If you’re hunting for your next remote-work base, look beyond the usual hubs in Portugal and Spain and consider Bulgaria. The country recently launched a digital nomad visa, according to Euronews.

In addition to the new visa, last year Bulgaria also switched to the euro and joined the Schengen Zone — a group of 29 European countries with open borders.

To apply for the digital nomad visa, applicants must be non-EU/EEA citizens who work remotely and earn an income outside of Bulgaria. You must also fall within one of the three eligibility criteria below:

Freelancers or independent contractors providing services to non-Bulgarian clients for at least one year before applying.Remote employees of companies registered outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland. Company owners or those holding more than 25% of a business registered abroad.

Applicants need to show proof of an annual income of at least 50 times the Bulgarian monthly minimum wage, 620 euros or $723 USD, or at least 31,000 euros or $36,168 USD a year.

Bulgaria

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To take advantage of Bulgaria’s digital nomad visa, applicants must get a type D long-stay visa at a Bulgarian embassy or consulate in their home country. The type D long-stay visa allows foreigners to enter Bulgaria and apply for residency. Once you’ve arrived in Bulgaria, you must apply for a residence permit under the Digital Nomad Visa program within 14 days.

To obtain a residence permit, applicants must provide evidence of their stay in Bulgaria, a clean criminal record certificate from their country of residence, translations of any foreign documents into Bulgarian, and meet the official minimum income threshold of $36,168 USD per year.

Euronews states applicants also need to show proof of health insurance that covers them in Bulgaria and is valid throughout the Schengen Zone.

The digital nomad visa is valid for one year and can be renewed for another year, provided the eligibility requirements are met.

Bulgaria is one of Europe’s oldest countries and is about the size of the U.S. state of Virginia.

Its capital, Sofia, is home to the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, one of the largest Christian buildings in the world, according to Britannica. The country is also a popular destination for winter sports, with famous ski resorts.

Conversions to USD were done on January 9, 2026, using OANDA conversion rates of 1 euro to 1.16 USD. All amounts are rounded to the nearest dollar.

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