Bulgarian Citizenship Documents Checklist for Applicants of Bulgarian Origin

Most delays in Bulgarian citizenship cases are not about the law. They are about paper: a missing link between two generations, a surname spelt three ways, a translation without the right certification. The checklist below follows the official Ministry of Justice list for applicants under Article 15 of the Citizenship Act, with notes on what I would check in each item.

The core application

1. Application form under Annex 1 to Ordinance No. 1 of 19 February 1999. It is filed in person at the Ministry of Justice or at a Bulgarian embassy or consulate and must be written in Bulgarian. An interview is held when you file.
2. Copy or duplicate of your birth certificate, issued by the competent Bulgarian or foreign authority.
3. Criminal record certificate from the country whose citizen you are. If you live permanently or long term in Bulgaria or in a third country, you also need one from that country. The certificate must state that it is issued for the Bulgarian citizenship procedure.
4. Document from the prosecutor’s office that there are no criminal proceedings against you for an intentional crime, only if you live permanently or long term in Bulgaria.
5. Medical document from a medical commission confirming that you do not suffer from the acute infectious or mental illnesses listed in the Health Act. If you live abroad, it is issued by the foreign authorities and must be legalised or apostilled.
6. Declarations on the forms in Annexes 4 and 4a to Ordinance No. 1.
7. Official document of any change of names, and a document confirming that a person with different names is the same person.
8. Autobiography.
9. One recent passport-size photograph.
10. Copy of your identity document.
11. Proof of payment of the state fee: 300 leva or €153.39; for students under 26 with a university certificate, 100 leva or €51.13.

The kinship evidence

This is the heart of the file. Article 15(2) requires official documents, issued by Bulgarian or foreign authorities, that prove your kinship with at least one ascendant of Bulgarian origin up to the third degree. They must contain the names of the ascendant and show how he or she is related to you.

In practice the set usually contains:

• birth certificates for each generation between you and the ancestor;
• marriage certificates and records of changes of surname, especially for women in the line;
• a record that shows the ancestor’s Bulgarian origin, for example a Bulgarian civil or church record, or a foreign state document that records Bulgarian nationality;
• documents that link different spellings of the same name.

Since March 2021, origin is proven with documents from a Bulgarian or foreign state authority or from the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. Papers issued by organisations of Bulgarians abroad were dropped as proof.

If the kinship documents are not filed with the application, the law says the proceedings are terminated. Do not file and hope to add them later.

Translation, apostille and legalisation

Foreign documents must meet the requirements of the bilateral treaty that applies to the issuing country, or of the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 (the apostille), or the Bulgarian rules on legalisation, and they need a Bulgarian translation made and certified under those rules. The Ministry list names three exceptions and limits:

• multilingual extracts of civil status records issued under the 1976 Vienna Convention do not need these formalities;
• public documents from EU member states fall under Regulation (EU) 2016/1191, which removes legalisation, although a Bulgarian translation is still required;
• medical documents must be legalised even when issued in the EU, because the Regulation does not cover them.

Criminal record certificates issued by an EU state to its own citizens do not need legalisation; those issued for citizens of another member state do.

My practical notes

• Order documents with the same spelling of names wherever the issuing office allows it.
• Keep originals and copies together. Bulgarian offices often ask for both.
• Check the validity of criminal record and medical certificates before your appointment, so they do not expire while you wait.
• Put the documents in generation order. It makes the interview easier for everyone.

BRIDGES handles apostilles and document retrieval in many countries; its page on apostille and document retrieval explains how it works. For the order of the procedure itself, see the application guide, and for children and spouses, the guide to family members.

Lists and fees change. Check the current list at the Ministry of Justice or your Bulgarian consulate before you pay or file. Last checked 17 October 2026.