home in march..  I'm 64 and used my company pension .. they are not interested how much you have in your bank .. it stated 3 bank statements but when I took to embassy they only wanted to last one ...  Have you got a BG bank account coz u will need it

@philip Mckay its when you apply for your residency card that you are required to show the funds in the bank, a Visa D is a leave to apply for residency not a guaranteed right. So for us under 67 we are required for the first five years to show the equivalent of 12 months Bulgarian minimum wage in our accounts every year when we apply for our card. As foreigners we only get a 12 month prolonged stay card for the first five years.

It's not on the requirements for d type visa .  It requires only 3 months bank statements no amount for 12 months residence ... I'll be inputting my Bulgarian bank account statement anyway as that has more than a years money in it,  but if their the same as UK BG embassy  they won't want it as I tried too give them othe evidence of funds but the said the bank account statement was sufficient .

The BG embassy London said it's exactly the same  paperwork for the visa as it is for residence only the residence form will be different .. haven't seen one if those yet as i could not find on the websites ..

@philip Mckay

Ok we will see when you go to immigration, but trust me Im in my second year of doing it now and have had to supply a certified statement from the Bulgarian bank showing 12 months of income as a balance on account. You will also have another 15 days of security checks in Bulgaria when you apply for your residents card before you are approved every year.

Your health insurance policy will also need to last a full year from the date of your residency application so its not always possible to use just the one submitted to the Embassy.

Whether you have the money on account or not is good for you but if you are giving information to people about residency applications it needs to be the correct information to prepare them as the VisaD is not the end of the road.

Listen the information I give has come direct from BG embassy London .. I even have a email stating that so quit the attitude .. IV even spoken to friends last night regarding your comments and they like you renew there residence permit each year they never heard or been told about having to have  12 months  money in the BG bank .. they have there pensions only which is the way they live and what the Bulgarian state want to see ..  they won't let you have a residence card if you don't have a pension you can have hundreds of thousands in the bank but they won't give you a card as a pensioner if you don't have a pension  ..   one thing i am starting to understand here in BG is that there is little consistency about application of  state rules..  there are officials who don't always apply it properly or just make it up ..  and I read it here in the short time iv been on this site ... 

Who am I going to believe you or the Bulgaria embassy London !

The way you speek to people is belittling..  IV seen and had your responses before.  Your certainly not a person I would want to be associated with..   anyone with any sense would use information given here on this site as a guide and confirm before use .. including your verbatim

We will agree to disagree then.

Can I can quickly clarify, without getting involved in an argument?

This "money in the bank" business, was a bit of a shock to me. I'll need to spend a lot of money to get my French house up to rental standards and also transporting my dogs is going to cost a small fortune. This means, there will be virtually no money in my bank, other than enough to get me there and to live on. I do, however, have a UK State Pension and a few small workplace pensions, which makes things tight in France, but should make me comfortable in Bulgaria. Is this enough?

@grumpyoldbird

When I do mine I'll let you know what the score is ...   I should be doing the residence permit at the begining of April when I return after the 9th April

@grumpyoldbird

I can only tell you what happens at Vratsa immigration and as quoted by the link I posted above for a specialist immigration lawyer in Sofia.

In my experience the VisaD is granted as a temporary residence for 6 months before the end of that six months as UK foreigners we can apply for an extension of 12 months (different rules for reunification and EU status), but as the ACRO only lasts six months in reality most people apply for their prolonged stay extension straight away. At this point you present all the documents that you presented from your visaD application plus any extension to your health insurance as it must have a full 12 months cover and a statement from the bank  showing 12 months equivalent of the Bulgarian state pension if you are in receipt of the UK state pension or 12 months equivalent of the Bulgarian minimum wage if you are below state pension age but receiving a private pension. This is done every year for the first five years after which you can apply for a long stay residency provided you stay in the country no less than six months of each year.

However your best bet is contact your local immigration office or a specialist immigration advocate to see what they will accept.

@grahamstarkwe

Graham it's not what your saying it's the way you talk to people ... I neither agree or disagree..   take a look at gwynj posts he doesn't always agree but he says it respectfully ..    I was hoping that what you just posted was a link to the ministry of foreign affairs which speaks about residence requirements .. but alas not .. most of these types of sites are different or bits missed out charging far to much money for old rope!

I contacted a lawyer and supposed to be an expert na!   I'll do it myself and use an interpreter to help with the form and any questions..

When I go to the MFA BG site it only mentions  requirements for the D type visa .  Cannot even find the firm for residence ..   visa yes residence no!

And the fact you do yours in vratsa and the couple I know do there's in Varna and the BG embassy in London confirmation proves my point there all different ! They shouldn't be but they are

@philip Mckay

As I said we will agree to disagree.

Bye bye  . Please do the same and if you disagree with anything I say please just pm the person iv said it to and you can tell them in your usual fashion what a load of rubbish I talk lol

I think the issue here might be that there are so many different "rules". One set for the D visa, then one for residency. One for pre-Brexit residents, one for post-Brexit. One for retirement D visas before official state pension age, one for after.

