Bulgaria has introduced legislation that would revoke permanent residence from foreigners who spend less than six months and one day in the country during a calendar year, a rule that would apply to golden visa investors for the first time.
If enacted as it is currently drafted, the law could effectively function retroactively for current Bulgarian golden visa holders
The Council of Ministers approved the draft in July. Prime Minister Rumen Radev signed the decision along with the letter submitting the bill to Parliament. The measure would apply to every permanent resident regardless of how the status was obtained, ending a long-standing feature of Bulgaria’s investor program that did not require physical presence.
This bill is part of a broader push to tighten immigration controls and align with Schengen zone and Eurozone oversight, with industry observers noting it has real momentum. However, it is still undergoing the legislative process and could be amended or rejected before becoming law.
New Presence Test Replaces Absence Rule
The current Bulgarian immigration law allows withdrawal of long-term and permanent residence permits after 12 consecutive months spent outside the European Union. The new bill would limit that provision to long-term permits only. A separate new item, numbered 24, would apply exclusively to permanent residents and would be based on time spent inside Bulgaria rather than time spent outside the EU.
The new provision contains no exemptions. It would not protect investors or foreigners who were abroad during a declared state of emergency, an allowance that remains available to long-term permit holders. Withdrawal under the new rule would be mandatory rather than discretionary. Authorities would still be required to weigh length of residence, family ties, and social and cultural ties before acting, and a separate EU directive permits member states to excuse long absences in some cases, though that directive applies to EU long-term resident status rather than the national permanent residence category the bill addresses.
Much of the bill also converts existing investment minimums into euros following Bulgaria’s Jan. 1 currency change. A 1 million lev threshold became €511,291.88; 2 million lev became €1,022,583.76; and 6 million lev became €3,067,751.29. Smaller thresholds for extended residence permits were also converted, including 100,000 lev to €51,129.19 and 600,000 lev to €306,775.13. Those permits would not fall under the new presence requirement.
The bill’s explanatory memorandum cites rising numbers of permanent residence applications and a need for tighter oversight, without naming a specific security concern or referencing investment migration. The legislation does not specify an effective date, transition period, or “grandfathering” provision for existing permit holders.
