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@grumpyoldbird

Hi

Well there not on the list and they don't seem to care if you have a pile of cash either .

I would doubt that would be sufficient to enable you to say you have a stable income .. however the best way to get the official view is to ask the Bulgarian Embassy via email the question.

Sorry can't be much help

@philip Mckay

Thanks Phil. It's not actually for me. I'm retired and have pensions, but my friend and I were hoping to buy a house together and although she wouldn't be moving out for a year or two, she was hoping that her rental income would qualify her. She moved to France pre Brexit, so those questions were never asked. She automatically qualifies for residency in France, so she's never had to justify her income. She won't qualify for her UK State Pension for a few years yet. Bummer....

@grumpyoldbird

As an example, Spain and Portugal have popular (working not allowed) residence permits based on passive income (rents, dividends, pensions).  Bulgaria doesn't have an equivalent, but pensions are accepted for the D visa and residence (with working allowed).

If you have a UK state pension, then you qualify for the D visa by this route. In which your proof of financial means would be satisfied by the pension. Showing additional income wouldn't hurt, but it doesn't seem necessary.

If the landlord is not retired, then the rent alone is not going to be grounds for the D visa.

@gwynj

I know that I'll be ok, because of my pensions, its my friend I'm concerned about. On the equivalent visa in France, you only need to show that you have enough regular income to support yourself, so that you're not a drain on France. Clearly they don't have such an option in Bulgaria. Technically she is retired and living on the rental income, but she doesn't have a pension yet. This could be a problem for us both. Thanks.

@grumpyoldbird according to my immigration lawyer, proof of income (apart from pensions) is not accepted for purposes of issuing the D visa for Bulgaria.

@GinnyHench

Thank you.

The laughable thing is you would not be eligible to get any help anyway with anything that's not been negotiated between BG and UK .. so not sure what all the fuss is about . 

As a foreigner your entitled to nothing!  Only the UK gives everything to anybody lol

@grumpyoldbird

I think if you could produce statements that showed regular deposits into your account, and show them the deeds of the properties, that would go a long way to satisfy them.

@grumpyoldbird

Never give up! With a bit of lateral thinking, I came up with several potential options for relocation to Bulgaria for your non-retired friend:

(a) Wait until retirement age and UK state pension starts, then apply for D visa.

(b) If already resident in France, wait until you get Permanent Residence there (5 years from first residence)... then apply under the Bulgarian exemption for those who already have PR elsewhere in the EU.

(c) Incorporate a UK company online, and start putting the rental income through it, as if it were a letting business. After 2 years, you can apply for D visa by TRO.

(d) In the shorter-term, she could use the income generated by the properties to fund a bit of mature-student studying and apply for the D visa as a student. Then change status later (based on one of the alternatives mentioned).

(e) She sells the properties and with the proceeds she purchases a lifetime annuity from a pension fund. (Personally, I'd rather hang on to the properties, so I don't think it's a very wise option, but I'd guess it would look enough like a pension to qualify for the D visa.)

(f) You pretend to be more than friends, and enter into a civil partnership... and then she can enter by Family Reunification after you get your D visa as a pensioner. (Just kidding on this one, and not even sure that Bulgaria recognizes same-sex civil partnerships anyway.)

Eileen, how long has she lived in France? If she can get her permanent French residency papers, she'd have no problem moving to Bulgaria. But I'm guessing that she's got about the same wait to have lived in France long enough to get that as she has to reach retirement age.

@#$% Brexit!

    @grumpyoldbird
I think if you could produce statements that showed regular deposits into your account, and show them the deeds of the properties, that would go a long way to satisfy them.
   

    -@Sticky59

If only! If that was true, I'd be in Bulgaria now, not waiting it out in the UK till I'm pension age.

@janemulberry

Who's Eileen? 😂

I've contacted a Bulgarian law firm and asked about the possibility of an NGO. As we'll be doing rescue out there, albeit small scale, it could be the answer for my friend. The owner of the rescue we'll be visiting in February, has a friend who has already set up an NGO for rescue, so its clearly an option. We'll have to find out more details while we're there.

All is not lost. 🙂

@grumpyoldbird

Excellent idea! I hope it works. It should!

And oops on the name. Sorry! I can remember all sorts of useless details, yet am totally useless when it comes to names.

@janemulberry

I'm assuming there'll be hoops to jump through as far as the property is concerned. Not sure how to find that out, but I suspect it will involve a lot of Google surfing.

