Each situation is different since some will come to Bulgaria looking for an adventure, others to study and not least to start a family, but despite the reason that brings you to Bulgaria, there are many similarities that almost all of us face when we move to this beautiful country.
Moving to a new country can generate a wide range of emotions: ranging from the excitement for a new beginning or a new job challenge in the wake of a new adventure; you will get your five senses acutely stimulated, anxiously ready to explore the new environment; the anticipation of new experiences and meeting new friends.
1- You must have a passport and the all necessary documents
This may sound like a bit of obvious advice, but your passport is the most important document outside of your country, and it is necessary to emigrate.
Remember that citizens of the member countries of the European Union can travel within the block only with their identity document, but if you want to emigrate you need to have a valid passport.
You can only leave your country with a valid passport, also you have to keep an eye in the validity of your passport, in Bulgaria, you can not get a residence card with a duration longer than the expiry date of your passport.
Outside of your country, the only valid document before any authority will be your passport.
There are many legal issues that may need to be solved before a change of country. Depending on the country of origin, bureaucratic difficulties may be greater or lesser. Obviously going to live in a country of the European Community when it comes from another, can greatly reduce the number of steps and make everything easier.
Pro Tip: Remember to verify if you need to renew your driver’s license before living your home country, you don’t want to be in a situation that you can exchange your license but realize that is expired. review if your country has an agreement with Bulgaria and if you will be able to exchange your drivers’ license when you are already in the country.
Each nation has its own laws that regulate obtaining a residence and work permit. When you are considering coming to live in Bulgaria, the first thing to check is if you meet the requirements by law. In the same way, it is convenient to explore the possibilities of validation of your qualification and studies to make sure that it is indeed possible to practice your profession in Bulgaria.
2- The Bulgarian language
It is not the same to move to an English-speaking country than to Bulgaria, there are tasks that could be very simple if you knew the language, but not understanding the Bulgarian alphabet and language requires you to spend energy and time that you were not aware of before moving. Be prepared, you have to be patient and find someone you can trust to help you when you need to go to the immigration office or any local authorities.
3- You will need money
To go to another country, doesn’t matter which it’s, you need money since you are going to require a place to live, food and transport, obviously, all that costs money, and at the beginning, while you are not producing income, you will need to use your savings, depending on your situation can be taken at least a couple of months before you can start working (a little less if you are from a member country of the European Union), besides the expenses in immigration procedures are not minor either, then start preparing a plan in advance and allocate a moving budget!
Pro tip: Remember that when entering Bulgaria, you can only bring with you a maximum of 10000 euros in cash, in case you need to bring more you must declare it when entering the country, in case of not declaring it at the entrance it can bring you serious problems, including the possibility of that money, is confiscated if you are not able to show where it comes from.
The best way to avoid moving around with cash or paying high fees for using your home credit card, its to open a bank account in Bulgaria and transfer your money there.
4- Don’t forget to carry with you all the necessary documents
To apply for residency, to study, to look for work, to exchange your driver’s license, you need documents. Which defines who you are and with what qualifications do you have.
When you arrive in Bulgaria, the only valid document is your passport. So that all those other documents that you bring from your country of origin, are legal, you must “apostille them”. That is, take them to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of your country to have a stamp called “Apostille of The Hague”, which is an agreement signed by many countries to give international validity in a relatively simple way to the documents.
You should also take into consideration that some documents have an expiry date, such as the Single Certificate (necessary to get married) and the criminal record.
It is important to mention that it is always convenient, in case of having a person that you can trust in your country of origin, to leave a “power of attorney”, so this person can represent you before the authorities of your home country and take actions in your name (which otherwise would have meant having to travel to your country of origin or to your country embassy, a complicated and expensive matter when your country does not have an embassy in Bulgaria), such as requesting a for you a birth certificate or of studies carried out, etc.
5- Prepare and get to know the culture and characteristics of Bulgaria
The ideal would be to know the city in which we will live before moving. It is highly recommended whenever possible, a short holiday or a short visit to Bulgaria can be crucial, to know first hand, what the weather is like, the customs, the kitchen, will help us to make a much calmer and less stressful transition.
Bulgarians can be very friendly people and good friends, that normally enjoy hanging out with foreigners, they can look serious as a first impression, just be yourself, be friendly and you can see how friendly and helpful they are after you get to know them.
Check with locals if will be easy to get a job and how much they get paid in that region, do your research, try specialized job portals to have a realistic expectation about your working possibilities.
6- Meet people of your nationality or that speaks your language who live in Bulgaria
It is very useful to contact people of the same nationality because with them we can share experiences and much practical information, and in this way, you have more possibilities to avoid feeling homesick.
7- Take enough time for acclimatization
Choose the moment of moving as best as possible. Moving during the summer holidays to enjoy Bulgaria and its charm in an easier way, is a good strategy, in order to start the new life with more energy.
This is very important especially in cases where the moving has a definitive character, or for a long time.
The process of going to live in another country is full of unforeseen events and decisions that you must make, even if you have planned everything in great detail, but you must realize that this period is a temporary process and that it will not last forever, and after a while, things will gradually become easier.
Source: https://www.foreigner.bg/
