Lidiya Gercheva

Bulgaria

Law Firm of Advocate Markov · Advocate Lidiya Gercheva is part of the team led by Advocate Markov. Due to the increased interest in the Bulgaria Golden Visa program (Bulgarian permanent residency by investment of EUR 512,000 into an Investment Fund), Lidiya joined the Bulgaria Golden Visa team to further strengthen its capacity and efficiency. The team has significantly improved timelines across all stages of the Bulgaria Golden Visa process — from pre-approval to permanent residency. Currently, the pre-approval stage is completed in as little as four weeks, compared to the statutory deadline of ten weeks. Maintaining this pace throughout the entire process is a key priority. Beyond the formal pre-approval stage itself, one of the main factors contributing to this efficiency is the thorough preparation of the pre-approval application documents. While the required documents are standard, the process is expedited by providing applicants with clear templates, detailed guidance on certification and legalization requirements, explanations regarding source of funds, politically exposed person (PEP) declarations, and assistance with booking embassy appointments. An additional factor that accelerates the process is making the investment before the official pre-approval certificate is issued. In practice, once the Investment Agency confirms that the National Security Agency has approved the application, the applicant may proceed with the investment. This approach allows the investment confirmation documents to be prepared in parallel, so they are ready immediately upon issuance of the pre-approval certificate. This timing is particularly important because, after the capital is deposited, it typically takes around one week for the investment to be registered with the Commercial Register and another week to be reflected at the Central Depository. While some applicants are flexible with timelines, others face strict deadlines — for example, families with children approaching the age of 18, as permanent residency is granted only to children under 18.Note: children over 18 may apply for Bulgarian citizenship once the parent obtains Bulgarian citizenship. In addition to advising clients and managing the pre-approval and investment confirmation stages, Lidiya also works closely on the Fund side, ensuring full regulatory compliance throughout the investment and residency process. Advocate Gercheva is also responsible for the Bulgaria Golden Visa through real estate investment project, initiated by the Bulgaria AIF Fund and managed by Bulgaria Fund Management.

Bulgaria