Elaine. 😉

@grumpyoldbird

If you can prove it with docments it should be.  I recommend you hote a lawyer to help with the proper documents.  I can refer you to one if you like.

@franw

I've had an e mail chat with one this afternoon, but he wanted lots of information that I couldn't answer yet. What I really need to know is based more around the requirements for the premises. Apparently we could register as a foundation, but I really need to find someone who's already done it, so I find out what facilities the property might need to have.

@grumpyoldbird

Lucy Irvine from the book and film "Castaway" fame has a rescue foundation here or you could try Helen's House of Hope, but think were both here pre Brexit.

@grahamstark1

That's great! Thank you. It's the requirements for the foundation regarding the kennel facilities that we need to check, so that should be the same anyway. My friend will have more than enough income, but its not from pensions. Obviously she'll still have to provide documentation, but the foundation should be a foot in the door for her. We just need to make sure it's not going to cost a fortune in improvements. 😬

you can buy a seat in a company which gets your d visa evidently. there are a few other hoops to jump through. it costs about 2k a year though.

my older kids have dual nationality with france so that should be ok for us

@Suzi Masterson

That's a new one on me, especially when you consider that you have to set up a company to buy a house anyway. It would be so much easier if all the EU countries followed the same format.

@grumpyoldbird

I wonder if what Suzi meant about the company thing was TRO?

@grumpyoldbird wouldnt it just. someone i was talking to is doing it. theyve bought a house (through the company) have a british set up company running (but not trading) for a year. they are buying a seat on a running bulgarian company to be "employed"

its costing them 2000e per year to the company. all a bit back door but if it works i guess

    @grumpyoldbirdI wonder if what Suzi meant about the company thing was TRO?        -@janemulberry

Yup. TRO (Trade Representative Office) is simply a registration (rather than an actual entity) at the BCCI (dot bg, Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry). Your TRO represents your foreign company (such as a LTD in the UK). Each registration allows up to 3 representatives (physical persons), and these are sometimes referred to as "seats", and sometimes sold.

The BCCI needs the company info (accounts, etc.) in order to process the registration. The registration certificate (with your name as one of the representatives) is what you give the Bulgarian Embassy as the basis for granting you the D visa (by TRO). Buying a seat is a way to get your D visa without waiting 2 years for your own company (if you don't already have one established).

2 grand a year seems pretty steep though, I'd be curious to know what that includes. And whether it's 2 grand every single year until permanent residence! I'm doing exactly this, and I'm not spending anywhere near that amount. The UK costs for the company and accounts is a couple of hundred per year, and the annual registration fee to BCCI is about 30 euros, if I recall correctly. The TRO thing sounds a bit scary, but it's really not that bad... although obviously a lot more hassle than simply providing a letter from your pension provider. :-)

Here's the BCCI page

@gwynj

Can I be both the owner of a UK LTD company AND a TRO in Bulgaria? as the way I can see this is the only option open to me to get a long term visa in Bulgaria.

I guess the payments Suzi mentioned gives a way to work around having to have one's non-Bg company registered for two years to meet the TRO requirements. As a one-off payment it's not unreasonable. But if that's every year for five years, ouch!

    @gwynj
Can I be both the owner of a UK LTD company AND a TRO in Bulgaria? as the way I can see this is the only option open to me to get a long term visa in Bulgaria.
   

    -@billythekid007

The TRO is definitely a popular way to get a D visa and then residence in Bulgaria. Especially if you're relatively young, and you'd have to wait 20 years or so before you qualify as a pensioner. :-)

You need a UK LTD (or other non-Bulgarian business entity) with 2 years of history in order to be a TRO of something. Your TRO registration is what allows you to qualify for the D visa. As the TRO is a registration rather than a trading entity, you might also want a Bulgarian EOOD.

@gwynj

Thank you for that im a llllllllllllllllooooooooooooooooonnnnnnnnnggggggggggg way off retirement. Im 40 In January. Im just getting started with a youtube channel documenting fun and interesting things that I get up to, maybe its worth getting a LTD company off the ground for that, and then in two years go down the TRO route.

@billythekid007

I would certainly consider it! The UK has a very good online system so you can incorporate and admin your company pretty inexpensively.

If you've already bought a Bulgarian property, or intend to, then it sounds like the TRO would be one of the few ways you could live in it, rather than just visit every 3 months. :-)

I doubt the TRO (company) needs it to be a big business, it just needs to be "economically active", rather than doing absolutely nothing and filing "dormant" accounts.

@gwynj yeah all I can see on the requirements is that is has to have its tax affairs to be up to date.