Below is the most accurate and up-to date translation of the Bulgarian citizenship law (AKA Bulgarian citizenship act or Law on the Bulgarian citizenship). While all effort is made for the translation to be as precise as possible, only the Bulgarian version of the Law is legally binding.
LAW ON THE BULGARIAN CITIZENSHIP
last amended in State Gazette No.26 of 1 April 2022
Chapter One.
GENERAL PROVISIONS
Art. 1. This Law determines the conditions and the procedure for the acquisition, loss and restoration of Bulgarian citizenship.
Art. 3. A Bulgarian citizen who is also a citizen of another country shall be considered only a Bulgarian citizen for the purposes of the application of Bulgarian legislation, unless otherwise provided by law.
Art. 2. Bulgarian citizenship shall be governed by the Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria, the law and the international treaties in force at the time of the occurrence of the facts or events relating to citizenship.
Art. 4. Citizenship may not be established through a court procedure.
Art. 5. The conclusion or dissolution of a marriage between a Bulgarian citizen and a foreign citizen or the change of the citizenship of one of the spouses during the marriage shall not change by right the citizenship of the other spouse.
Art. 6. Adoption does not change the citizenship of the adoptee.
Art. 7. (1) Nobody can be deprived of Bulgarian citizenship, except in the cases explicitly provided in this Law.
(2) Everyone shall have the right to choose his citizenship.
Chapter Two.
ACQUIRING BULGARIAN CITIZENSHIP
Section I.
Acquiring of Bulgarian citizenship by origin
Art. 8. A Bulgarian citizen by origin is anyone whose at least one parent is a Bulgarian citizen.
Art. 9. A Bulgarian citizen by origin is also any person who has been recognized by a Bulgarian citizen or whose origin from a Bulgarian citizen has been established by a court decision.
Section II.
Acquiring of Bulgarian citizenship by birth
Art. 10. A Bulgarian citizen by birth is any person born on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria if he does not acquire another citizenship by origin.
Art. 11. It is considered that a child is born in the territory of Republic of Bulgaria, found in this territory, whose parents are unknown.
Section III.
Acquiring of Bulgarian citizenship by naturalisation
Art. 12. A person who is not a Bulgarian citizen may obtain Bulgarian citizenship if, on the date of submission of the application for naturalisation:
- is an adult;
- has obtained a permanent or prolonged-term residence permit in the Republic of Bulgaria not less than 5 years ago;
- has not been convicted of a general intentional offence by a Bulgarian court and no criminal proceedings have been instituted against him for such an offence, unless he has been rehabilitated;
- has an income or occupation which enables him to support himself in the Republic of Bulgaria;
- is proficient in the Bulgarian language, which shall be established in accordance with a procedure established by an ordinance of the Minister of Education and Science, and
- is released from his/her previous citizenship or will be released from it at the time of acquiring Bulgarian citizenship.
(2) No release from their previous citizenship shall be required for:
- persons – spouses of Bulgarian citizens;
- citizens of a Member State of the European Union, of a State party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area, or of the Swiss Confederation;
- citizens of countries with which the Republic of Bulgaria has concluded treaties establishing reciprocity.
Standard naturalisation – latest posts
Art. 13. A person who is not a Bulgarian citizen and meets the conditions under Art. 12, par. 1, p. 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6 and has obtained a permanent or prolonged-term residence permit in the Republic of Bulgaria not less than 3 years before the date of submission of the application for naturalisation, may obtain Bulgarian citizenship if he also meets one of the following requirements:
- has been and continues to be legally married to a Bulgarian citizen for at least 3 years;
- (cancelled in 2001)
- was born in the Republic of Bulgaria;
- the permanent or prolonged-term residence permit has been obtained before the person has reached legal age.
- (cancelled in 2001)
Art. 13a. (1) A person who has been granted refugee or asylum status not less than three years before the date of submission of the application for naturalisation may acquire Bulgarian citizenship if he meets the conditions under Art. 12, par. 1, p. 1, 3, 4 and 5.
