In the last three years, there has been a sharp increase in the number of North Macedonians who have become Bulgarian citizens. This is according to an official report of the Ministry of Justice, prepared and submitted specifically to the BGNES Agency.

Even in the years when the world was closed by the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and 2021, the number of North Macedonians who received Bulgarian citizenship is many times higher than in previous years.

In 2020 alone, their number is over 9 thousand people, and in 2021 it is 7692 or nearly half of all those who received Bulgarian citizenship this year 15 167 people.

For comparison, in the period 2013-2019 between 1867 and 6193 North Macedonians became Bulgarian citizens, but even then their number is much higher than the number of those who received Bulgarian citizenship from other countries.

For the last 15 years, the number of North Macedonians with a Bulgarian passport is 86,566 people, which is more than half of all those who received Bulgarian citizenship - 162,865 people. Macedonian Bulgarians are more three times more than the representatives of the next country on the list - Moldova.

To date, nearly 3,500 North Macedonians are waiting to be issued a decree to obtain Bulgarian citizenship.

Statistics from the last 3 years clearly prove that North Macedonians are not influenced by the anti-Bulgarian hysteria in the RNM and continue to seek Bulgarian citizenship.

From the data available to BGNES, it is clear that the greatest interest in Bulgarian citizenship is in the countries where large Bulgarian communities have historically lived and still live.

Immediately after the Republic of North Macedonia in terms of the number of Bulgarian citizenships obtained is Moldova, where many Bulgarians moved at the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century. 26,161 residents of this former Soviet republic today hold Bulgarian passports. The number of Ukrainian Bulgarians is half that of Moldovans - 14,391.

Bulgarian citizenship is also valued in Serbia, where our compatriots live in the western suburbs, but also in Pirot and even Nis, who by virtue of a number of unjust agreements have remained in this Balkan country. Between 2007 and 2021, 9,494 people in Serbia became Bulgarians and Europeans.

In Albania, which respects the rights of Bulgarians, unlike some of its neighbors in the Western Balkans, and traditionally has good relations with us, 5,732 people have received Bulgarian citizenship.

The other countries where Bulgarian citizenship is valued are Armenia, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Vietnam. During this period, an average of several dozen citizens of these countries have obtained a Bulgarian passport. The number is slightly higher in Russia and Israel, where we are talking about several hundred a year who have become Bulgarian citizens. The curious thing here is that among the Russians who received a Bulgarian passport there are many Jews, and among the Israeli citizens - many from Russia. They usually have their own business or holiday property in our country. And the most famous example is perhaps the figure skating athlete Alexandra Feigin, who worthily represented our country at the Winter Olympics in Beijing.

Information on foreign citizens who have applied for Bulgarian citizenship, on the basis of which in 2021 files for acquisition of Bulgarian citizenship have been opened, namely: a total of 16,591 for the specified period, who are citizens of the following countries: Republic of North Macedonia - 3,447; Republic of Moldova - 3,055; Russia - 1,308; Israel - 294; Ukraine - 3,190; Turkey - 1,636; Albania - 1,585; Serbia - 1,271; Iraq - 43; Armenia - 78; Afghanistan - 26; Lebanon - 43; Syria - 142; Vietnam - 18 pcs. and others - 455 pcs.

According to the provision of art. 13, para. 1 of Ordinance № 1 of February 19, 1999, on the application of Chapter Five of the Bulgarian Citizenship Act, applications and proposals for change of citizenship are accepted and registered with the Ministry of Justice, and for their acceptance and registration the automated information system under Art. 14a, para. 1 of the Ordinance. At present, through the schedule provided by the automated information system, hours are reserved for submitting documents and conducting interviews until 30.06.2022. diplomatic or consular missions of the Republic of Bulgaria abroad, which at a later stage enter the Ministry of Justice through the Consular Relations Directorate at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In this regard, it is not possible to provide information on foreign nationals expecting to obtain Bulgarian citizenship.

/BGNES

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