🇧🇬 Bulgaria digital nomad visa: requirements

Last checked: 29 September 2026 · official government source

Bulgaria is the newest nomad route in the EU, opened in 2026, and it arrives with unusually good timing: the country completed Schengen entry in 2025 and adopted the euro on 1 January 2026. So you get free movement, a euro-denominated economy, the EU's lowest flat income tax at 10%, and the second-lowest income bar in the bloc. Being new is the catch: consulate practice is still settling, and published guidance is thinner than for Portugal or Spain.

⚠️ This is general information, not legal, immigration, tax or insurance advice. Rules change often, so always confirm the current requirements with the official government source before you apply.

Income requirement

You need to show roughly €2,584 per month. Set at 50× the Bulgarian monthly minimum wage, under Article 24(1)(24) of the Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria Act. The 2026 minimum wage is €620.20 (BGN 1,213, and the first minimum wage Bulgaria has ever set in euro), so the bar is €31,010 a year, about €2,584/month: the second-lowest in the EU after Italy. It is a formula, so it moves every January. You must also work for a company registered outside the EU/EEA/Switzerland, hold at least 25% of a business registered abroad, or freelance with at least a year of non-Bulgarian clients. Guides still quoting about €27,500 are using 50× the 2025 wage, before the 12.6% rise.

The Bulgaria income requirement in detail →
Not sure if you clear it? Run the income checker →

Health insurance

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. On the sum, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs states €30,000 for visa applications generally; guides to this permit specifically split between €30,000 and €60,000, and we have not found the figure in the permit's own legal basis. This is the step that rejects the most applications, so it's worth getting right.

Read the full Bulgaria insurance guide → (which policies qualify, which get rejected)

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.

How long it lasts

Type D long-stay visa (up to 6 months), then a residence permit of up to 1 year, renewable for a second year. It is mainly a temporary route rather than a path to permanent residency.

Getting paid and staying connected

Two practical things every nomad sorts out on arrival: a low-fee way to receive income in euros, and mobile data from day one.

Compare Bulgaria with the other countries →
Bulgaria insurance requirements →
Requirement changes we've verified recently →