(2) A person who has been granted humanitarian status not less than five years ago on the date of submission of the application for naturalisation may acquire Bulgarian citizenship if he meets the conditions under Art. 12, par. 1, p. 1, 3, 4 and 5.
Art. 14. A stateless person may acquire Bulgarian citizenship if he meets the conditions under Art. 12, par. 1, p. 1, 3, 4 and 5 and has been granted a permanent or prolonged-term residence permit in the Republic of Bulgaria for not less than 3 years prior to the date of submission of the application for naturalisation.
Art. 15. (1) A person who is not a Bulgarian citizen may acquire Bulgarian citizenship by naturalisation without the conditions under Art. 12, par. 1, p. 2, 4, 5 and 6 if he meets one of the following requirements:
- is of Bulgarian origin;
- is adopted by a Bulgarian citizen under the conditions of full adoption;
- one of his parents is a Bulgarian citizen or has died as a Bulgarian citizen.
(2) In the proceedings for acquiring Bulgarian citizenship by naturalisation under par. 1, p. 1, the applicant shall submit with the application an official document, issued by Bulgarian or foreign authorities, certifying that he is related to at least one person – his ascendant up to and including the third degree, who is of Bulgarian origin. The documents must contain information on the name of the ascendant and his relationship to the applicant.
Art. 16. A person who is not a Bulgarian citizen may obtain Bulgarian citizenship without the conditions under Art. 12 if the Republic of Bulgaria has an interest in his naturalisation or if the person has special merits for the Republic of Bulgaria in the social and economic sphere, in the field of science, technology, culture or sport.
Art. 17. Children up to the age of 14 shall obtain Bulgarian citizenship if their parents or the survivor of their parents accept Bulgarian citizenship or if only one of their parents does so, if the other is a Bulgarian citizen. Under the same conditions, children aged 14 to 18 acquire Bulgarian citizenship if they request it.
Art. 18. (1) Children up to the age of 14 years of whom only one of the parents is a Bulgarian citizen, in case they do not have Bulgarian citizenship, may become Bulgarian citizens without the conditions under Art. 12, if both parents or the survivor of both parents give their written consent. The consent of a parent who is deprived of parental rights is not required. Children aged 14 to 18 may acquire Bulgarian citizenship under the same conditions if they request it.
(2) Subject to the conditions of par. 1, persons adopted by a Bulgarian citizen under the conditions of full adoption may acquire Bulgarian citizenship.
Art. 19. The application of a person who meets the conditions for acquiring Bulgarian citizenship by naturalisation shall be rejected if, in view of his conduct, there are serious reasons to believe that the applicant constitutes a threat to public order, public morals, public health or national security.
Chapter Three.
LOSS OF BULGARIAN CITIZENSHIP
Section I.
Release from Bulgarian citizenship
Art. 20. A Bulgarian citizen who permanently resides abroad may apply for release from Bulgarian citizenship if he has acquired foreign citizenship or if there is evidence of an open procedure for acquiring of foreign citizenship.
Art. 21. (1) The release of the parents from Bulgarian citizenship shall release their children under the age of 14 from Bulgarian citizenship only if a request is made for them too. For the exemption of children from 14 to 18 years of age, their consent shall also be required.
(2) Where only one of the parents has applied for release from Bulgarian citizenship, the children may be released under the conditions of par. 1 only if the other parent has given his consent. The consent of the parent shall not be required where the parent is deprived of parental rights.
Section II.
Revocation of the naturalisation
Art. 22. (1) Naturalisation on the basis of which Bulgarian citizenship has been obtained may be revoked if the person:
- has made use of data or facts which have become the basis for acquiring Bulgarian citizenship and which have been established in a court of law to be false, and/or
- has concealed data or facts which, if they had been known, would have been grounds for refusal to acquire Bulgarian citizenship, and/or;
- has failed to notify a change under Article 32a.
