Digital Nomad Visa in Bulgaria: A New EU Option for Remote Workers

Bulgaria officially launched its Digital Nomad Visa, a dedicated long-stay residence permit for remote workers earning income from abroad.

The visa is valid for one year and can be renewed once, providing non-EU/EEA/Swiss nationals with a legal way to live in Bulgaria while working remotely.

This article covers:

• What is a digital nomad residence permit?
• What is the minimum salary for Bulgarian digital nomad visa?
• Bulgaria digital nomad visa application
• How much is a residence permit in Bulgaria?
• Bulgaria tax for digital nomads
• Who has the best digital nomad visa, Bulgaria or Portugal?

Key Takeaways:

• Bulgaria digital nomad residence permit is valid for one year, with one extension.
• The country combines low taxes, modest bureaucracy, and relatively cheap costs.
• Bulgaria suits expats focused on long-term residency, not short-term hype.

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The information in this article is for general guidance only. It does not constitute financial, legal, or tax advice, and is not a recommendation or solicitation to invest. Some facts may have changed since the time of writing.

What is the new digital nomad visa in Bulgaria?

Bulgaria officially kicked off its Digital Nomad Visa in December 2025, a residence permit that allows non-EU nationals to live in Bulgaria while working remotely for foreign employers or clients.

The offering, commonly referred to as a Digital Nomad Residence Permit, comes after Bulgaria amended its foreigners and residence legislation to formally define digital nomads as a legal category.

Rather than launching a marketing-driven scheme, the country embedded digital nomads into its existing immigration framework, to create a legally grounded residence permit with clear eligibility, tax implications, and renewal rules.

That distinction is subtle but important.

Who qualifies for a digital nomad visa?

Applicants to the Bulgaria Digital Nomad Residence Permit must be employed by non-EU companies, operating foreign businesses, or freelancing for overseas clients with a proven work history.

Family members (spouse/dependents) may be eligible for reunification under certain conditions.

The program targets established remote professionals, not short-term location-independent travelers.

This excludes:

• Casual gig workers
• Tourism-style nomads
• Those intending to pivot into local employment

In other words, Bulgaria is not chasing volume. It is filtering for financially independent, low-burden residents who integrate without competing in the local labor market.

That design choice aligns closely with how Bulgaria has historically approached corporate tax policy, that is, attract stable external capital without distorting domestic systems.

How do you qualify for digital nomad in Bulgaria?

Applicants must demonstrate sufficient financial means, such as annual income of at least 50x the Bulgarian monthly minimum wage for the previous calendar year.

As of 2025, this threshold is roughly €27,550–€31,000 per year (income earned from remote work abroad).

You must maintain your income level and employment/freelance status throughout your residence.

Documentation

Bulgaria digital nomad visa requirements generally include:

• Valid passport (with at least 6 months’ validity).
• Proof of remote work (employment or contract documentation).
• Proof of income can include bank statements, pay slips, contracts, or invoices.
• Proof of accommodation in Bulgaria (rental agreement, hotel booking, or property deed).
• Clean criminal record certificate from your place of residence.
• Health insurance valid in Bulgaria (and typically Schengen/EU-wide) covering medical emergencies/hospitalization.
• Translations and apostilles for relevant foreign documents as required.

How to apply for a Bulgaria digital nomad visa?

How much is the visa fee for Bulgaria?

The digital nomad visa for Bulgaria is issued as a long-stay Type D visa, followed by a residence permit after arrival. The Type D visa application fee is around €100–€120, payable at a Bulgarian consulate.

Once approved and in Bulgaria, applicants must also pay a residence permit issuance fee, which usually costs at least €150.

Total government fees for the Bulgarian digital nomad visa process generally fall between €250 and €320.

This excludes additional costs such as document translations, legalization, apostilles, or mandatory health insurance, which vary by applicant and location.

How long does a digital nomad visa last and what does it imply?

The Bulgaria digital visa grants one year of residence, renewable once, for a total of up to two years.

Two years is long enough to matter, but not long enough to create automatic settlement expectations.

Many EU digital nomad visas quietly act as backdoor residency pathways. Bulgaria’s does not.

Instead, it functions as a residency bridge: a structured period during which remote workers can assess tax residency, lifestyle fit, and longer-term legal options without being locked into them.

This could be preferable for experienced expats.

What are the taxes for digital nomads in Bulgaria and common misconceptions?

