Retire in Bulgaria
To retire in Bulgaria you need a D visa, then a pensioner permit of up to one year with means of at least the national minimum (€620 wage in 2026). Prices run near 47% of the US.
What it takes, what it costs, and where retirees settle, from Bulgaria's law and official data. Checked on Oct 8, 2026.
- Retiree visa
- National minimum level The law sets no separate pension amount. You need the right to a pension and stable, regular means to live on without social assistance, of at least Bulgaria's minimum monthly wage, minimum scholarship or minimum pension, for the length of your stay. The minimum monthly wage is €620 in 2026. Administrative Register. Checked Oct 8, 2026.
- Price level
- ~47% of the US Household consumption, 2025. World Bank. Checked Oct 7, 2026.
- Tax on a foreign pension
- Up to 10% Flat 10% at most. PwC Tax Summaries; US-Bulgaria tax treaty. Checked Oct 8, 2026.
- Travel advisory
- Level 1 of 4 Exercise Normal Precautions. US State Department. Updated Oct 8, 2025.
- Health spending
- $1,258/person Per year; US $13,473. World Bank. Checked Oct 7, 2026.
- US tax treaty
- Yes An income tax treaty with the US is in force. IRS. Checked Oct 7, 2026.
Do you qualify?
Bulgaria gives long-term residence to foreigners who have the right to a pension from Bulgaria, their home country or another country and enough money to live on. You first get a long-stay D visa at a Bulgarian embassy, then a permit of up to one year from the Interior Ministry's migration office, renewed before it runs out.
Pensioner residence visa: documents and feesRetiring in Bulgaria, topic by topic
Visa
Pensioner residence visa requirements
Documents, government fees and the other routes to residency.
Healthcare
Healthcare for retirees
The hospitals retirees use, what insurance covers, and Medicare abroad.
Money
Banking, pensions and tax
How US, UK and Canadian pensions reach a local bank, and what you report at home.
Budget
Cost of living
Official prices and a budget built from your own rent.
What it costs
Household prices in Bulgaria run at about 47% of US levels. Rent is the line nobody publishes officially, so the cost of living page builds your budget from your own rent.
Build your budgetOfficial poverty line, person living alone, per month, 2025 survey
Eurostat; National Statistical Institute. Checked Oct 8, 2026.
Where retirees settle
Sofia
- Capital, 1,213,134 people (2025), 560 m above sea level
- University Hospital Lozenetz
Plovdiv
- 333,994 people (2025), 172 m above sea level
- University Hospital Kaspela
Varna
- Black Sea port, 322,683 people (2025)
- University Hospital St. Marina
Burgas
- Black Sea coast, 189,086 people (2025)
- University Hospital Burgas, emergency admission
Wikidata; Lozenetz Hospital; Kaspela Hospital; St. Marina Hospital; UMBAL Burgas. Checked Oct 8, 2026.
Bulgaria compared
More guides on Bulgaria
Visiting Bulgaria first
Most people spend a few weeks in Bulgaria before they apply for anything. Two things to sort out for that trip:
Kiwi.com
Flights to Bulgaria
Compare routes and dates before a scouting trip.
Airalo
eSIM for Bulgaria
Mobile data from the day you land, without a local SIM.
Partner links: we may earn a commission if you book, at no cost to you. How this works.
Retiring in Bulgaria: questions
Is Bulgaria safe for retirees?
The US State Department rates Bulgaria Level 1, exercise normal precautions.
Do I pay tax in Bulgaria on my pension?
Bulgaria taxes residents on worldwide income at a flat 10%, so 10% is the most a foreign pension can be taxed. Tax treaties move the right to tax: under the US treaty, US Social Security is taxed only in the United States, while private pensions are taxed only where you live.
Can Americans retire in Bulgaria?
Yes, on long-term residence for pensioners: a D visa first, then a permit of up to one year with proof of a pension right and means of at least the national minimum, such as the €620 minimum monthly wage in 2026.
Is Bulgaria a good place to retire?
Prices run at about 47% of US levels, income tax is a flat 10% with US Social Security taxed only in the US, and the UK State Pension is uprated there. The permit lasts up to a year and must be renewed.
Where do retirees live in Bulgaria?
In Sofia, the capital, in Plovdiv, or on the Black Sea coast in Varna and Burgas, each with a university hospital.
