Five Years, a Language Test and Your Old Passport - Unless One of Your Ancestors Was Bulgarian, in Which Case None of It Applies
Answer
The general rule applies to you
No exception is recorded for citizens of Haiti on this topic. That is the answer, not a gap - everything below is the rule you get, unchanged.
154 exceptions recorded across 56 countries · none match Haiti to Bulgaria · Becoming a citizen
Ordinary naturalisation under article 12(1) of the Zakon za balgarskoto grazhdanstvo asks for six things at the date of the application: adulthood; a permanent or long-term residence permit held for at least five years; no conviction for an intentional offence of a general nature and no pending prosecution; income or an occupation sufficient to support yourself in Bulgaria; command of the Bulgarian language, established by a procedure the education minister lays down; and release from your previous citizenship, or release by the time Bulgarian citizenship is acquired. Article 12(2) removes the last of those for the spouse of a Bulgarian national and for nationals of the Union, the EEA, Switzerland and states with a reciprocity treaty. Article 15(1) removes four of the six - residence, income, language and renunciation - for a person of Bulgarian origin, for an adopted child, and for a person one of whose parents is or died a Bulgarian national. What remains for those applicants is adulthood and a clean record. Citizenship by investment is gone: articles 12a and 14a were repealed by ДВ бр. 26 от 2022 г., and unfinished cases were terminated. The decision is the President's, on a proposal from the justice minister after an opinion from the Citizenship Council, and article 35(1) gives the minister twelve months to make that proposal - nine where the applicant is of Bulgarian origin.
At a glance
- Residence before naturalisation
- 5 years of permanent or long-term residence
Article 12(1)(2) of the Citizenship Act, counted to the date of the application.
- Residence for a person of Bulgarian origin
- None: article 15(1) of the Citizenship Act disapplies article 12(1)(2)
It disapplies the income, language and renunciation conditions as well.
- Marriage route
- 3 years of residence and 3 years of marriage
Article 13(1) of the Citizenship Act.
- Dual citizenship
- Permitted, and a Bulgarian who is also a foreign national is treated only as Bulgarian in Bulgarian law
Article 3 of the Citizenship Act. Release from the previous citizenship is still required of an ordinary applicant under article 12(1)(6).
- Decision time
- 12 months, or 9 months for an applicant of Bulgarian origin
Article 35(1)(1) and (2) of the Citizenship Act, running from the arrival of the application at the Ministry of Justice.
- Citizenship by investment
- Abolished by ДВ бр. 26 от 2022 г., which repealed articles 12a and 14a
Paragraph 7 of the transitional provisions terminated unfinished proceedings under those articles.
Requirements
- Five years of permanent or long-term residence, for an ordinary naturalisation
- A clean criminal record and no pending prosecution for an intentional general offence
- Income or an occupation sufficient to support yourself here
- Command of Bulgarian, tested under a ministerial ordinance
- Release from your previous citizenship, unless exempt
Country-level policy
Most countries give descendants a faster naturalisation. Bulgaria gives them a different system. The Citizenship Act defines a person of Bulgarian origin, in paragraph 2(1) of its supplementary provisions, as one at least one of whose ascendants is a Bulgarian - a definition that says nothing about generations, documents or language. Article 25(1)(1) of the Aliens Act then puts those people first on the list of foreigners who may be granted permanent residence, with no qualifying period of residence, no income test and no insurance condition, and the implementing regulation reduces the file to identity documents, a notarised declaration of address and a birth certificate. Article 24v(3) of the same Act lets a student of Bulgarian origin skip the long-stay visa. Article 15(1) of the Citizenship Act then removes four of the six naturalisation conditions - five years of residence, income, the Bulgarian-language test and release from the previous citizenship - leaving adulthood and a clean record. Article 35(1)(2) gives the justice minister nine months rather than twelve to put the case to the President. The one place the system tightened is evidential: since ДВ бр. 21 от 2021 г., article 15(2) requires official documents proving kinship to an ascendant of Bulgarian origin up to the third degree inclusive, naming the ascendant and the relationship.
