A person of Bulgarian origin may apply under article 15 without the ordinary residence, income, language and release-of-prior-citizenship conditions. The applicant must establish the family relationship with at least one ancestor of Bulgarian origin, up to the third degree inclusive, using the required official documents.
A person born in Bulgaria is a citizen by place of birth if they do not acquire another citizenship by origin; a foundling with unknown parents is presumed born in Bulgaria.
A spouse may naturalize after three years of marriage and three years of legal residence, instead of five.
Bulgaria repealed the special investment-based citizenship provisions in 2022. Investment or property ownership should not be presented as a current direct route to Bulgarian citizenship; any residence obtained on another legal basis follows the applicable ordinary nationality rules.
Sources: Bulgarian National Assembly — investment citizenship repealed · Bulgarian Ministry of Justice — Citizenship Act
Bulgaria's ordinary route generally requires an adult to have held permanent or long-term residence for at least five years, alongside criminal-record, income or occupation, Bulgarian-language and—unless an exception applies—prior-citizenship release requirements. This is five years after the qualifying residence status, not a promise of citizenship after five years of any lawful stay.
Sources: Bulgarian Ministry of Justice — Citizenship Act · Bulgarian Ministry of Justice — Citizenship Directorate