(2) The revocation of the naturalisation shall be admissible only until the expiration of 10 years from the acquisition of the Bulgarian citizenship, except in the cases when the data and facts under par. 1, p. 1 and 2 or the change referred to in p. 3 relates to the person’s involvement in terrorism and provided that the person does not remain stateless.
Art. 23. The revocation of the naturalisation of one of the spouses shall not revoke the naturalisation of the other spouse and of the children, unless they have obtained Bulgarian citizenship on the basis of the same false or concealed information or facts.
Section III.
Deprivation of Bulgarian citizenship
Art. 24. A person who has acquired Bulgarian citizenship by naturalisation may be deprived of it if he has been convicted by a sentence which has entered into force of a serious crime against the Republic, provided that he is abroad and does not remain stateless.
Art. 25. The deprivation of the citizenship of one of the spouses shall not change the citizenship of the other spouse and of the children.
Chapter Four.
RESTORATION OF BULGARIAN CITIZENSHIP
Art. 26. (1) The citizenship of a person who has been released from Bulgarian citizenship may be restored at his request if:
- has not been convicted of a criminal offence in the country of his residence or in the Republic of Bulgaria, and
- does not constitute a threat to public order, public morals, public health or national security;
- has been granted a permanent or prolonged-term residence permit in the Republic of Bulgaria for at least 3 years prior to the date of submission of the application for restoration.
(2) The citizenship of persons of Bulgarian origin may be restored under the conditions of par. 1, p. 1 and 2.
Art. 27. The citizenship of a person deprived of Bulgarian citizenship may be restored if it is established that there was no ground for the deprivation or if the ground has lost its significance.
Art. 28. (1) Upon the restoration of the Bulgarian citizenship of the parents, their children under the age of 14 shall also become Bulgarian citizens. Children from 14 to 18 years of age shall become Bulgarian citizens if they have requested it.
(2) Where restitution is sought by one parent only, the children may acquire Bulgarian citizenship under the conditions of par. 1 only if the other parent has given his consent. The consent of the parent shall not be required where he is deprived of parental rights.
Chapter Five.
PROCEDURE RELATING TO BULGARIAN CITIZENSHIP
Art. 29. (1) Acquiring Bulgarian citizenship by naturalisation, release from Bulgarian citizenship and restoration of Bulgarian citizenship shall be carried out upon application of the interested person, submitted in person to the Ministry of Justice or to the diplomatic or consular mission of the Republic of Bulgaria. The diplomatic or consular representation of the Republic of Bulgaria shall necessarily give a reasoned opinion on the application.
(2) For minors, the application shall be submitted by their parents or guardians, and for juveniles it shall be countersigned by their parents or guardians. The consent of a parent who is deprived of parental rights shall not be required.
(3) The applicant shall be interviewed upon submission of the documents. For minors, the interview shall be with their parents or guardians. When interviewing juveniles, they shall be accompanied by their parents or guardians.
(4) When it is necessary to clarify the facts and circumstances of the documents submitted with the application under Art. 15, par. 2, the Minister of Justice may require the applicant to submit additional documents within 14 days of the notification or may instruct the Consultative Council of the State Agency for Bulgarians Abroad to determine whether the applicant has Bulgarian origin.
(5) When with the application for acquisition of Bulgarian citizenship by naturalisation under Art. 15, par. 1, p. 1, the documents referred to in Art. 15, par. 2 are not be submitted, the procedure is to be terminated.
(6) The Consultative Council shall issue a reasoned positive or negative opinion within two months of the assignment, taking into account whether the applicant uses the Bulgarian language, whether the applicant self-identifies as a person of Bulgarian origin, and whether at least one of the following circumstances for him is applicable:
- is part of a Bulgarian community or Bulgarian minority in another country;
- comes from a locality which was part of the Bulgarian State in the past or the Bulgarian Exarchate;
- has ascendants who are bearers of the Bulgarian traditional family name system.
(7) The structure, organisation and activities of the Consultative Council under the State Agency for Bulgarians Abroad shall be determined by regulations adopted by the Council of Ministers.