What applies to you
Nothing changes for a citizen of Haiti
We have no rule recorded that treats your citizenship differently here, so the general rule above is the one that applies to you. That is an answer, not a gap.
What the law says
«Лице, което не е български гражданин, може да придобие българско гражданство, ако към датата на подаване на молбата за натурализация: 1\. е пълнолетно; 2\. (доп. - ДВ, бр. 21 от 2012 г.) преди не по-малко от 5 години е получило разрешение за постоянно или дългосрочно пребиваване в Република България; 3\. не е осъждано за умишлено престъпление от общ характер от български съд и срещу него няма образувано наказателно производство за такова престъпление, освен ако е реабилитирано; 4\. (изм. - ДВ, бр. 41 от 2001 г.) има доход или занятие, което му дава възможност да се издържа в Република България; 5\. (изм. и доп. - ДВ, бр. 41 от 2001 г., изм. - ДВ, бр. 74 от 2009 г., в сила от 15.09.2009 г., изм. - ДВ, бр. 68 от 2013 г., в сила от 02.08.2013 г.) владее български език, което се установява по ред, определен с наредба на министъра на образованието и науката, и 6\. (нова - ДВ, бр. 41 от 2001 г.) е освободено от досегашното си гражданство или ще бъде освободено от него към момента на придобиване на българско гражданство.»The six conditions of an ordinary naturalisation.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
The justice ministry, which runs the Citizenship Council and every naturalisation, release and restoration file, and which hosts a consolidated statute service at /home/normdoc/<id>. That service answered with a clean consolidated Закон за българското гражданство current to ДВ бр. 55 от 16 юни 2026 г., and it uses the same document identifiers as the commercial site lex.bg.
Standing: Applies the rule
Cannot be cited for: A curated subset, not a statute book: it carries the acts the ministry works with and answers HTTP 500 for everything else, including the Aliens Act and the Asylum Act. The site also serves an incomplete certificate chain, so a plain client rejects it. It is not an official consolidation and must not be cited for any instrument the Ministry of Justice does not administer.
We re-read it every 45 days. More about this source
«Не се изисква освобождаване от досегашното им гражданство за: 1\. лица - съпрузи на български граждани; 2\. граждани на държава - членка на Европейския съюз, на държава - страна по Споразумението за Европейското икономическо пространство, или на Конфедерация Швейцария; 3\. граждани на държави, с които Република България има сключени договори, с които се установява взаимност.»Who is excused the renunciation.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
The justice ministry, which runs the Citizenship Council and every naturalisation, release and restoration file, and which hosts a consolidated statute service at /home/normdoc/<id>. That service answered with a clean consolidated Закон за българското гражданство current to ДВ бр. 55 от 16 юни 2026 г., and it uses the same document identifiers as the commercial site lex.bg.
Standing: Applies the rule
Cannot be cited for: A curated subset, not a statute book: it carries the acts the ministry works with and answers HTTP 500 for everything else, including the Aliens Act and the Asylum Act. The site also serves an incomplete certificate chain, so a plain client rejects it. It is not an official consolidation and must not be cited for any instrument the Ministry of Justice does not administer.
We re-read it every 45 days. More about this source
«Лице, което не е български гражданин, може да придобие българско гражданство по натурализация, без да са налице условията по чл. 12, ал. 1, т. 2, 4, 5 и 6 ако отговаря на едно от следните изисквания: 1\. е от български произход; 2\. (изм. и доп. - ДВ, бр. 41 от 2001 г.) осиновен е от български гражданин при условията на пълно осиновяване; 3\. (нова - ДВ, бр. 41 от 2001 г.) единият му родител е български гражданин или е починал като български гражданин.»Four of the six conditions removed, for three classes of applicant.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
The justice ministry, which runs the Citizenship Council and every naturalisation, release and restoration file, and which hosts a consolidated statute service at /home/normdoc/<id>. That service answered with a clean consolidated Закон за българското гражданство current to ДВ бр. 55 от 16 юни 2026 г., and it uses the same document identifiers as the commercial site lex.bg.
