Country comparison · Residence Policy Index

Bulgaria or Romania: where is life easier for a foreigner?

In short: both countries want workers, and the difference is in the details. Bulgaria bets on skilled professionals with an EU Blue Card and protects it if you lose your job, while Romania admits employees at no more than the minimum wage, is kinder to families and grants citizenship after 8 years without giving up your own. In spring 2026 Romania tightened the rules: the quota shrank, and you can leave your first employer only after six months. In our ranking Bulgaria is 10th of 97 and Romania 13th.

Bulgaria10 of 97 · score 77 · league BMoving to Bulgaria →Romania13 of 97 · score 76 · league BMoving to Romania →

Short answer

Which to choose

Choose Bulgaria

If you have a degree or five years of experience (experience alone is enough in IT) and an offer from €1,958 a month: the Blue Card is exempt from caps on the share of foreign staff, it is not withdrawn for up to three months without work, and after two years on the card you get six months to find a job. Tax is a flat 10%, and the country is in Schengen and the eurozone. The price is giving up your previous citizenship, a separate work permit for your spouse and strict bank checks.

Choose Romania

If you are moving for an ordinary job without a high salary, or with family: the income threshold is no higher than the minimum wage, a family member's application is decided in 30 days, a spouse may work, citizenship comes after 8 years and you keep your own, and tax is also 10%. But since April 2026 the general work route goes through a quota and a shortage list, you can leave an employer only after six months, and the new filing platform is still untested.

Facts side by side

Bulgaria and Romania side by side

BulgariaRomania

Ranking10th of 97, score 77, league B13th of 97, score 76, league B

Main routeEU Blue Card: an offer from €23,500 a year (about €1,958 a month), a degree or five years of experienceEmployment: two work visas since April 2026, no quota for skilled workers, quota and shortage list for others

Without an employerDigital nomad visa since December 2025, about €31,000 a year; a freelance routeDigital nomad visa from €5,400-5,500 a month, or a self-employment permit

Timeline by lawAbout 2.5-3 months for the chain of decision, D visa and cardOld scheme: 30 days for the permit, 10 for the visa, 30 for residence; new scheme: 30-60 days for approval plus the visa

Timeline in practice3-4 months, 5-6 with complications, plus weeks waiting for a consular appointmentClose to the norm under the old scheme; the new platform cannot be measured yet; in Bucharest the filing queue takes weeks

CostAbout €55 for the first Blue Card; we could not compile a five-year total€300 for the visa, about €53 for the card at each renewal; we could not compile a five-year total

FamilyCan join at any time while the card is valid; a spouse needs a separate work permitA family member's application is decided in 30 days; a spouse may work

Permanent residenceAfter 5 years of continuous residenceLong-term status after 5 years with a stable income

CitizenshipAbout 10 years, basic Bulgarian and a 20-question test, giving up your previous one8 years, an exam on language, history and the constitution, dual citizenship allowed

If you lose your jobOn a Blue Card 3 months, 6 months after two years on the cardUp to 90 days, longer if you receive unemployment benefit

TaxesFlat 10%, no special regimeFlat 10%

Main problemNo refusal statistics, consular queues for the D visa, strict banksThe 2026 reform: a quota of 90,000 instead of 100,000, changing employer only after six months

Ranking

Seven areas of the ranking

BulgariaRomaniaThin mark: average across 97 countries

Agency processing5353

Pressure on newcomers100100

Status security8875

Access to entry8780

Path to citizenship6363

Family rights80100

Settling in7272

Bulgaria is stronger in 2 of 7 areas, Romania in 1, tied in 4.

How newcomers are treated

How each country treats newcomers

Bulgaria

There are not enough workers, and the state is inviting them: a January 2026 bill raises the cap on the share of foreign staff, and the June 2026 amendments improved workers' position. We found no campaigns against legal residents and no retroactive withdrawals, there are no mandatory integration courses, and the language is needed only for citizenship. Delivery is the weak spot: refusal statistics are not published, there is no end-to-end online filing, and banks keep a €100-500 customer check fee even when they refuse.

Romania

On paper Romania is one of the most even-handed countries in our sample: the income threshold is no higher than the minimum wage, there are no language exams for residence, and children attend state school for free. The April 2026 reform is restrictive: the quota was cut for the first time in three years, and the six-month rule for the first employer was applied to people already working. We found no raids or permit withdrawals against legal residents; the hostility comes from some politicians and the street, not from the authorities.

Passport

What your passport changes

BulgariaRomania

US citizensNo visa for up to 90 days in 180; to live there, the same Blue Card route as everyoneNo visa for up to 90 days in 180; to live there, the same procedure as for all non-EU citizens

Ukrainian citizensEU temporary protection until 4 March 2028; since 31 July 2026 new applicants must show they left in line with military obligationsEU temporary protection until 4 March 2028; since 31 July 2026 new applicants must show they left in line with military obligations

Russian and Belarusian citizensWe found no nationality restrictions in the Blue Card rules; some banks refuse accounts to Russian citizensNo direct restrictions when we checked on 9 August 2026; the quota is split by occupation, not by passport

Questions and answers

Questions: Bulgaria or Romania

Bulgaria or Romania: where is it easier to get residency?

In Bulgaria the main route is the Blue Card: an offer from €1,958 a month and a degree or five years of experience. In Romania the threshold is no higher than the minimum wage, skilled workers need no quota, and since 2026 everyone else needs a quota place and an occupation on the shortage list.

Which is faster, Bulgaria or Romania?

On paper, Romania: 30 days for the permit, 10 for the visa and 30 for residence, and in practice timelines were close to that; how the new 2026 platform performs cannot be measured yet. In Bulgaria the whole chain takes 3-4 months in practice plus the consular appointment.

Which is cheaper for residency, Bulgaria or Romania?

We could not compile a five-year total for either country. The first Blue Card in Bulgaria costs about €55; in Romania the long-stay visa is €300 and the residence card about €53 at each renewal.

Where is citizenship faster, Bulgaria or Romania?

Romania: after 8 years, and dual citizenship is allowed. Bulgaria takes about 10 years and requires giving up your previous citizenship, though the exam is simple: basic Bulgarian and a 20-question test.

Where is status safer if you lose your job?

Both give you time. On a Bulgarian Blue Card your status is not withdrawn for up to three months without work, and after two years on the card you get six months. In Romania your right to stay lasts up to 90 days, longer if you receive unemployment benefit.

Bulgaria or Romania: which is better for expats?

It depends on what matters to you. Bulgaria is stronger on secure status and access, Romania on family rights and the time to citizenship. Both want workers, but Romania tightened the rules for them in spring 2026, while in Bulgaria consular queues and banks get in the way.