Bulgaria Archives - Expat Focus

Getting Married in Bulgaria: A Comprehensive Guide for Expats

Getting married in Bulgaria can be a beautiful and memorable experience, with its rich cultural traditions and stunning landscapes. However, as an expat, navigating the legal requirements and understanding local customs can be challenging. Here’s a comprehensive guide to help

Bulgaria – Eye Care

Ophthalmologists, optometrists, and high street optical retailers together form Bulgaria’s eye care landscape, drawing on both public and private resources. The majority of routine optical expenses are either self-funded or covered through private insurance plans, since the National Health Insurance

Bulgaria – End of Life Issues

End of life care in Bulgaria is delivered primarily through hospitals, specialist palliative units, and a limited number of hospice facilities, with home-based provision that, while modest, is gradually expanding. Euthanasia and assisted dying are both unlawful. A death must

Bulgaria – Air Travel

Bulgaria is home to four international airports — Sofia, Burgas, Varna, and Plovdiv — with Sofia functioning as the nation’s primary aviation centre. Internal air travel within Bulgaria is modest in scale yet operational, linking the capital with destinations along

Bulgaria – Landlines and Mobile Phones

Bulgaria’s telecommunications infrastructure is modern and highly developed. The national dialling code is +359, and the country’s three principal mobile operators — A1, Vivacom, and Yettel — collectively deliver 4G coverage to over 99% of the population, with 5G networks

Bulgaria – Visas

Bulgaria holds full EU membership and, since January 2025, full membership of the Schengen Area. Citizens of numerous countries may enter without a visa for short stays of up to 90 days, but those intending to live, work, study, or

Bulgaria – Selling Property

For foreign sellers, disposing of property in Bulgaria is a legally defined process that is quite manageable overall, yet hinges on one non-negotiable requirement: the involvement of a Bulgarian notary public at the point of finalising the sale. This step

Bulgaria – Buying Property

Foreign nationals are permitted to purchase property in Bulgaria, though the rules governing ownership vary according to both the buyer’s nationality and the category of real estate in question. Citizens of EU and EEA member states enjoy rights broadly equivalent

Bulgaria – Work Permits and Working Legally

Third-country nationals — those from outside the EU, EEA, and Switzerland — must generally hold both a work permit and a long-stay Type D visa before they can take up employment in Bulgaria. The procedure is driven by the Bulgarian

Bulgaria – Veterinary Care

Bulgaria provides a broadly solid standard of veterinary care, especially in its main urban centres of Sofia, Plovdiv, and Varna, where well-equipped clinics and an expanding range of specialist services can be found. As a full EU member state, Bulgaria