Standing: Applies the rule
Cannot be cited for: A curated subset, not a statute book: it carries the acts the ministry works with and answers HTTP 500 for everything else, including the Aliens Act and the Asylum Act. The site also serves an incomplete certificate chain, so a plain client rejects it. It is not an official consolidation and must not be cited for any instrument the Ministry of Justice does not administer.
We re-read it every 45 days. More about this source
«Български гражданин по произход е всеки, на когото поне единият родител е български гражданин.»Our translation - not official
A Bulgarian citizen by descent is anyone at least one of whose parents is a Bulgarian citizen.
Citizenship by descent is automatic and unlimited by generation of birth abroad: this is a different thing from the naturalisation route for a person of Bulgarian origin.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
The justice ministry, which runs the Citizenship Council and every naturalisation, release and restoration file, and which hosts a consolidated statute service at /home/normdoc/<id>. That service answered with a clean consolidated Закон за българското гражданство current to ДВ бр. 55 от 16 юни 2026 г., and it uses the same document identifiers as the commercial site lex.bg.
Standing: Applies the rule
Cannot be cited for: A curated subset, not a statute book: it carries the acts the ministry works with and answers HTTP 500 for everything else, including the Aliens Act and the Asylum Act. The site also serves an incomplete certificate chain, so a plain client rejects it. It is not an official consolidation and must not be cited for any instrument the Ministry of Justice does not administer.
We re-read it every 45 days. More about this source
«Български гражданин, който е и гражданин на друга държава, се смята само за български гражданин при прилагането на българското законодателство, освен ако в закон е предвидено друго.»Our translation - not official
A Bulgarian citizen who is also a citizen of another state is considered only a Bulgarian citizen in the application of Bulgarian legislation, unless a law provides otherwise.
About this source
The justice ministry, which runs the Citizenship Council and every naturalisation, release and restoration file, and which hosts a consolidated statute service at /home/normdoc/<id>. That service answered with a clean consolidated Закон за българското гражданство current to ДВ бр. 55 от 16 юни 2026 г., and it uses the same document identifiers as the commercial site lex.bg.
Standing: Applies the rule
Cannot be cited for: A curated subset, not a statute book: it carries the acts the ministry works with and answers HTTP 500 for everything else, including the Aliens Act and the Asylum Act. The site also serves an incomplete certificate chain, so a plain client rejects it. It is not an official consolidation and must not be cited for any instrument the Ministry of Justice does not administer.
We re-read it every 45 days. More about this source
«Министърът на правосъдието прави предложение за издаване на указа по чл. 34 в срок до: 1\. (изм. - ДВ, бр. 21 от 2021 г.) дванадесет месеца - по молбите за придобиване на българско гражданство по натурализация; 2\. (изм. - ДВ, бр. 21 от 2021 г.) девет месеца - по молбите на лица от български произход за придобиване на българско гражданство по натурализация; 3\. шест месеца - по молбите за възстановяване на българско гражданство; 4\. шест месеца - по молбите за освобождаване от българско гражданство;»Four deadlines, and the second is the one that makes Bulgarian origin faster as well as easier.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
The justice ministry, which runs the Citizenship Council and every naturalisation, release and restoration file, and which hosts a consolidated statute service at /home/normdoc/<id>. That service answered with a clean consolidated Закон за българското гражданство current to ДВ бр. 55 от 16 юни 2026 г., and it uses the same document identifiers as the commercial site lex.bg.
Standing: Applies the rule
Cannot be cited for: A curated subset, not a statute book: it carries the acts the ministry works with and answers HTTP 500 for everything else, including the Aliens Act and the Asylum Act. The site also serves an incomplete certificate chain, so a plain client rejects it. It is not an official consolidation and must not be cited for any instrument the Ministry of Justice does not administer.
We re-read it every 45 days. More about this source
«Чл. 12а. (Отм. - ДВ, бр. 26 от 2022 г.)»Our translation - not official
Article 12a. (Repealed - ДВ, бр. 26 от 2022 г.)
