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Can I live in Finland or Sweden if I have permanent residence in another EU country? If I can, Can I get citizenship after 5 years of immigration?

I would like to live in Sweden or Finland using the permanent residence that I got in the process of Bulgarian investment citizenship.

DavidRecallsMonica
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  • Related question https://travel.stackexchange.com/questions/11114/can-i-visit-other-schengen-countries-on-a-long-term-schengen-visa-or-residency-p – Traveller Sep 14 '19 at 07:48
  • @Traveller the related question is not relevant in this matter since Bulgaria is not a Schengen Country (only a candidate) - thus different rules. – Mark Johnson Sep 14 '19 at 11:06

1 Answers1

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As allready answered in the comments: no, since residence permits (D-Visa) are national visas.

As a D-Visa holder of a Schengen Country you can only travel to other Schengen Countries based on the 90/180 day rule, without having to apply for a C-Visa if needed for your original citizenship.

But Bulgaria is not a Schengen Country (only a candidate), therefore the travel conditions of your original citizenship apply.

For Blue Card holders there are exceptions when certain preconditions are fulfilled.

The result of this form Do you have a residence document from an EU country?

  • Yes - I have another residence document, issued under national rules
    • Non-Schengen area country (Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Ireland, Romania, United Kingdom)
      • Schengen area country (Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland.)

returns:

You have a residence document issued by a non-Schengen country and are travelling to a Schengen country

You will need a visa

So the permanent residence permit, that you got in the process of the Bulgarian investment citizenship, will not allow you to

  • live or visit Finnland, Sweden or any other Schengen Country

on it's own.

Bulgaria Residency and Citizenship by Investment - Golden Visas

Bond investors in the Bulgarian residency programme can apply for Bulgarian citizenship after 5 years. It is possible to fast track the citizenship option by increasing the investment amount a further €511,292.

Please note however that there is no clearly defined and predictable path to citizenship through the Bulgarian “programme”. Potential applicants are advised to contact us for individual advice if they are considering this option.

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Mark Johnson
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  • Worth noting that after acquiring Bulgarian citizenship through the 5 year route allowed by the ‘golden visa’ the OP would be able to move to another EU country? – Traveller Sep 14 '19 at 10:40
  • @Traveller no, since was not part of the question. Have added, what seems to be, the main site of the golden visa where those interested can read further. – Mark Johnson Sep 14 '19 at 10:46
  • @Traveller and the quote of the somewhat vague promises of Bulgarian citizenship. The question is not clear on which. – Mark Johnson Sep 14 '19 at 11:01
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    @Traveller in any event, this answer is incorrect because it does not take into account directive 2003/109/EC. – phoog Sep 19 '19 at 12:53
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    Also, a residence permit is not a D visa. – phoog Sep 19 '19 at 13:01
  • @phoog since the OP made no claim of being a long term resident (>= 5) that aspect is not relevant to the answer. – Mark Johnson Sep 19 '19 at 13:03
  • @phoog you know very well that a resident permit is considered equivalent to a D-Visa since a resident permits a longer stay (exceeding 90 days) in the territory of a member country which is the base definition of what a D-Visa is. – Mark Johnson Sep 19 '19 at 13:17
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    @MarkJohnson I cannot imagine what else the meaning of "permanent residence" in the question title would be. The fact that a residence permit has the same legal effect as a D visa for some purposes does not mean that the two are the same thing. There are significant differences. – phoog Sep 19 '19 at 13:37
  • @phoog but I can. It's miss written. He goal seems to be to gain EU Citizenship. If he was a permanent resident in Bulgaria he would be eligible for Bulgarian citizenship. Fazit misuse of terminology. – Mark Johnson Sep 19 '19 at 13:50
  • @phoog also these investment programs granting resident privileges are often considered dubious by other countries. – Mark Johnson Sep 19 '19 at 13:56
  • @phoog there have been statements in the past by some contries that such bought permits will not be recognized. No conclusions should be made without varification on how Sweden and Finnland deal with such a scenario. That is why I skipped the topic altogether. Have you looked it up before making that statement? A source that the 2 countries recognize permit issued under the Bond investors in the Bulgarian residency program was not given by you. – Mark Johnson Sep 19 '19 at 14:09