Address registration - permanent and current address 

A permanent address in Bulgaria is a place where every Bulgarian citizen is entered in the population register – the national database „Population“. It appears on your identity card and other official documents. Changing your address registration is one of the mandatory steps if you are planning to change your place of residence. According to Article 99 of the Civil Registration Act – every person is obliged to declare a change of their current address within 30 days. It is important to note that there is a difference between the terms current and permanent address, which is of essential importance for the rights you can exercise. The permanent address is the place where you are entered in the population register. This is the address shown in your official documents, for example on your identity card and passport. The current address is the place where you currently live. For example, if you live in rented accommodation or in a student dormitory, the current address should be the address of the apartment/dormitory where you are staying. Apart from being mandatory from a legal point of view, updating your temporary address registration is essential for you personally, as well as for your rights as a citizen. 

Is address registration mandatory if you live in rented accommodation

The answer is yes. Declaring a temporary address registration is mandatory under Article 99, para. 1, which states that - every person is obliged to declare a change of their current address within 30 days. The procedure is carried out by ЕСГРАОН (Unified System for Civil Registration and Administrative Services of the Population), and the required documents are submitted to the authorities in the municipality, district, mayoralty or locality where the person lives. It is important to note that a change of permanent address is also possible, but in that case a document proving ownership of a property at the desired location or the owner’s consent is required.

Why register at your current place of residence

Registration at your current address allows you to carry out all procedures and actions that would otherwise have to be completed in the municipality to which you are assigned by permanent address. Updating your temporary address registration gives you the opportunity to exercise your right to vote in elections, as well as to receive your correspondence at your current address. This would save you a significant amount of time and effort, while eliminating the constant need to travel around the country, especially when the distance between the two addresses is considerable. 

Collecting points when applying for kindergartens is one of the main factors that motivates residents to change their registration at their current or permanent place of residence. However, depending on whether the address is permanent or current, as well as the length of stay, the number of points the family will receive is determined. That is why we recommend that if a new family member is on the way, you think about address registration as soon as you learn the good news. 

Changing your address registration when renting an apartment is a necessary condition for receiving correspondence without problems. This is important for many institutions trying to contact you, as they may send information about deadlines and/or procedures to the last address listed on your identity card. In such a case, there is a high probability that the correspondence will not reach your current place of residence. And failure to update your address registration can lead to missed opportunities and deadlines.

Address registration is also important in other situations such as registering small companies, vehicles, opening a bank account, registering a resident as unemployed at the labour office, receiving social benefits, maternity and child allowances, traffic police fines, etc.

Required documents

It is important to note that there is a difference in the documents required by the institution when it comes to registration at a current and permanent address in a given property.

Registration at permanent address

You will need:
1.Birth certificate;

2.Identity document;

3.Document proving ownership of the property (if the property is yours) or a contract for use of the property for residential needs, for example a rental agreement (if the property will be used by a person other than the owners of the home);

4.Declaration under Article 92, para. 3 of the Civil Registration Act with notarised signatures of the apartment owners (notarisation is not required if the declaration is submitted in person by the apartment owner).

Registration at current address

If you wish to register a property at a current address, you need: 

1.Identity document;

2.Document proving ownership of the property or a contract for use of the property for residential needs, for example a rental agreement;

3.Declaration under Article 92, para. 3 of the Civil Registration Act with notarised signatures of the apartment owners (notarisation is not required if the declaration is submitted in person by the apartment owner).

Procedure

The procedure for changing your address is not complicated and will not take much of your personal time, and the best part is that you can now submit it electronically through the secure electronic service of delivery system. If you have still decided to declare a change of address in person, you need to visit the counter at the respective administrative service centre (mayoralty or municipality).

At the time of in-person submission, in addition to the above-mentioned documents that you will bring with you, you will also need to fill in an address card (available on site or can be downloaded in advance from the website of egov.bg). The completed address card is handed to a municipal administration officer, who processes the information and documents and issues you with a Certificate of Permanent or Current Address in original. You should know that this document is important and may be required in certain situations, so keep it safe.  And if you do lose it, you can request a new one from the same administration where you received it.