About this source
The justice ministry, which runs the Citizenship Council and every naturalisation, release and restoration file, and which hosts a consolidated statute service at /home/normdoc/<id>. That service answered with a clean consolidated Закон за българското гражданство current to ДВ бр. 55 от 16 юни 2026 г., and it uses the same document identifiers as the commercial site lex.bg.
Standing: Applies the rule
Cannot be cited for: A curated subset, not a statute book: it carries the acts the ministry works with and answers HTTP 500 for everything else, including the Aliens Act and the Asylum Act. The site also serves an incomplete certificate chain, so a plain client rejects it. It is not an official consolidation and must not be cited for any instrument the Ministry of Justice does not administer.
We re-read it every 45 days. More about this source
«Неприключените до влизането в сила на този закон производства по отменените чл. 12а и 14а се прекратяват.»Our translation - not official
Proceedings under the repealed articles 12a and 14a that have not been concluded by the entry into force of this Act shall be terminated.
The abolishing act, quoted rather than described.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
The justice ministry, which runs the Citizenship Council and every naturalisation, release and restoration file, and which hosts a consolidated statute service at /home/normdoc/<id>. That service answered with a clean consolidated Закон за българското гражданство current to ДВ бр. 55 от 16 юни 2026 г., and it uses the same document identifiers as the commercial site lex.bg.
Standing: Applies the rule
Cannot be cited for: A curated subset, not a statute book: it carries the acts the ministry works with and answers HTTP 500 for everything else, including the Aliens Act and the Asylum Act. The site also serves an incomplete certificate chain, so a plain client rejects it. It is not an official consolidation and must not be cited for any instrument the Ministry of Justice does not administer.
We re-read it every 45 days. More about this source
Practical notes
The language test is set by an ordinance of the education minister under article 12(1)(5). That ordinance was not read and nothing is said here about what it contains.
Permanent residence ends automatically on naturalisation, and is not restored automatically if the citizenship is later renounced, withdrawn or annulled: article 25b of the Aliens Act, new in 2025.
This record is about naturalisation. Citizenship by descent under article 8 and by birth in Bulgaria under article 10 are separate and were read but are not fully set out here.
- administersЗакон за българското гражданство, consolidated text to ДВ бр. 55 от 16 юни 2026 г.
Министерство на правосъдието
About this source
The justice ministry, which runs the Citizenship Council and every naturalisation, release and restoration file, and which hosts a consolidated statute service at /home/normdoc/<id>. That service answered with a clean consolidated Закон за българското гражданство current to ДВ бр. 55 от 16 юни 2026 г., and it uses the same document identifiers as the commercial site lex.bg.
Standing: Applies the rule
Cannot be cited for: A curated subset, not a statute book: it carries the acts the ministry works with and answers HTTP 500 for everything else, including the Aliens Act and the Asylum Act. The site also serves an incomplete certificate chain, so a plain client rejects it. It is not an official consolidation and must not be cited for any instrument the Ministry of Justice does not administer.
We re-read it every 45 days. More about this source
- administersЗакон за чужденците в Република България, consolidated text to ДВ бр. 52 от 2025 г.
Министерство на външните работи
About this source
Bulgaria's foreign ministry, which issues visas and publishes consolidated prints of the statutes it applies. Its copy at /upload/148163/ is the consolidated Закон за чужденците в Република България with the June 2025 Schengen amendment incorporated, extracted cleanly by pdftotext, and it is the text almost every Bulgarian residence record here quotes.
Standing: Applies the rule
Cannot be cited for: Not an official text. Bulgaria has no official consolidation and this is a ministry's own working print, whose currency can only be judged from the amendment list in its header - which at /upload/148163/ runs to ДВ бр. 52 от 2025 г. and is already one amendment behind the Ministry of the Interior's copy. The ministry also keeps an older print at /upload/138160/, consolidated only to ДВ бр. 79 от 2024 г.; the two sit on the same site with nothing to say which is current. It must not be cited for anything the foreign ministry does not administer.
We re-read it every 60 days. More about this source