Art. 30. (1) A proposal for the acquisition of Bulgarian citizenship under Art. 16 shall be made by the Minister responsible for the relevant area in which the Republic of Bulgaria has an interest in the naturalisation of the person or in which he has special merits. The person who is to acquire Bulgarian citizenship must have given prior written consent thereto.
(2) The proposal under par. 1 shall be motivated and shall indicate the specific interest of the Republic of Bulgaria in the naturalisation of the person or his specific contribution in the respective field in which the person has special merits.
Art. 31. (1) A proposal for revocation of naturalisation or for deprivation of Bulgarian citizenship is made by the General Prosecutor.
(2) If the conditions referred to in Art. 22 or Art. 24 are present, the Minister of Justice may himself make a proposal for revocation of naturalisation or for deprivation of Bulgarian citizenship.
Art. 32. (1) The application and the proposals under Art. 29, 30 and Art. 31, par. 1 shall be addressed to the Minister of Justice.
(2) (cancelled in 2010)
(3) The application and the documents attached to it must be written in the Bulgarian language.
Art. 32a. (1) The person referred to in Art. 29, par. 1 shall be obliged, within one month from the occurrence of the change in the facts and circumstances related to the acquisition of Bulgarian citizenship by naturalisation, exemption from Bulgarian citizenship or restoration of Bulgarian citizenship, to notify the Ministry of Justice and to submit the documents proving the change.
Art. 33. (1) The Ministry of Justice has a Council on Citizenship, which consists of a chairman – Deputy Minister of Justice, and members – one representative each from the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works, Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Innovation and Growth, State Agency for “National Security”, State Agency for Bulgarians Abroad and State Agency for Refugees.
(2) The meetings of the Citizenship Council may be attended by a representative of the President of the Republic of Bulgaria.
(3) The Citizenship Council shall give its opinion on the applications and proposals related to Bulgarian citizenship after written opinions of the Ministry of the Interior and the State Agency “National Security”.
(4) Where it is necessary to clarify facts and circumstances related to the evidence presented in the applications and proposals or to the circumstances referred to in Art. 19, the Citizenship Council may require the applicants to submit additional documents or may instruct the representative of the relevant institution referred to in par. 1. The time-limit for submitting the documents and for carrying out the verification shall be three months and, in the cases referred to in Art. 16, one month. In this case, the time limits under Art. 35, par. 1 shall cease to run.
(5) The Minister of Justice shall determine the nominal composition of the Citizenship Council on the proposal of the heads of the relevant departments under par. 1 and shall issue rules for its operation.
Art. 34. The Minister of Justice, on the basis of the opinion of the Citizenship Council, shall make a proposal to the President of the Republic of Bulgaria for the issuance of a decree or for the refusal to issue a decree for the acquisition, restoration, release or deprivation of Bulgarian citizenship, as well as for the revocation of naturalisation.
Art. 35. (1) The Minister of Justice shall make a proposal for the issuance of the decree under Art. 34 within:
- twelve months – for applications for acquisition of Bulgarian citizenship by naturalisation;
- nine months – for applications of persons of Bulgarian origin for acquisition of Bulgarian citizenship by naturalisation;
- six months – for applications for restoration of Bulgarian citizenship;
- six months – on applications for release from Bulgarian citizenship;
- (cancelled in 2022)
- three months – on the proposals for acquisition of Bulgarian citizenship under Article 16, as well as for revocation of naturalisation or deprivation of Bulgarian citizenship;
- one month – on the proposals for revocation of naturalisation or for deprivation of Bulgarian citizenship, when the data and facts referred to in Art. 22, par. 1, p. 1 and 2 relate to the person’s involvement in terrorism or the sentence in force is for offences under Art. 108a, par. 1 – 4, par. 6 and 7, Art. 109 par. 3, Art. 110, par. 1, sixth sentence and Art. 110, par. 2 of the Penal Code.
(2) The time limits referred to in par. 1 shall run from the date of receipt of the application or proposal at the Ministry of Justice, respectively from the date of elimination of the irregularities.
