Student Visa for Bulgaria: Visa D, Residence Permit and Money to Show

Fee figures: catalogue of 6 October 2026.

Non-EU students come to Bulgaria in two steps: a long-stay visa D, issued by a Bulgarian embassy or consulate, and then a residence permit issued in Bulgaria by the Migration Directorate of the Ministry of the Interior. This guide covers the rules as they stood in October 2026. Fees and forms change, so check with the consulate and the Migration Directorate before you pay.

Who needs what

EU, EEA and Swiss citizens enter with an ID card or passport and need no visa. If you stay longer than three months, you apply to the Migration Directorate or your regional migration office for a long-term residence document, as a student.
Everyone else needs a visa D to enter for studies, then a residence permit for students once in Bulgaria.

Step 1: the Ministry of Education certificate

You cannot apply for the visa with an admission letter alone. After you are admitted, the university sends your documents to the Ministry of Education and Science, which issues a certificate (udostoverenie) for a visa D. The certificates are kept in an electronic register run for the ministry by NACID, and embassies, the Ministry of the Interior and the university can all see them. Sofia University says it has two weeks to send your documents to the ministry, and that you receive the visa document online.

Incomplete documents delay the certificate and your visa, so send everything, including the NACID certificate on your school diploma, at the start. See document recognition for Bulgaria.

Step 2: the visa D

You apply at the Bulgarian embassy or consulate for your country of permanent residence. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs:

an interview is compulsory, with no exceptions;
you bring the visa application form, a valid passport with copies of the data page and earlier visas, a recent colour photo, the documents supporting your purpose of stay (here, the ministry certificate), and proof of money for living costs and accommodation, as originals and copies;
a standard visa D is valid for up to six months and allows a stay of up to 180 days. Apply for the residence permit no later than 14 days before it expires.

Step 3: the residence permit

Once you have enrolled, you apply in person to the Migration Directorate in Sofia or to the migration unit of the regional police directorate in your university city. Under Article 24v of the Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria Act, full-time students with a visa D can get a residence permit for up to one year, renewed every year of study.

Documents listed by the Ministry of the Interior:

a copy of your passport with the visa and the latest entry stamp, plus the original;
proof of accommodation, such as a rental contract;
compulsory medical insurance valid in Bulgaria, unless you are covered by the Bulgarian health insurance system;
proof of stable and sufficient means, without relying on social assistance;
a criminal record certificate from your country of citizenship or residence, for the first application;
the Ministry of Education certificate and a certificate from the university that you are studying this year;
proof that you paid the enrolment fee.

The office decides within 14 days, extendable by a month in complicated cases. You then receive a residence card. Apply to renew it no later than 14 days before it expires. For insurance, see health insurance for students in Europe.

Money to show

The law asks for means of at least the national minimum monthly wage, the minimum grant or the minimum pension, for the period of your stay. From 1 January 2026 the minimum monthly wage is €620.20. Consulates and migration offices decide which proof they accept, so ask before you apply. Tuition comes on top; see how much it costs to study in Bulgaria.

Fees

The residence permit and the residence card each carry a state fee under the Ministry of the Interior's tariff. Older pages still show them in leva, from before the switch to the euro in 2026, so check the current amounts with your migration office.

After graduation

A non-EU student who finishes full-time studies in Bulgaria can apply for a residence permit of up to nine months to look for work or start a business. Apply at least 30 days before your student permit expires.

Where to look next

Official sources

Ministry of the Interior, Migration Directorate: residence permits: document checklists (in Bulgarian)
Ministry of the Interior: long-term residence for EU citizens
NACID: Visa D register: Ministry of Education certificates (in Bulgarian)
Ministry of Foreign Affairs: visa D (in Bulgarian)
Sofia University: student visa and residence

Always check current information on the official website of the university before you apply.