Bulgarian citizenship for children in 2026: how to pass the right on to a child
Bulgarian citizenship for children in 2026: how to pass the right on to a child
A parent's Bulgarian passport opens the way for the children: each child has their own route to European Union citizenship. There is one limitation: children are not automatically included in the parent's case — each age has its own procedure, and it is gone through separately. Below — all the children's routes for 2026: who takes which one, which documents are needed and what to do if the file has already been filed without the children.
Is Bulgarian citizenship passed on to children
Yes — a parent's citizenship opens their own grounds for the children. The route depends on two things: the child's age and whether they were born before or after the decree granting the parent citizenship. Children under 14 are taken through a preferential procedure by their parents, without the general conditions of naturalization. Teenagers aged 14–18 follow the same path with their own consent. Adult children put together their own file based on origin. Those born after the decree are Bulgarian citizens by birth. None of the routes requires living in Bulgaria or giving up current citizenship.
The right to Bulgarian citizenship is confirmed by documents — and we carry that right all the way to the decree and the passport. The authority makes the decision: no one can guarantee the result, but the file can be put together so that it raises no questions. The timelines, the amount and the working procedure are in the contract.
Which children are eligible and on what conditions
All four groups are eligible — the procedure differs. Under 14: a child whose parent is a Bulgarian citizen becomes a citizen on application; written consent is given by both parents or the surviving one, and the ground is Art. 18 of the Bulgarian Citizenship Act. The consent of a parent deprived of parental rights is not required. In all other cases, the second parent's consent is not a formality: without it the child's case is not opened, so in families after a divorce this document is prepared first.
From 14 to 18: the conditions are the same, but the teenager's own expression of will is added — without their consent the case is not opened.
Adult children: the preferential children's route is closed to them, and an adult son or daughter goes by the general ground of origin — the Bulgarian ancestor is now one generation further away, and the file is put together entirely their own.
Those born after the decree: under Art. 8, a Bulgarian by origin is anyone with at least one parent who is a Bulgarian citizen; such a child is a citizen from birth, and only the documents are drawn up.
Which documents are needed for a child
The ground for a child's case is the parent's citizenship, so the core of the file is short. The package includes: the parent's Bulgarian documents confirming citizenship; the child's birth certificate with an apostille and a certified translation into Bulgarian; an application in Bulgarian — for a child under 14 it is filed on behalf of both parents; the parents' notarized consents; for a teenager aged 14–18 — their own consent; documents on changes of surname, if any. The formal requirements are the same as in an adult case: an apostille from the issuing country, a certified translation, filing in full — the ministry does not accept a package in parts.
Procedure and timelines
The application is filed in person: at the Ministry of Justice in Sofia or at a Bulgarian consulate in the country of residence — there is no need to travel to Bulgaria just to file. For young children, the interview takes place with the parents. The key to the sequence: the children's route opens on the day of the decree granting the parent citizenship — from that date the child has a ground, and a child's case cannot be filed earlier. After that the application goes through the same ministry and the same kind of decree; the exact duration depends on the composition of the specific case — one date cannot be promised to everyone. In practice the family plans two stages: first the parent's decree, then the children's applications, and the gap between the stages is best kept short. Those born after the decree do not need the naturalization procedure: the birth certificate is registered and the child's Bulgarian documents are issued.
The file was filed without the children: what now
The direct answer: nothing is lost — a child's right does not expire, but it does not start by itself either. Children are not included in the parent's case automatically: each child has their own application, their own package and their own decree. From there — by age. The child is under 14: the parents file an application with the consents — this is the shortest of the routes. The child is 14–18: the same application plus their own consent, and here the only real deadline of the whole topic appears — the 18th birthday. This is not an advertising "window is closing" but a boundary in the law: on reaching adulthood the preferential door of Art. 18 shuts, and from then on there is only one's own file based on origin, where the Bulgarian ancestor is already a grandparent and the chain of documents is a generation longer. The child is already grown: the route remains, but the cost of entry changes — a full file, archive certificates, their own interview. So the order of action in the family is simple: first close the teenagers' cases, then the young children's, and adult children start their own cases.
How Alliance works
Alliance handles the family as one structure: we check each child's ground, set the order — the parent, then the children — prepare the consents, translations and legalization, file and support each case through to the decree and the passport. We work officially, under a contract that fixes the timelines, the amount and the working procedure; the company's licenses are publicly available on the website. For families putting down solid roots in the region, there is a second line of work: Armonia selects real estate in Romania, and Alliance builds the structure of the deal and protects the money.
Conclusion and next step
The right to Bulgarian citizenship passes to children, but it is not inherited by itself — it has to be formalized, and each age has its own door. The most costly pause is for teenagers: the 18th birthday moves a child from the preferential route to the adult one. The first step is a free strategic assessment: we look at the family's documents and name each child's route, the sequence and the budget. It is free and commits you to nothing. Send the word ПАСПОРТ — we will tell you in what order your family should file.
My child is 16 — will we make it in time?
Yes, if the child's application is filed before the 18th birthday. After coming of age, the Art. 18 route is closed, and the son or daughter puts together their own file based on origin — this takes longer and costs more.
Does the child have to give up their current citizenship?
No. The children's routes have no such condition: the Bulgarian passport is added to the child's existing citizenship.
The child was born after I became a citizen?
Then they are Bulgarian by birth — no naturalization is needed. The birth certificate is registered and the Bulgarian documents are issued: personal number, identity card, passport.
The company's licenses and documents are publicly available on the website.