I could be wrong but I believe the 12 months money in the bank thing only applies for post-Brexit retirement visas and residency for those who are under the official pension age, just as people in that situation need to show a pension equal to the minimum wage, while those already receiving the OAP only need to show a pension equivalent to the Bulgarian OAP. And like everything in Bulgaria, some regional offices may be stricter in enforcing it than others.

@janemulberry

Yes, sadly there seem to be different rules, according to each person's circumstances. I don't recall needing to provide proof of funds when I came to France, but I did have funds then. Living in France has depleted those funds and more besides, so I'm hoping it's not a requirement for Bulgaria. 😬

@philip Mckay

Thank you. That would be really helpful. 🥰

@grahamstark1

Thank you.

@grumpyoldbird

My understanding is that as you're getting your OAP as well as a work pension (I think that's correct?) you don't need money in the bank, just proof of the OAP pension.

@grahamstark1

...speaking of a link to Tanya Dimitrova's website, has anyone used her services when applying for their Visa D Pensioners Permit?  Do I need a Bulgarian attorney?  Or can I deal directly with the Los Angeles Embassy for Bulgaria?  What do the lawyers help with exactly?  I have at least 3,842 other questions but I am asking because I have spent too much time assuming and filling in the blanks on my own over the last 2 years.

Thank you ALL   for your input on all things Bulgarian.  I have found that in the few days I have been on expat.com, there is a more welcoming mood and much more informative than 3 Expats forums I tried on Facebook.

@grumpyoldbird  Hello:  What is involved in bringing your animals to Bulgaria?  I too am an old bird so logic tells me perhaps kitty valium, testing, shots, kitty Kat physical?  Our youngish kitty adores my daughter and will HAVE to travel with us.  We are hoping to fly on a flight that will allow him to be near her for comfort, rather than in the airplanes 'animal keep' area which is often known for its discomfort (and what well respecting cat wants to be across from a dog for 12 hours?

Thank you to all and any that can provide input their animal pet experiences.

Jeannie

Jeannie, here's the information on the paperwork to bring a pet from the US to an EU country:

Basically, the cat needs to be chipped, vaccinated for rabies, and have a very health certificate, but there will be specific paperwork for the EU.

From the US, it should be possible to find a airline that will let your daughter keep her kitty in a carrier at her feet. There are safe calming medications that will relax the cat without sedating it that the vet should be able to prescribe. I'm not sure which of the ones used in the UK are available without prescription in the US or if the kitty has any health issues that might mean the ones we use with our tribe of cats might not be appropriate, but your vet can advise.

@spacelizard68

Hi, I haven't personally but I did use my general Advocate here in Vratsa, its worth the £600 expenses not to get it wrong on first application as mistakes made then would cost a lot more in time and money.

@spacelizard68

There are plenty of immigration attorneys around (as in most countries), so it's not hard to find one. I've read that Tanya is fine, she's been used by several members here.

Whether you need an immigration attorney is a different issue. If you've spent 2 years trying to do it on your own, then that suggests that you do. Certainly, it's quicker and easier to get an attorney to help you prepare your D visa application.

However, you can deal directly with the Bulgarian embassy/consulate in the USA, and I'd guess most applicants would do it this way. Even if the attorney helps you prepare the application, you still have to get the supporting documents (criminal record check, etc.) and make the submission and attend the interview.

There are lots of D visa applications, so they put detailed guidance on the consulate website. You have to read carefully, and follow their instructions exactly.

Tanya has info here:

The official consulate guidance is here:

You'll notice that the requirements include health insurance and proof of housing. It's possible to figure out how to do these online, but it's typically easier if you make a personal visit to Bulgaria (e.g. for sightseeing, house hunting) before preparing your application (and get them while here). If you have a friend (or attorney) in Bulgaria, they can arrange these for you, instead of you flying over. My attorney provided a rental contract (separate small fee) purely for immigration purposes. This meant I didn't have to rush into anything, and could leave all decisions about location/property until after I was legally resident, and could do it at my leisure.

The other key issue is how you qualify for the D visa. There are many options including employee, self-employed, and student. However, there is, unfortunately, no option for those of "independent means" (i.e. have enough income/savings to support themselves) as there is in many other countries. In your case, I'd guess retiree (as any private/state/government pension qualifies, regardless of age). There is also an investor option (300k euros ish in property or other investments). The pension option is very common and one of the easiest.

Good luck!

@spacelizard68

I'll try to list what a Bulgarian immigration attorney would typically do for you. You should note that their fee might be separate for each piece, or might be an overall number for everything. You need to be aware of this to compare different offers. As @grahamstark1 says it can be money well spent.

• advise you on the best way for you (and your family members) to qualify for the D visa, based on your circumstances (i.e. in your case, pensioner or family members of pensioner)
• advise and assist you on more complex qualification options such as TRO or investor (not relevant for you)
• help you prepare your D visa application
• advise you on the supporting documents required, and how to obtain them
• source a local Bulgarian Health Insurance for Foreigners policy
• provide a suitable rental contract if you have not yet purchased or rented a property
• advise you on how to submit your application, and what to expect afterwards (including the interview)
• take you to a local immigration office and apply for your biometric residence permit (after you get your D visa, and fly to Bulgaria)