🇧🇬 Health insurance for the Bulgaria digital nomad visa

Last checked: September 2026 · Source: official government site

The direct answer: The Bulgaria Digital Nomad Residence Permit requires genuine health insurance — at least €30,000 in coverage, valid in the Schengen area for your whole stay. Emergency-only travel-medical cover is not enough here, even when its headline limit looks big enough.

The requirement in one line: Private health insurance valid in Bulgaria and the wider Schengen area for the whole stay. Travel insurance is explicitly not accepted — it has to be a genuine long-term health policy.
Benchmark: at least €30,000 in coverage. Policy must be valid for your full visa period.

⚠️ Insurance requirements are set by each government and change. We summarise them to help you shop, but the consulate has the final say on whether a specific policy is accepted. Confirm the wording of any policy before you buy.

What actually counts

Bulgaria is the country where the cheap answer is wrong. The requirement is health insurance valid in Bulgaria and the wider Schengen area for your entire stay — and the guidance is explicit that travel insurance does not count. That single line disqualifies the products most nomads reach for first: SafetyWing Nomad Insurance and Genki Traveler are travel-medical policies, whatever the marketing calls them. What Bulgaria wants is a long-term health policy: routine and outpatient care, not just emergencies. Practically, that means a full international health plan, or a genuine long-term nomad health product such as Genki Native rather than the Traveler tier. One nuance worth knowing: SafetyWing's Complete tier is a real step up from its own Essential plan — a 12-month term, $5,000/year of outpatient cover, dental and maternity — but it is still sold under the 'Nomad Insurance' travel brand, and this rule targets that category by name. A dedicated health insurer's certificate is the safer document to hand a Bulgarian consulate; don't assume Complete clears this bar just because the benefit numbers look closer. Since income is the least demanding part of this visa, insurance is the line item that will actually cost you — budget accordingly, and confirm the exact coverage figure with your consulate, because published sources still disagree on whether the floor is €30,000 or €60,000.

Policies that usually qualify

Cigna Global

Comprehensive international private health plans — the kind of cover strict countries like Spain expect.

Check Cigna Global →

↑ placeholder link — swap in the real affiliate URL in src/data/affiliates.json

We list these because they commonly meet this visa's wording. Always read the certificate and confirm coverage, dates and geographic scope before you buy.

Quick answers

What health insurance do I need for the Bulgaria digital nomad visa?

The Bulgaria Digital Nomad Residence Permit requires genuine health insurance — at least €30,000 in coverage, valid in the Schengen area for your whole stay. Emergency-only travel-medical cover is not enough here, even when its headline limit looks big enough. Verified September 2026 against the official source.

Does travel insurance count for the Bulgaria digital nomad visa?

No — and this is the single most expensive mistake on this application. Bulgaria wants a health policy, not a travel policy. Products like SafetyWing Nomad Insurance and Genki Traveler are travel-medical cover whatever the marketing says: they are built around emergencies and unexpected illness, not the routine and long-term care a residence permit assumes. Budget for a full international health plan, or a genuine long-term nomad health product such as Genki Native.

Why do insurance documents get rejected for the Bulgaria visa?

The usual failures: a travel-medical policy submitted where a health policy is required, cover below €30,000, missing outpatient or routine care, a certificate that doesn't span the full permit period, or — where the country requires the year paid up front — a rolling monthly subscription that can't evidence it.

The rest of the Bulgaria application

Income: about €2,583/month. The income requirement in detail →
Length: Type D long-stay visa (up to 6 months), then a residence permit of up to 1 year, renewable for a second year.
Tax: Bulgaria levies a flat 10% personal income tax — the lowest headline rate in the EU. Stay past 183 days and you are generally a Bulgarian tax resident, so this route is as much a tax decision as a lifestyle one.
Residency path: Limited — this route is mainly for temporary stays.

Full Bulgaria visa requirements →
Compare Bulgaria with other countries →
Check any country's insurance rule →