Pensioners who receive a Bulgarian pension and live abroad must submit a so-called “proof of life” declaration in order to continue receiving their payments in 2027. For some Bulgarians living abroad, the deadline is 31 December 2026, the National Social Security Institute reminds.
The deadline at the end of the year applies to people living in a country outside the European Union with which Bulgaria does not have an international social security agreement in force. During the submission period, the pensioner must appear in person before a Bulgarian consular service or another official competent authority in their country of residence, which must certify the document.
“The pension payment will continue in the following year only if such a declaration has been submitted,” the NSSI states. The certification must be carried out between 1 November and 31 December.
How to submit the document
The certified declaration must be addressed to the NSSI territorial division that pays the pension. The document may be submitted in person, through an authorised representative or sent in the original by a postal operator.
Electronic submission is also available through Service 52 in the NSSI’s Unified Portal for Electronic Services. It requires either a qualified electronic signature or a personal identification code issued by the NSSI.
If the declaration is not submitted, payment of the pension is suspended. This does not mean a final loss of pension rights. Once the required document has been submitted, payment may be restored in compliance with the applicable rules.
The deadlines are not the same for everyone
A different procedure applies to pensioners living in countries to which the European rules on the coordination of social security systems or Bulgaria’s international agreements apply. This group includes the countries of the European Union except Germany, as well as Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The rules also cover Canada, Israel, North Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Albania, South Korea, Azerbaijan and Tunisia.
When the pension is paid into a personal account in Bulgaria, the declaration is submitted once a year between 1 November and 31 December. When payments are made monthly into an account abroad, the document must be submitted every three months. If payments cover a period other than one month, the declaration is submitted for each period claimed.
For Bulgarian pensioners in Turkey whose pensions are paid through the Turkish social security institution SGK under the agreement between the two countries, a separate procedure remains in place. They submit the declaration twice a year – in January and July.
The NSSI has published templates of the document, including bilingual forms for various countries and international agreements. The institution recommends that pensioners not leave the submission until the last few days, especially when certification by an official authority and the dispatch of the original to Bulgaria are required.
Sources: novini.bg