Restauração da cidadania búlgara (após liberação/sem perda)

BG-RST-01 е маршрутът за възстановяване на българско гражданство на лице, освободено (released) от него — restoration of Bulgarian citizenship after voluntary release. Възстановяването е уредено в Глава четвърта (Chapter Four), чл.26-28 от Закона за българското гражданство (ЗБГ), отделна глава от режима на загубване (чл.20-25). The route reverses a prior освобождаване (release under чл.20) and is effected by Presidential decree (указ на Президента). A person previously released applies (по молба) and, if of Bulgarian origin, is exempt from the 3-year residence requirement (чл.26(2)). This is the RELEASE-basis track; the parallel deprivation-basis track is BG-RST-02 (чл.27). Restoration is firmly Chapter Four чл.26-28 — NEVER §22-27, which are revocation/deprivation. As of the current consolidation to ЗБГ ДВ бр.61/29.07.2025.

Estrutura de restauração ZBG §26 por Чл. 26 al. 1 + al. 2 (V73 D2 literalmente). Restauração para pessoas que nunca tiveram cidadania (al. 1) e para aqueles que já a tiveram (al. 2). ПЗР § 4 Ponte da era comunista para coortes de perda automática de 1948/1968. Estatísticas de 2024: 4.490 restaurações concedidas (~21,6% das concessões não §15).

чл.26(1) т.3 изисква разрешение за постоянно ИЛИ дългосрочно пребиваване в Република България преди не по-малко от 3 години към датата на подаване на молбата. The 3-year clock counts a permanent-residence permit (постоянно пребиваване) OR — since the addition by ДВ бр.21/2012 — a long-term residence permit (дългосрочно пребиваване, the EU long-term-resident category under ЗЧРБ). Pre-2012 wording referenced only 'постоянно пребиваване'. Decisively, чл.26(2) EXEMPTS persons of Bulgarian origin (лица от български произход) from т.3 entirely: an origin applicant restores under т.1 and т.2 only and need NOT hold any Bulgarian residence permit — the regulatory mirror is Наредба №1 чл.11(2) (submit the чл.11(1) docs except the residence permit). Whether 'дългосрочно пребиваване' maps cleanly onto EU long-term-resident status for the 3-year count is not separately verified.

Documents are governed by Наредба №1 от 19.02.1999 г. за прилагане на Глава пета от ЗБГ (обн. ДВ бр.19/1999). чл.2(1): restoration applications use the model form Приложение №2. чл.11(1): the restoration application attaches the documents listed in чл.4(1) т.1-4, 7-11, 13 and 14 (identity/birth records, autobiography, criminal-record certificate, declarations, photographs, fee-payment document, etc.). чл.11(2): persons of Bulgarian origin (§2 ДР ЗБГ) submit the чл.11(1) documents EXCEPT the residence permit — mirroring the чл.26(2) exemption. Proof of the prior RELEASE (освобождаване) establishes the чл.26 entry-status. Foreign documents require legalization/Apostille (1961 Apostille Convention or Правилник за легализациите) and certified translation. The application is filed in person (лично) per чл.29(1) ЗБГ and Наредба чл.2(2).

Prepare documentação que comprove a sua cidadania búlgara anterior, a causa da sua perda e a sua elegibilidade para restauração. As candidaturas são processadas pela Direcção de Cidadania e Adoções Búlgaras do Ministério da Justiça (МП, Дирекция „Българско гражданство и осиновявания“), com informações processuais e acesso disponíveis através de publicbg.mjs.bg.

The controlling statutory deadline is 6 months: чл.35(1) т.3 ЗБГ reads 'шест месеца - по молбите за възстановяване на българско гражданство' — the period within which the Minister of Justice must make the чл.34 proposal to the President on restoration applications. This is distinct from the 12-month general-naturalization deadline (чл.35(1) т.1, изм. ДВ бр.21/2021) and the 9-month Bulgarian-origin naturalization deadline (т.2). The widely-cited NGO/ECRE '18-month examination period' is a general heuristic, NOT the statutory restoration figure, and is REFUTED here — чл.35 controls. Real-world end-to-end time (filing through Presidential decree and certificate issuance) commonly exceeds the 6-month proposal window in practice, but no T1 aggregate processing-time statistic is available.

The governing statute is the Закон за българското гражданство (ЗБГ), обн. ДВ бр.136/18.11.1998, in force 20.02.1999, consolidated to ДВ бр.61/29.07.2025 (parts в сила 31.01.2026). Restoration sits in Глава четвърта 'ВЪЗСТАНОВЯВАНЕ НА БЪЛГАРСКО ГРАЖДАНСТВО', чл.26-28. чл.1 ЗБГ states the Act 'определя условията и реда за придобиване, загубване и възстановяване на българското гражданство' (acquisition, loss, AND restoration). чл.26(1) is the release-basis restoration article; чл.26(2) the Bulgarian-origin residence exemption; чл.27 the deprivation-basis track; чл.28 the children's derivative branch. — чл.22-25 are revocation/deprivation (loss), not restoration. Constitutional backdrop: Конституция чл.3 (multiple nationality) and чл.25(3) (birth-citizens cannot be deprived, so deprivation/чл.27 reach only naturalized citizens), consolidated to ДВ бр.66/06.08.2024.

The Ministry of Justice (Министерство на правосъдието) is the receiving and proposing authority. The Citizenship Council (Съвет по гражданството, чл.33) is a standing body at the MoJ, chaired by a Deputy Minister of Justice, with one representative each from MoJ, МВнР (MFA), МВР (Interior), МРРБ, МТСП, МЗ, the Ministry of Innovation and Growth, ДАНС (State Agency 'National Security'), the State Agency for Bulgarians Abroad (ДАБЧ/ИАБЧ) and the State Agency for Refugees; written opinions of МВР and ДАНС are mandatory before the Council opines (ал.3). The Minister of Justice proposes to the President (чл.34). The President of the Republic issues the restoration decree (указ, чл.36; Конституция чл.98 т.9). Abroad, Bulgarian diplomatic/consular missions receive and forward applications. The procedure is ADMINISTRATIVE throughout — no court adjudicates the grant (a refusal may be challenged administratively).

Bulgaria tolerates multiple nationality. ЗБГ чл.3 provides that a Bulgarian who is also a foreign national is treated only as Bulgarian under Bulgarian law unless a law provides otherwise; there is NO automatic loss of Bulgarian citizenship on acquiring a foreign one. Consequently, restoration under чл.26 imposes NO renunciation requirement — a person who was released and has since naturalized in another state may restore Bulgarian citizenship WITHOUT giving up that other nationality, and may continue to hold both. (The чл.12(2)-style renunciation regime of standard naturalization does not attach to restoration; the only renunciation in the broader ЗБГ scheme is the voluntary RELEASE under чл.20, which is the loss event this route reverses.) Internationally, Bulgaria is a PARTY to the European Convention on Nationality (CETS 166, ratified 2006-02-02, in force 2006-06-01, with 4 reservations) and to the 1954 and 1961 statelessness conventions (accession 2012-03-22).