Made by an expat, for expats

ExpatBG is a free guide to living in Bulgaria, in plain English. It’s built by Stephan, a Lebanese expat who came to Plovdiv from Qatar to raise his family, and who learned the hard way how confusing the move can be.

Why I started

I built the site I wish I’d had

I’m Lebanese, and I lived and worked all my life in Qatar. When my wife Atanska, who is Bulgarian, and I started having kids, we wanted more time for family. Life in Qatar was always busy, and Bulgaria felt like the better place to raise our children. So in 2020 we started a new chapter. Atanska and the kids moved first and she opened a neighbourhood coffee shop in Plovdiv, while I kept coming and going for a couple of years.

After five years I applied for permanent residency. I waited and waited, and it was rejected, because I had to have been living here for those five years, not just renewing my residency. I found out the hard way.

That frustration is why ExpatBG exists. I’m a self-taught developer and digital marketer, and this idea had been with me for a long time. I built it so people can find solutions here, and not go through the same hard times I did.

StephanFounderLebanese, from Qatar to Plovdiv in 2020. Lives there with his wife Atanska and their kids. Self-taught developer and digital marketer.

What you’ll find

Everything for your life in Bulgaria, in one place

GuidesStep-by-step help with visas, residence, tax, housing, healthcare and everyday life, with the date each guide was last checked.Read the guides →City guidesCosts, neighbourhoods, schools and paperwork in nine cities and towns, from Sofia and Plovdiv to the coast and the mountains.Compare cities →Find helpEnglish-speaking lawyers, accountants, doctors, translators, movers and more in every city. Request a quote for free.Find help →EventsFestivals, concerts and traditions across Bulgaria, with what each one is about so you know what to expect.See what’s on →BlogReal stories from people who made the move: what went well, what they’d do differently, and what they love.Read the blog →

Our standards

How we check our guides

We are not lawyers, and our guides are general information. But we work hard to make sure they are right.

1Researched in BulgarianWe start from official sources: ministries, the Migration Directorate, the tax agency and municipalities.
2Checked against the sourceWe read each guide against those sources before it goes up.
3DatedEvery guide shows when it was last checked, so you know how fresh it is. Businesses in Find help show where their details came from, and say “Not yet verified” until we have checked them ourselves.
4Kept up to dateWhen rules change, we update the guide and tell newsletter readers. You can report errors on any page.

Being open

How we make money

Guides, Find help and quote requests are free for you, and always will be. We pay for the site in two ways, and we always label them. Payments never change what our guides say, and the Verified badge can’t be bought.

Featured listingsBusinesses can pay to show first in their city and category for a year, and events can pay for a promoted spot. They are always labelled “Featured” or “Promoted”.

Sponsored postsBusinesses can sponsor a blog post. It is always clearly marked as sponsored.

What we never doWe don’t sell your details, we don’t charge you for quotes, and we don’t let anyone pay for a Verified badge.

Spotted a mistake or have an idea?

We read every message. Rules in Bulgaria change, and readers often tell us first.