(3) The opinions of the Ministry of the Interior and the State Agency “National Security” shall be submitted to the Ministry of Justice:
- under par. 1, p. 1 – no later than three months before the expiry of the term – for the Ministry of the Interior, respectively three months before the expiry of the term – for the State Agency “National Security”;
- under par. 1, p. 2 – not later than three months before the expiry of the term – for the Ministry of the Interior, respectively three months before the expiry of the term – for the State Agency “National Security”;
- under par. 1, p. 3 – no later than four months before the expiry of the term – for the Ministry of the Interior, respectively two months before the expiry of the term – for the State Agency “National Security”;
- under par. 1, p. 5 – not later than 4 months before the expiry of the term – for the Ministry of the Interior, respectively two months before the expiry of the term – for the State Agency “National Security”;
- under par. 1, p. 6 – no later than two months before the expiry of the term – for the Ministry of the Interior, respectively one month before the expiry of the term – for the State Agency “National Security”;
- under par.1, p. 7 – not later than 20 days before the expiry of the term – for the Ministry of the Interior, respectively 10 days before the expiry of the term – for the State Agency “National Security”.
(4) The Ministry of the Interior and the State Agency “National Security” shall submit updated opinions to the Ministry of Justice at the latest on the day of the meeting of the Citizenship Council, when there has been a change in the facts and circumstances after the expression of their initial written opinions.
(5) Failure of the Minister of Justice to act within the time limits under par. 1 and the termination of the proceedings before him shall be subject to appeal before the Administrative Court – Sofia Region in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Code. The court shall only examine the progress of the proceedings and issue a ruling which shall be final.
Art. 36. The acquisition of Bulgarian citizenship by naturalisation, the restoration of Bulgarian citizenship, the release and deprivation of citizenship and the revocation of naturalisation shall be carried out by a decree of the President of the Republic of Bulgaria. The decree shall enter into force on the day of its issue.
Art. 37. (1) For the changes in the citizenship of persons, the Ministry of Justice shall issue a certificate.
(2) Upon receipt of the decree under Art. 36, the Ministry of Justice shall notify:
- the municipalities or town halls where the birth certificate of the person is kept – for the registration of changes in citizenship in the civil registry;
- the municipalities or town halls where the person’s permanent address is located – for the registration of changes in citizenship in the population register;
- the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs – for issuing or seizing Bulgarian identity documents.
Art. 38. The following shall be kept at the Ministry of Justice:
- a register of applications and proposals for acquisition of Bulgarian citizenship, for revocation of naturalisation, for restoration, for release and for deprivation of Bulgarian citizenship;
- a register of persons who have acquired Bulgarian citizenship by naturalisation;
- register of persons who have lost Bulgarian citizenship;
- register of persons with restored Bulgarian citizenship.
Art. 38a. The State Agency for Bulgarians Abroad shall establish and maintain an electronic register with data on persons for whom the Consultative Council has established Bulgarian origin. The procedure for keeping, storing and accessing the register shall be determined by a regulation of the Council of Ministers.
Art. 39. (1) Upon application of the interested person, the Ministry of Justice shall issue a certificate of citizenship indicating whether or not the person is a Bulgarian citizen according to the registers kept at the Ministry. The certificate shall be issued within 30 days of the receipt of the documents at the Ministry of Justice.
(2) The certificate referred to in par. 1 shall be valid for a period of 1 year from its issue.
Art. 40. (1) Information on the citizenship of persons may be requested by:
- the person whose citizenship details are kept and, after his death, his heirs;
- the judiciary, ministries and local self-government and local administration bodies within the limits of their competence and in the cases determined by law.
(2) The Minister of Justice shall ensure the protection and preservation of documents related to citizenship.
Art. 41. (1) The authorities, municipalities and town halls shall be obliged to provide the Ministry of Justice, upon request, with data or opinions in connection with the Bulgarian citizenship proceedings.
