How much does Bulgarian citizenship cost in 2026: fees, translations, services

You cannot buy Bulgarian citizenship: what is important to understand from the start

The query "how much does Bulgarian citizenship cost" often stems from the myth that an EU passport can simply be purchased through investment. This is no longer true. In 2022, the Bulgarian parliament terminated the investment citizenship program - those very "golden passports" that previously were granted for an investment of around one million euros. Since April 5, 2022, obtaining Bulgarian citizenship in exchange for investments is not possibleand no intermediaries can circumvent this.

Therefore, when discussing the cost of Bulgarian citizenship, we are not talking about the price of an "entry ticket," but about the expenses for obtaining a legitimate right. The primary and genuinely working route to a passport is Bulgarian citizenship by descentthat is, through Bulgarian roots. If among your ancestors - father, mother, grandfather, or grandmother - there are Bulgarians, the road to an EU passport is open, and it is measured in thousands of euros, not hundreds of thousands.

For an investor without Bulgarian roots, another route remains - residence permit and then naturalizationbut this is already a separate matter with different timeframes and residence requirements.

What comprises the price of Bulgarian citizenship

Expenses for Bulgarian citizenship by descent are not one large sum but several clear items. When broken down, the picture becomes transparent, and the frightening figures from investment program advertisements are not relevant to it.

Here are the main cost blocks that make up the total:

• State fees - collection by the Ministry of Justice and consulates for application processing.
• Document collection - obtaining birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates of ancestors, archive certificates, extracts.
• Legalization - apostille on foreign documents (a stamp confirming their authenticity for another country).
• Translations into Bulgarian - certified translation of each document by an accredited translator.
• Notary - certification of copies, powers of attorney, signatures.
• Ancestor genealogy search - if vital records are lost and it is necessary to access church books and archives.
• Legal support - work of a lawyer who handles the case from the initial consultation to obtaining a passport.

Below we will analyze each expense category with estimated amounts for 2026. Important note: as of January 1, 2026, Bulgaria entered the eurozone and switched from the lev (BGN) to the euro at a fixed rate of approximately 1.95583 levs per euro; therefore, amounts are presented in euros.

State fees: what the government charges

State fees in Bulgaria are themselves the most modest part of the budget. The government does not profit from citizenship by descent processing, which fundamentally distinguishes Bulgaria from countries with investment programs where the "contribution" is measured in hundreds of thousands.

Estimated amounts for 2026 look as follows. State fee for reviewing a citizenship application - approximately 50 euros and more, depending on the grounds. For persons of Bulgarian descent and repatriates, reduced administrative fees are provided - in certain cases these amount to 15 euros. Separate payment is required for issuing the passport and identity card after obtaining citizenship - this also amounts to tens of euros.

Figures should be verified at the time of submission: tariffs are periodically indexed, and the transition to the euro in 2026 required recalculation of previous rates in levs. Therefore, in any budget we mark fees as "estimated" and clarify current amounts directly before submission to the Ministry of Justice.

Document collection and apostille: document legalization

The most labor-intensive and often the most substantial expense category is document collection and legalization. To prove Bulgarian descent, you must gather vital records and civil status documents along the line of the Bulgarian ancestor: paternal or maternal line, going back to grandparents and beyond.

Each foreign document typically undergoes apostille, a special seal that certifies its authenticity for use in another country (Bulgaria, the UK, the US and most CIS countries are parties to the Hague Convention). The apostille is placed by the authorized body in the country that issued the document; the cost depends on the country and document type, typically tens of euros for each and approximately two weeks of waiting time.

If documents are old, lost, or destroyed, archives and church books are consulted - they are used to restore proof of the ancestor's birth and Bulgarian descent. Archival research is paid separately and depends heavily on depth and complexity. A detailed analysis of which documents are needed is available in the article on documents for Bulgarian citizenship.

Translations into Bulgarian and notarization

Bulgaria accepts documents in the state language, so each foreign document must be translated into Bulgarian and certified. The translation is performed by an accredited translator, and the translator's signature is certified by a notary or consulate - only such a translation has validity for the Ministry of Justice.

An estimated certified translation of one document costs approximately 25-55 euros, and calculated per page - approximately 5-15 euros depending on the country and language. If there are many documents (and in descent cases there are usually a dozen or more - certificates, letters, archival extracts), the total budget for translations and certification usually amounts to 100-300 euros.

Notarial actions - certification of copies, powers of attorney for a representative, signature confirmation - are charged according to notary rates and typically add several tens of euros to the budget. These expenses are difficult to eliminate but are easy to forecast in advance once the complete set of documents is understood.

Legal support: what you pay the specialist for

Technically, some documents can be collected independently. But descent cases are rarely straightforward: sometimes surname spellings do not match in old documents, sometimes vital records are lost, sometimes you need to prove a line of kinship across two or three generations. This is where a lawyer comes in.

The cost of "turnkey" legal support starts at approximately 2500-3000 euros and depends on case complexity. This amount typically includes a viability assessment (whether there is any legal ground at all), a strategy for proving descent, assistance with document collection and legalization, preparation of the application, submission to the Ministry of Justice, and case management until resolution. Complex cases - lost archives, disputed lines of kinship, document recovery in multiple countries - cost more.

The main value of legal support is not time savings but results: a properly assembled case passes without rejections or revisions. An error in the document set or in proving the line of kinship can delay the process by months, so saving money on a lawyer often results in overpaying.

