Client story
Client's story
Where they started
The client came not seeking a passport for its own sake, but for business purposes. He had Bulgarian ancestry and viewed Bulgarian citizenship as a key to the European Union: he planned to develop his business in the EU and wanted to do so from the position of a citizen, not a foreigner. He had already experienced how differently EU citizens and third-country passport holders are treated: the former receives standard procedures, while the latter faces additional checks, restrictions, and rejections.
Why the standard route did not work
The difference is not abstract. An EU citizen enjoys freedom of establishment: he can register a company and conduct business in any EU member state on the same terms as locals, without the permits required from foreigners. Banking is simpler for him: opening a corporate account and a personal account for an EU citizen is significantly easier than for a non-resident from a third country, whom banks often reject on compliance grounds. He operates within the unified SEPA payment zone, within a single market with its freedom of movement of goods, services, and capital.
What BRIDGES had to solve
Therefore, the project logic was two-tiered: first—Bulgarian citizenship by descent, then—a business structure in the EU established with citizen rights. Without the first step, the second would be hampered by foreigner status with all its restrictions; with an EU passport, the same actions became routine procedure.
Why a standard answer would not do
At BRIDGES, we managed both parts. First, we obtained Bulgarian citizenship by descent, then we helped leverage the new status as intended: register a company in the EU with citizen rights and open accounts without the barriers the client faced as a foreigner. The passport became not a souvenir, but a working tool.
I needed the passport not for a checkmark, but for business. I had already learned in practice that EU citizens have doors open to them that are either closed to foreigners or open with difficulty: registering a company, opening an account—everything is different. BRIDGES first secured my Bulgarian citizenship by descent, then helped me launch my business as an EU citizen: freedom of establishment, proper banking, SEPA. What previously slowed me down as a non-resident became a standard procedure. For me, the Bulgarian passport is a working tool, not a souvenir.