(2) The Ministry of Justice shall have the right to free access to the National Population Database maintained by the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works. The procedure, method and scope of the data to be accessed shall be determined by agreement between the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works and the Ministry of Justice.
Additional provisions
§ 1. In case of disagreement between the parents, as well as in case of disagreement between the juveniles and their parents or guardians in the cases referred to in Art. 18, 21, 28 and 29, the dispute shall be decided by the district court, whose decision shall be final.
§ 2. For the purposes of this Law:
- A “person of Bulgarian origin” is a person of whom at least one ascendant is Bulgarian.
- “Person permanently residing abroad” means a person who resides outside the Republic of Bulgaria for more than nine months in any calendar year, unless the residence abroad is in the performance of public service by the person or his spouse or is related only to studies.
- The person has renounced his former citizenship when:
- is released at his request under the terms and conditions of his homeland law;
- loses his citizenship by virtue of naturalisation in accordance with the law of his homeland.
Transitional and final provisions
§ 3. Upon the entry into force of this Law, Bulgarian citizenship is restored to persons who were deprived of Bulgarian citizenship under the Bulgarian Citizenship Law of 1940 and the Bulgarian Citizenship Law of 1948.
§ 4. Bulgarian citizenship is restored to Bulgarian citizens who have been released from Bulgarian citizenship without having made a request for it and who have emigrated to countries with which Bulgaria has not concluded emigration agreements, if they make a formal request to the Minister of Justice within one year of the entry into force of this Law. Where the persons live abroad, the requests may be made through the diplomatic or consular representations of the Republic of Bulgaria.
§ 5. Applications submitted before the entry into force of this Law shall be considered and decided under the existing conditions and in the existing manner.
§ 5a. Citizens of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland who have applied for Bulgarian citizenship by 31 December 2020 shall enjoy the rights of citizens of a Member State of the European Union under Art. 12, par. 2, p. 2.
§ 6. This Law cancels the Bulgarian Citizenship Law (updated, SG No. 79 of 1968; amended, issue 36 of 1979, issue 64 of 1986 and issue 38 of 1989).
§ 7. (1) The Minister of Justice shall issue a regulation for the implementation of Chapter Five.
(2) For the actions performed and documents issued in the proceedings in connection with Bulgarian citizenship, fees shall be collected in amounts determined by a tariff of the Council of Ministers.
§ 8. (1) This Law shall enter into force 3 months after its promulgation in the State Gazette.
(2) Within the period referred to in par. 1, the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Education and Science shall issue the acts implementing the law.
§ 9. The implementation of the Law shall be entrusted to the Minister of Justice.
Transitional and Final Provisions TO THE LAW AMENDING AND SUPPLEMENTING THE LAW ON BULGARIAN CITIZENSHIP
(Promulgated in 2010)
§ 8. Applications submitted before the entry into force of this Law shall be considered and decided under the existing conditions and procedures within two years from the entry into force of this Law.
Transitional and Final Provisions TO THE LAW AMENDING AND SUPPLEMENTING THE LAW ON BULGARIAN CITIZENSHIP
(Promulgated in 2021)
§ 13. Applications submitted before the entry into force of this Law shall be examined and decided in accordance with the existing conditions and procedures, with the exception of the requirements of Art. 22, Art. 32a and Art. 35, par. 4, which shall also apply to pending proceedings in relation to Bulgarian citizenship.
§ 14. (1) A person who, prior to the entry into force of this Law, has obtained a permanent residence permit in the Republic of Bulgaria on the basis of Art. 25, par. 1, p. 6 and 7 of the Law on Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria in accordance with the provisions of the law in force at the time of application, shall be entitled to apply for acquisition of Bulgarian citizenship if he meets the conditions under Art. 12, par. 1, p. 1, 2, 3 and 4 and provided that the investment made by him has been maintained for a period of not less than 5 years.
(2) The family members of a person referred to in par. 1 shall have the right to submit applications for acquisition of Bulgarian citizenship if they meet the conditions under Art. 12, par. 1, p. 2, 3 and 4 and if the person referred to in par. 1 has obtained Bulgarian citizenship.
