Guidance

Bulgaria: Knowledge Base profile

Updated 12 April 2024

About: Bulgaria

This document contains useful information about Bulgaria which will assist HM Passport Office staff process passport applications.

Contacts

If you have any questions about the document and your line manager or senior caseworker cannot help you or you think that the document has factual errors then email the Guidance team.

If you notice any formatting errors in this document (broken links, spelling mistakes and so on) or have any comments about the layout or navigability of the document then you can email the Guidance team.

Publication

Below is information on when this version of the document was published:

• version 5.0
• published for Home Office staff on 9 April 2024

Changes from last version of this document

This document has been updated with minor formatting changes.

Bulgaria: names

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about names in Bulgaria.

There are strict rules for names in Bulgaria. Everyone has three names, consisting of:

• forename (consisting of one or more names with or without a hyphen)
• father’s forename with a gender suffix added meaning ‘of the father’ (these are known as patronymic names)
• father’s family name with a gender suffix (or occasionally the grandfather’s patronymic name)

Bulgaria uses gender suffixes for male and female patronymic and family names, for example:

Male gender suffix	Female gender suffix
ov	ova
ev	eva
ovski	ovska
evksa	evski

Change of name

Name changes are allowed in Bulgaria.

A wife can take the surname of her husband after marriage (with a female suffix). Women can keep their maiden name or add their husband’s name to their maiden name with a hyphen.

Anyone changing their name other than by marriage, divorce or adoption must apply to court giving a significant reason for the change. When a Bulgarian national has a change of name Bulgarian law requires them to apply for new identity documents including an updated passport.

Name changes: nationals with a Turkish background

During the 1980s, nationals with Turkish origin were required to adopt Bulgarian names and were issued with new identity documents. These name changes resulted in a male or female suffix being added to the name.

There are variations between Cyrillic script and Latin script. In some Turkish dialects, the letter ‘H’ is not pronounced.

Name alignment

HM Passport Office will not ask customers to align their Turkey passport if the customer has a Turkey passport in a name that is different to the Bulgaria passport and the following apply:

• where the name difference is due to Name changes: nationals with a Turkish background
• and they are applying in the name on their Bulgaria passport

Where the name difference is not a result of these exceptions, customers must align their Bulgaria passport.

Bulgaria: nationality

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about nationality in Bulgaria.

Dual nationality is recognised in Bulgaria.

Bulgaria: legitimacy and parental responsibility

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about legitimacy and parental responsibility in Bulgaria.

Legitimacy

Bulgaria recognises a difference between illegitimate and legitimate births.

A child will be considered:

• legitimate:
  • if their parents were married at the time of the birth
  • from the time of the marriage if previously unmarried biological parents marry after the birth
• illegitimate if their parents never marry

To be listed as the father on the birth certificate before the parents marry, the father must acknowledge the birth by either:

• making a paternity declaration to a notary
• through the courts

If a child is born within 9 months of their mother’s divorce, their birth certificate will show the ex-husband as the father whether he is the biological father or not.

Parental responsibility

In Bulgaria both parents will have parental responsibility. Parental responsibility continues to apply following divorce or annulment of marriage.

Bulgaria: adoption

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about adoption in Bulgaria.

Adoption is legal in Bulgaria.

Bulgaria: surrogacy

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about surrogacy in Bulgaria.

Surrogacy is legal in Bulgaria since October 2011.

Bulgaria: gender recognition

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about gender recognition in Bulgaria.

Transgender citizens are recognised in Bulgaria.

Gender can only be changed in official documents if approved by a court.

The person has to apply to the court within 30 days of their gender change for permission to change the gender on their official documents.

Bulgaria: marriage

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about marriage in Bulgaria.

Same sex marriages are not recognised in Bulgaria.

Bulgaria: documents

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about documents from in Bulgaria.

Following the withdrawal of the UK from the EU, HM Passport Office cannot accept Multilingual Standard Forms (MSFs) issued by member states. An MSF will:

• contain a reference to the convention signed at Vienna on September 8 1976, this may be on the reverse of the document
• be marked as a Formul A (birth certificate), normally in the top right corner on the front of the document in the language of the country where the document was issued
  • there will also be marriage certificates and death certificates that will have a different Formul version that is also not acceptable

These documents are an extract of a civil registration record translated into the language needed and not a full, original certificate.

Where a person has changed their gender in Bulgaria their gender, name and Uniform Civil Number can only be changed in official documents if the change is approved by a court.

Birth certificates

The birth must be registered within 7 days with the Municipality (not counting the day of birth itself). Upon birth everyone is issued a Uniform Civil Number (ЕГН/EGN) which cannot be changed.

Birth certificates for children whose parent or parents hold Bulgarian nationality are always issued with a father’s (patronymic) name and gender suffix. A child whose parents are both non-Bulgarian can omit the patronymic (father’s) name from the birth certificate.

To be listed as the father on the birth certificate before the parents marry, the father must acknowledge the birth by either:

• making a paternity declaration to a notary
• through the courts

If a child is born within 9 months of their mother’s divorce, their birth certificate will show the ex-husband as the father whether he is the biological father or not.

Certified copies of a birth certificate can be obtained from the local municipality, or Embassy or Consulate if applying outside of Bulgaria.

Marriage certificates

Only a civil marriage ceremony is legal in Bulgaria.

Marriages are registered automatically with the local registrar issuing a marriage certificate. Certified copies can be obtained from the municipality where customer is registered as resident.

Death certificates

A death certificate will be issued after a Notice of Death is issued by a doctor. A death certificate or a certified copy of a certificate can be obtained by:

• next of kin
• someone authorised by the next of kin with a Power of Attorney
• an official body requesting it in writing through official channels

Identity documents

All residents including foreign nationals must be registered with the local authorities.

Bulgarian identity cards (Лична карта, Lichna karta) are issued regionally to everyone 16 years or older. By law, all Bulgarians must carry their identity cards with them at all times.

When Bulgaria joined the EU on 1 January 2007 rules came into force for EU citizens. The regulation replaced the identity card “lichni karti” with residence permit certificates. The certificates do not:

• have a photo
• give the Uniform Civil Number (EGN in Bulgarian)

Restrictions remained unchanged for all other nationals.

Family members who are not citizens of the EU can be issued with a residence card for long or permanent stays in Bulgaria.

Bulgaria passports are valid for 5 years and contain biometric fingerprints. A passport will be issued for 12 months if it is not possible to capture the biometric data of the passport holder due to a temporary physical disability.

Passports can be renewed in Bulgaria or at a Bulgaria embassy or consulate.