Approximate budget: how much Bulgarian citizenship by descent costs

We will combine all expense categories into one estimated table. This is not a price list or an offer, but a guideline: the actual cost of Bulgarian citizenship depends on the country, number of documents, and complexity of proving descent. Amounts are given in euros for 2026 and marked as estimated.

The outcome for a simple case with preserved documents is most often several thousand euros "all-inclusive." Complex cases with archival research and vital record recovery in multiple countries cost more, but still in the thousands rather than hundreds of thousands. This is the answer to the question of how much a Bulgarian passport by descent will cost.

Why Bulgarian citizenship cannot be "purchased" through investments

It's worth closing this popular misconception once more, as there is still a lot of advertising built around it. Bulgarian investment citizenship—the kind that used to be granted for investing around one million euros in bonds or the economy—is closed. The decision was made against the backdrop of pan-European pressure on "golden passports" and the events of 2022, and it remains in effect.

What remains for an investor without Bulgarian roots is the path through residency. There is a residence permit program for investment (approximately from 250,000 euros), which grants the right to live in the country, but does not grant citizenship automatically. A passport in this case is the result of lengthy naturalization: years of permanent residence, knowledge of Bulgarian, and lawful income. This is a fundamentally different budget, timeline, and logic.

Therefore, if you have Bulgarian roots—ancestry remains the fastest and most affordable path to an EU passport. And "buy Bulgarian citizenship for investment right now" is an offer you should not believe.

Hidden expenses that are often forgotten

When people estimate the cost of Bulgarian citizenship, they usually account for fees and a lawyer but forget about ancillary expenses. To prevent the estimate from changing during the process, it's better to account for these items upfront.

• Obtaining duplicate documents. Some archive certificates and duplicate certificates are issued for a fee, sometimes multiple times—if the first version did not meet the required format.
• Courier delivery and mailing. Documents are often collected in different countries and cities, hence the costs of mailing originals.
• Trips and personal submission. The application is filed in person at the Ministry of Justice or at the Bulgarian consulate—budget for travel and accommodation.
• Oath-taking and passport issuance. After a positive decision, you must take an oath and process the documents—this is a separate visit and separate fees.
• Expedited submission service. Some offer "priority" support—this is convenient but adds approximately a few hundred euros to the estimate.

These sums are small individually but collectively impact the total. Best practice is to obtain a complete estimate with all details in advance to avoid surprises at the finish.

Cost comparison: ancestry versus investment

To assess how advantageous the ancestry route is, it's useful to compare the order of magnitude. Citizenship investment programs in other countries (where they still exist) cost from 200,000 to 1,000,000 euros and higher—these are non-refundable contributions or frozen investments plus verification fees.

Bulgarian citizenship by descent is a different order of magnitude. There is no "fund contribution" and no requirement to purchase anything. You pay only for processing: fees, document legalization, translations, and lawyer services. As a result, an EU passport—with all rights to live, work, and study in any EU country—costs thousands of euros, not hundreds of thousands.

This is precisely why, for people with Bulgarian roots, ancestry remains the best value for the result. You get the same EU passport as through investment but without a budget that is many times larger. For more details about the program and conditions, see our general guide to Bulgarian citizenship.

How not to overpay for processing

You can save on Bulgarian citizenship, but not in the way it might seem. There are several reasonable principles that help keep the estimate under control and avoid overpaying.

First, start by checking viability. A free or low-cost initial assessment will show whether there is a basis for ancestry before you spend money collecting documents. Second, gather documents as a package, not one by one—this makes logistics, apostille, and translations cheaper. Third, don't chase "acceleration at any cost": "priority" services are not always justified.

However, there is one area where you should not economize—the quality of the evidence base and legal strategy. Inexpensive or self-directed document collection with errors leads to rejections and revisions, and each iteration means new translations, new apostilles, and lost months. A properly prepared case from the start ultimately costs less than "savings" that lead to rework.

Expert-verified: what to pay attention to in an estimate

Calculating the cost of Bulgarian citizenship is always an individual story, and there is no universal price tag. However, there are several checkpoints that allow you to distinguish a estimate from a "bait" offer.

Most importantly, the estimate should be broken down by line items. If you are quoted a single round figure without explanation or, conversely, promised a "passport for investment," this is a reason to be cautious: Bulgaria no longer has investment citizenship. The real price always consists of fees, legalization, translations, and lawyer services—and each item can be explained. Before filing, all government tariffs should be verified as current, especially after the country's transition to the euro in 2026.

And most importantly: cost directly depends on the complexity of proving descent. Therefore, a correct estimate only appears after analyzing your family line and available documents—before that, any figures remain an estimate.

Bottom line: the real price of an EU passport through Bulgarian ancestry

Let us summarize. Bulgarian citizenship cannot be purchased—the investment program has been closed since 2022. However, it can be obtained by descent if there are Bulgarian ancestors in your family, and this is a path to a full EU passport.

The cost of this path is not hundreds of thousands of euros but an understandable estimate: government fees from around fifty euros, apostille and translations into Bulgarian within a few hundred, notary services, and when necessary, archive search and legal support approximately from 2,500–3,000 euros. The result for most cases is a few thousand euros "all-inclusive," and complex cases cost more but still within reasonable limits.

The most accurate answer to the question "how much will a Bulgarian passport cost" you will receive after assessing your specific case. You can learn about the program conditions and start with a viability check on the Bulgarian citizenship program page —where you can also submit a request for a personalized calculation.