§ 15. The electronic register referred to in Art. 38a shall be established within three months from the entry into force of this Law.
§ 16. Within 6 months from the establishment of the electronic register under Art. 38a, all data of the applicants received by the State Agency for Bulgarians Abroad in the period from 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2020 shall be entered.
§ 17. Within 6 months of the entry into force of this Law:
The Council of Ministers:
(a) adopts the Regulations referred to in Art. 29, par. 7 and the regulation under Art. 38a;
(b) bring the by-laws it has adopted into conformity with this Law;
2. the Ministers and the Chairpersons of the State Agencies shall bring into conformity with this Law the Acts relating to its implementation and the Councils established by them which do not comply with the requirements of this Law;
3. the Minister of Economy shall issue the regulation under Art. 14a, par. 4.
Transitional and Final Provisions TO THE LAW AMENDING AND SUPPLEMENTING THE LAW ON BULGARIAN CITIZENSHIP
(Promulgated in 2022)
§ 7. The proceedings under the repealed Art. 12a and 14a pending before the entry into force of this Law are terminated.
§ 8. (1) Where Bulgarian citizenship has been obtained by naturalisation on the basis of the repealed Art. 12a or the repealed Art. 14a, the person who has acquired it shall, within 14 days from the occurrence of the change in the facts and circumstances related to the investment which became the basis for the naturalisation, notify the competent authority which certified the investment and submit the documents proving the change.
(2) Naturalisation on the basis of the repealed Art. 12a or the repealed Art. 14a may be revoked under the conditions of Chapter Three, Section II, and where the person who has acquired Bulgarian citizenship has not notified a change under par. 1 or has not maintained the investments which became the basis for acquiring Bulgarian citizenship for at least a two-year period from the date of naturalisation – in cases under repealed Art. 14a, par. 1, or for a period of at least one year – in the cases under the repealed Art. 12a, par. 1, and in the case of repealed Art. 14a, par. 1, p. 3 – and the jobs created.
(3) The Ministry of Justice shall send to the competent authority under par. 1 Information concerning persons who have acquired Bulgarian citizenship on the basis of the repealed Art. 12a and 14a. The competent authority referred to in par. 1 shall notify the Minister of Justice of any identified change in the investments resulting in a failure to comply with the obligation to maintain them.
(4) In order to maintain the investments referred to in par. 2, the competent authority referred to in par. 1 shall exercise control after the end of the period referred to in par. 2 and shall notify the Minister of Justice of the result, who may request information from the State Agency for National Security.
§ 9. (1) When Bulgarian citizenship has been obtained by naturalisation on the basis of the repealed Art. 12a or the repealed Art. 14a, the person who has acquired it shall, within 14 days from the occurrence of the change in the facts and circumstances related to the investments that became the basis for the naturalisation, notify the competent authority that certified the investments and submit the documents proving the change.
(2) Naturalisation on the basis of the repealed Art. 12a or the repealed Art. 14a may be revoked under the conditions of Chapter Three, Section II, and where the person who has acquired Bulgarian citizenship has not notified a change under par. 1 or has not maintained the investments which became the basis for acquiring Bulgarian citizenship for at least a two-year period from the date of naturalisation – in cases under repealed Art. 14a, par. 1, or for a period of at least one year – in the cases under the repealed Art. 12a, par. 1, and in the case of repealed Art. 14a, par. 1, p. 3 – and the jobs created.
(3) The Ministry of Justice shall send to the competent authority under par. 1 information on persons who have acquired Bulgarian citizenship on the basis of the repealed Art. 12a and 14a. The competent authority referred to in par. 1 shall notify the Minister of Justice of any identified change in the investments resulting in a failure to comply with the obligation to maintain them.
(4) In order to maintain the investments referred to in par. 2, the competent authority referred to in par. 1 shall exercise control after the end of the period referred to in par. 2 and shall notify the Minister of Justice of the result, who may request information from the State Agency for National Security.