Residence permit for parents, children are EU citizens (not Bulgarian)

Question

Residence permit for parents, children are EU citizens (not Bulgarian)

Larissa Schmidt asks:

Good afternoon, I live in Germany and am a German citizen. I would like to know if it is possible for my parents to obtain a residence permit in Bulgaria based on the fact that I am a citizen of the European Union, for example, through family reunification? Is it necessary for me to live in Bulgaria myself? With respect, Larisa

02.06.2026

BULGARIA. Consultation

Visa, residence permit, citizenship

Expert answers (3)

Natalia Atanasova (Grand Estates Group) · Answer 1 · 2026-06-06T11:53

Larisa, hello! Based on your citizenship, it is not possible for parents to obtain a residence permit, but if they are retired, there is an option to obtain a residence permit on the basis of "well-off pensioner" or both at once, or one of the parents receives such a residence permit, and the second upon reunification. Of course, there are different subtleties and nuances, depending on which citizenship your parents have.

Natalia Zavalishina (Distant Property) · Answer 2 · 2026-06-03T20:05

Good afternoon, parents can get a residence permit in Bulgaria as well-off pensioners. The residence permits of Germany and Bulgaria are not connected in any way.

Evgenia Tsibizova (Ваша Болгария) · Answer 3 · 2026-06-03T19:15

Good afternoon!
Family reunification in Bulgaria works only for spouses. Your parents can try to get a residence permit on the basis of "well-off pensioner", if at least one of them is already retired. The second one can be used for reunification. But you need to have a place to live in Bulgaria.
Sincerely, Evgenia.