Refugees in Bulgaria can obtain citizenship much faster than other foreigners
Today we will explain how refugees in Bulgaria can obtain Bulgarian citizenship. According to the Bulgarian citizenship law, foreigners with granted refugee or asylum status can obtain Bulgarian citizenship much faster than through the standard naturalisation route. In these cases, the total waiting time is shortened to only three years:
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.
Art. 13a, par. 1 of the Bulgarian Citizenship Law
Conditions for obtaining Bulgarian citizenship for refugees
The above legal text is clear, but as is often the case, the details matter. So let’s first see what the conditions of Art. 12, par. 1, p. 1, 3, 4 and 5 of the citizenship law are. Secondly, we need to determine who has refugee or asylum status in Bulgaria. For example, are the Ukrainian citizens, living in Bulgaria with temporary protection status, considered as “refugees”?
The conditions of Art. 12 of the citizenship law that apply to refugees
Let’s go back to our beloved citizenship law. The conditions applicable to foreigners with refugee and humanitarian status to obtain Bulgarian citizenship are as follows:
- To be an adult (18 years or older);
- Not be convicted of (or charged with) a criminal offence by a Bulgarian court;
- To have sufficient income or occupation;
- To successfully pass a Bulgarian language exam;
- Have been granted refugee or asylum status for at least three years.
For may refugees, the Bulgarian language exam is by far the most difficult conditions of all. Especially if they have been in the country for 3 years only. Here much depends on what language(s) the foreigner speaks. For Ukrainians for example, mastering Bulgarian is easy. For Afghans it’s not. But with our support throughout the way everything should work fine at the end. Not without some hard work of course.
По-русски или по-английски?
По-русски, по-русски.Kandahar (the movie)
Who has a refugee or asylum status in Bulgaria
Many tend to believe that every foreigner who comes from a war zone is a refugee in Bulgaria. Nothing can be further from the truth. Ukrainian citizens for example, who left the country after the outbreak of the war with Russia, are not considered as refugees. Neither do they have an asylum status. Instead, they enjoy certain rights under the so called temporary protection status. You can read more in our article – why Ukrainian “refugees” will not be able to obtain (fast-track) Bulgarian citizenship? In this article you will find exactly who is considered to have a refugee or an asylum status in Bulgaria and can consequently apply for Bulgarian citizenship after 3 years.
In a nutshell
To make the long story short, refugees in Bulgaria can obtain Bulgarian citizenship after 3 years. Ukrainians with temporary protection status can not benefit from this shortened path to citizenship. They should instead think of a way to circumvent the curse of the temporary protection status and secure themselves a residence permit in Bulgaria. You can read more in our article (in Russian) – derogation from temporary protection. Don’t get us wrong, temporary protection is a great status for many Ukrainians. For those who desire more whoever, it is also a curse. You should also read our article Temporary protection and EU Blue Card. Nothing is impossible of course. The problem is that rather an advantage, the temporary protection may become a status that is hard to get rid of if one wants to change his or her status to something more sustainable. With our support everything is possible, although it would be nice if everything was easier.