Family Reunification – Information for refugees in Bulgaria

spouse (or a person with whom you are in a proven stable and long-term relationship);
Children under 18, unmarried;
Children over 18, unmarried, who cannot support themselves due to health reasons;
Parents of either spouse who cannot take care of themselves due to old age or serious illness.

If you are a child under 18 and you are without your parents in Bulgaria and you receive refugee status or humanitarian status, you have the right to be reunited with:

Your parents;
Another adult member of your family (grandfather, grandmother, uncle, aunt, older siblings, etc.)
Other persons who are responsible for you by law or custom when your parents are unknown.

In order to obtain a permit for family reunification with your relatives legally in Bulgaria, it is necessary to submit an application for family reunification to the State Agency for Refugees (SRA). You must attach proof of family ties, for example a civil marriage certificate or the birth certificate of your children.

In order to be reunited with children over 18 and with your parents, it is necessary to present medical certificates or other documents that prove that they are dependent on your support and care. If you do not have such documents, you can submit a notarized declaration that contains the names, dates of birth and addresses of your relatives. You are criminally liable for providing false information in these declarations. It usually takes up to three months for the DAB to make a decision on the application for family reunification after conducting an interview with the applicant.

If the State Agency for Refugees rejects your application, you can appeal the decision to the relevant administrative court within 14 days from the date the decision was delivered to you. The decision of the court of first instance may be appealed to the Supreme Administrative Court. If the DAB allows family reunification, the national authorities send information to the Bulgarian embassy in the country where your relatives are located, and if there is none – to the nearest active Bulgarian embassy. Your relatives must come to the embassy and apply for a D visa.

The necessary documents for this are:

Application (available online and on-site at the embassy);
A valid international passport where the visa will be applied for;
Medical insurance for the first few months in Bulgaria;
Copy of the family reunification decision issued by the State Agency for Refugees;
Visa issuance fee paid

The visa issuance procedure takes about a month.

Bulgaria does not have consular offices in Syria and Iraq. Citizens of these countries apply for visas at the Bulgarian embassies in Beirut, Lebanon and in Ankara, Turkey. Bulgaria does not have a consular department in Afghanistan. Citizens of Afghanistan apply for visas at the Bulgarian embassies in Tehran (Iran), Delhi (India) or Islamabad (Pakistan). NB: If your relatives do not have a valid international passport, the Bulgarian embassy can issue them travel documents (laissez-passer) that allow them to travel to Bulgaria.