Uk citizen living and working in Romania relocating to Bulgaria

Hello and welcome on board Eddie ^^

@eddiebit Hi Eddie,

How long have you been resident in Romania?  I ask, because, if you obtained residency before December 31st, 2020, then you might well have the advantages of an EU residency card, which could make it easier to enter Bulgaria.

@cyberescue1 Sorry, only just seen this!  We obtained temporary 5yr Romanian residency in 2019, so yes hopefully this will make getting Bulgarian residency easier.  Hope so!

@eddiebit Hi Eddie,
How long have you been resident in Romania? I ask, because, if you obtained residency before December 31st, 2020, then you might well have the advantages of an EU residency card, which could make it easier to enter Bulgaria.
-@cyberescue

Sorry  only just seen this!  Romanian residency (temporary 5 yr) since 2019 so hopefully you are correct.

@eddiebit Dont shoot me, but pretty sure it only makes it easier if you are an EU National or have full Romanian Citizenship.

I believe the process starts all over again if you only have temporary residency but as in all things Bulgarian, different areas interprate the laws in different ways. When we moved back here I went the D Visa route, retired at 58 on private pension, got my 12 month prolonged stay as its known now, which i have to renew every year for five years. However my partner who hadn't held a residency card since 2016 was granted a 5yr residency card even though it was well outside the Brexit deadline , even our Bulgarian advocate said that was not possible.

Good luck though in your move.

@eddiebit Dont shoot me, but pretty sure it only makes it easier if you are an EU National or have full Romanian Citizenship.

-@grahamstark1

Romania is an EU country?

@eddiebit

Oooh... this is good news! My recommendation is that you hang on until 2024 (5 years from card issue, only a year away) and get your permanent residence permit in Romania. This is a much bigger deal than a temporary permit (and grants you the right to live there indefinitely). As @grahamstark1 says your temporary permit would not help, and you'd have to start again with a D visa. However, most EU countries (including Bulgaria, I believe) are more accommodating of non-EU citizens who are already permanent residents elsewhere in the EU. In which case, you'd skip the D visa rigmarole.

Of course, nothing stops you from exploring Bulgaria in the meantime (we're next door), and even buying a property if you found something you liked. If you plan to continue teaching, you probably need to be near the main cities (Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas). I was teaching in Plovdiv, but I'm going off the idea of in-person teaching: Bulgaria (and Romania too, I'd guess) salaries are rather low, and you get a higher salary tutoring online. This is with a lot less travel/aggravation and allows you to live in a village property which widens your options considerably.

@grahamstark1

There was a lot of flexibility (in some countries) on Brexit (Article 50) permits, especially if you'd previously held a residence permit pre-Brexit. I popped over to Cyprus last year and made a (successful) late application for my residence permit there, based on my original EU citizen registration way back in 2005. :-)

If you've already got a pension, then I guess multiple residence permit renewals is no big deal. But, if your partner has a 5-year card, then you should be able to apply for "family reunification" and you'd get a card with the same expiration date.

@SimCityAT Yes, but residency is not citizenship and doesnt carry the same rights.
-@grahamstark1

I am well aware of that!!

Hello everyone,

Please note that I have created this new thread on the Bulgaria forum so that you better interact.

All the best

Bhavna

Romania residence is for Romania not all eu.

@Anastasija_gust

I'm guessing this is for me?

Of course, you're correct, strictly speaking a EU residence permit for Country A (e.g. Romania) does not grant residence rights in Country B (e.g. Bulgaria or Spain).

But...

It does grant visiting rights (visa-free travel 90 in 180) which is useful for some passport holders (e.g. China citizens).

And, as I mentioned, there is a BIG difference between a "temporary" permit and a "permanent" (or "long term") permit issued after 5 years of legal residence.

You will find that most EU countries (including Bulgaria) do make it a lot easier to apply for residence (which will be a new temporary residence permit for Country B) when you are already a permanent resident elsewhere in the EU. It's mentioned in Chapter 3 of the Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria Act.

https://www.mig.government.bg/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/foreigners_in_the_republic_of_bulgaria_act.pdf

In addition, there is a thing called the EU Long-Term Resident's Residence Permit (also after 5 years) which is separate from the national permanent residence permit. This card DOES explicitly carry some EU mobility, similar to an EU passport. The confusion arises because not all EU countries issue this permit, and many folks don't even know about it (and you won't get one unless you apply for it).

A bit of EU info about it:

https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies/migration-and-asylum/legal-migration-and-integration/long-term-residents_en

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=COM%3A2022%3A650%3AFIN&qid=1651218479366

A page from NL (who do offer it):

https://ind.nl/en/residence-permits/long-term-eu-residency/apply-for-a-residence-permit-for-long-term-eu-residents

I appreciate it's all a bit irrelevant for you as you're a lucky EU citizen, but it's a big deal for Brits and other non-EU citizens like myself and @eddiebit.

So I'm not saying @eddiebit's current Romania permit will help, but I'm suggesting his next one (next year, hopefully) will be a Romania Permanent Residence Permit. And relocating to Bulgaria with this permit should be much easier than trying for a D visa this year.