According to Open4Business, the Bulgarian government has proposed significantly tightening the rules on retaining permanent residence permits for foreign nationals, particularly investors. Under the draft bill submitted to parliament, holders of permanent residence permits may be required to spend at least 183 days in Bulgaria during each calendar year.
Bill No. 52–602–01–29 on amendments to the Law on Foreigners of the Republic of Bulgaria was submitted by the Council of Ministers to the National Assembly on 28 July 2026, according to official data from the Bulgarian parliament.
The bill is currently under consideration, so the new provisions are not yet in force.
The main change concerns the distinction between two categories of residence for foreign nationals.
For individuals with EU long-term resident status, it is proposed to retain the current principle whereby prolonged continuous absence from the territory of the European Union may constitute grounds for loss of status.
For holders of a Bulgarian permanent residence permit, it is proposed to introduce a significantly stricter national requirement: a foreign national must actually be present in Bulgaria for more than half a year.
Thus, if the bill is adopted in its current form, merely holding a Bulgarian permanent residence permit whilst residing permanently in another country will not be sufficient.
The new rule will affect investors
These changes are of particular significance for foreigners who have obtained permanent residence on the basis of investment.
Current Bulgarian legislation provides for several options for obtaining permanent residence through investment. In particular, the official government portal specifies investments of 1 million levs or more in certain Bulgarian investment funds and a number of other instruments, whilst a threshold of 2 million levs applies to certain types of securities.
Following Bulgaria’s transition to the euro, the relevant amounts are converted into the new currency at a fixed exchange rate. The previous threshold of 1 million levs corresponds to approximately 511,300 euros, whilst 2 million levs equates to around 1.02 million euros.
However, another significant change has been introduced: investments no longer automatically entitle a permanent resident to reside permanently outside Bulgaria.
In the published version of the new requirement, no separate exemption is provided for investment residents. This is precisely why the changes may significantly reduce the appeal of the Bulgarian investment programme for people who viewed permanent residence primarily as an additional European status, rather than as a basis for actually moving to the country.
The new rule potentially extends far beyond the investment segment. It may also apply to other foreign nationals with permanent residence in Bulgaria — in particular, those who have obtained permanent residence following a long period of residence in the country, certain family members of Bulgarian citizens, and foreign nationals of Bulgarian origin.
Thus, the proposed changes effectively alter the very concept of permanent residence: the state wishes to link the possession of this status more closely to a person’s actual physical presence in the country.
This may prove particularly important for foreign nationals who hold a Bulgarian permanent residence permit but spend most of the year working or running a business in other EU countries, the UK, the US, CIS countries or the Middle East.
Investment thresholds are to be converted from levs to euros
At the same time, the draft bill brings the financial requirements of immigration legislation into line with Bulgaria’s transition to the euro.
In particular, the previous amounts in lvas are replaced by their equivalents in euros.
The threshold of 1 million lvas corresponds to approximately 511,000 euros, 2 million lvas to around 1.02 million euros, and 6 million lvas to approximately 3.07 million euros.
This is primarily a technical conversion, so the actual value of the investment requirements is not significantly affected by this change.
Permanent residence through investment in Bulgaria has been retained, whilst citizenship by investment has been abolished
It is important to distinguish between the two schemes.
Bulgaria had previously abandoned the fast-track scheme for direct acquisition of citizenship through investment, which had given rise to serious objections from EU institutions.
However, the investment-based grounds for obtaining permanent residence have been retained. Official government information still provides for several types of investment that may serve as grounds for granting a foreign national a permanent residence permit.
It is precisely this scheme that may now become significantly less ‘passive’: it will no longer be sufficient for an investor simply to maintain their investment – if the amendments are adopted, they will also have to actually spend a significant part of the year in Bulgaria.
It is not yet possible to speak of the mandatory 183 days as a rule that has come into force.
The bill has only just been submitted to parliament and must undergo scrutiny by the relevant committees and go through the parliamentary process. The National Assembly currently lists it on its official website as a document tabled by the Council of Ministers, with no information regarding its final adoption.
During the review process, MPs may amend the 183-day requirement or introduce exemptions for certain categories of foreign nationals.