Holding Bulgaria’s Digital Nomad Visa does not automatically make you a tax resident, as the country does not operate a digital-nomad-specific tax regime.

Instead, standard tax residency rules apply, and long stays may still trigger tax residency.

Generally, tax residency arises after spending more than 183 days in the country within a year.

Once tax resident, individuals are subject to a flat 10% personal income tax on worldwide income in Bulgaria, as per PwC. This is one of the lowest statutory rates in the EU.

The misinterpretation is assuming the visa itself is a tax shelter. It is not. What it offers are predictable thresholds, simple rates, and relatively low compliance friction compared to Western Europe.

For globally mobile professionals, that simplicity could matter more than headline incentives.

What is the purpose of Bulgaria’s Digital Nomad Visa — and why did it arrive now?

Bulgaria’s Digital Nomad Visa joins the growing list of European countries offering legal residence to remote workers with foreign income. On paper, it looks like another EU nomad visa.

In practice, it reflects a quieter but more structural shift in how second-tier EU states are positioning themselves in the global competition for mobile professionals.

Most early digital nomad visas in Europe were reactive, created quickly in response to pandemic-era remote work.

Bulgaria’s arrived later, after observing where other programs struggled: abuse, tax ambiguity, political backlash, and administrative overload.

It is a policy move grounded in immigration law, economic signaling, and long-term talent retention.

Beyond domestic policy, Bulgaria’s nomad visa positions the country as a strategic EU foothold for globally mobile professionals.

By offering a structured, legally grounded residence permit without excessive bureaucracy, it creates an alternative to crowded Western European programs.

For remote workers, this means a low-risk entry point into the EU, offering affordable living, clear legal rules, and a straightforward permit—advantages often missing from more complex or oversubscribed European nomad visas.

What are the disadvantages of a digital nomad visa?

The main disadvantages of the digital nomad residency in Bulgaria are limited stay duration, no special tax treatment, and strict rules on who you can work for.

• No digital-nomad-specific tax regime; standard Bulgarian tax rules apply
• Long stays may trigger Bulgarian tax residency
• One-year permit with only one renewal under the same category
• No direct path to permanent residency or citizenship
• You cannot work for Bulgarian employers or local clients
• High documentation and compliance requirements
• Ongoing income and insurance thresholds must be maintained

What makes Bulgaria’s Digital Nomad Visa stand out compared to other EU options?

Bulgaria’s visa is structured by law with clear criteria, lower living costs, and access to EU travel via Schengen membership.

Unlike some EU digital nomad schemes that evolved through administrative proclamations or face frequent changes, Bulgaria’s approach is grounded in legal amendments to the immigration code.

Key distinguishing elements include:

• Clarity and predictability: The legislative basis reduces ambiguity about eligibility and rights.
• EU access: Bulgaria’s recent accession to the Schengen Area enhances travel freedom across Europe.
• Affordability: Bulgaria’s cost of living and operational expenses remain significantly lower than in Western Europe.
• Flexibility: The visa accommodates employees, business owners, and freelancers without rigid job title requirements.

This contrasts with more saturated digital nomad permits in countries like Portugal, where evolving minimum income rules and demand pressures have created more complex eligibility landscapes.

Bulgaria vs Portugal: A Practical Digital Nomad Comparison

Bulgaria’s visa is a more recent, structured, and policy-defined remote work residence permit; Portugal’s is established, broader, and tied to longer-term EU residency possibilities.

Portugal is often the benchmark for EU digital nomad visas, albeit that visibility comes with trade-offs.

Portugal’s digital nomad visa is explicitly designed, widely marketed, and popular. As a result, it now faces rising minimum income thresholds, increased scrutiny, and growing political pressure.

Processing times are longer, compliance requirements are tighter, and competition among applicants is intense.

Bulgaria, by contrast, operates quietly. It does not market a lifestyle visa, and it does not attract mass inflows of remote workers. This has preserved:

• Lower income thresholds in practice
• Faster processing in many cases
• Greater regulatory flexibility

From a tax perspective, Portugal’s regime is more complex, with special schemes, transition rules, and reform risk. Bulgaria’s flat tax system is simpler and easier to model long-term.

Lifestyle is where Portugal dominates. It offers coastal cities, global nomad hubs, and strong international infrastructure.

For strategic expats who value legal certainty and an EU foothold over lifestyle hype, Bulgaria’s visa can be a quiet alternative to mainstream nomad destinations.

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