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🇧🇬 Bulgaria digital nomad visa: requirements
Last checked: 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.
Income: ~€2,583/month · Insurance: required · Duration: Type D long-stay visa (up to 6 months), then a residence permit of up to 1 year, renewable for a second year
⚠️ This is general information, not legal, immigration, tax or insurance advice. Rules change often — always confirm the current requirements with the official government source before you apply.
Income requirement
You need to show roughly €2,583 per month. Set at 50× the Bulgarian monthly minimum wage. With the 2026 minimum wage at €620, that is €31,000 per year — about €2,583/month, the second-lowest bar in the EU after Italy. The figure is a formula, so it rises whenever the minimum wage does. 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.
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. 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.
Multi-currency account for receiving foreign income with low conversion fees.
Check Wise →Travel eSIM data plans for 200+ countries — connected the moment you land.
Check Airalo eSIM → Compare Bulgaria with the other countries →
Bulgaria insurance requirements →
Requirement changes we've verified recently →