A total of 2,566 people have received Bulgarian citizenship in the first six months of 2019, according to data from the Commission for Bulgarian Citizenship in the Office of the President of the Republic of Bulgaria.

However, last year, 3 619 citizens of the Republic of Macedonia received Bulgarian Citizenship, Macedonian online publication Meta writes, quoted by Focus.

Eighty-eight were deprived of their Bulgarian passports. A total of 1,390 people were denied Bulgarian citizenship on the recommendation of the Minister of Justice, while an additional 245 applications were rejected by the decision of the Vice President, who heads the civic commission

Bulgarian citizenship through naturalization has been revoked in five cases on the grounds that those who applied have concealed information that disqualifies them. It concerns the criminal convictions of the applicants or their links to crime.

The report states that in 2018, a total of 8 362 people were granted Bulgarian citizenship on the basis of Bulgarian origin or through naturalization.

Of these, the majority - 3 619, came from the Republic of Northern Macedonia, after them - 1422 from Ukraine. The next largest groups are Moldovans and Israelis, several hundred in total, followed by Serbs, Albanians and Turks.

Among those who received Bulgarian citizenship in 2018, there are Austrians, Russians, Spaniards, Vietnamese, Syrians, Lebanese, Georgians, Italians, Canadians and three Chinese.

One citizen of Hungary, Mongolia, Cuba, Uruguay, Pakistan and the Netherlands acquired Bulgarian citizenship last year.

In 2018, the claims of 1,245 people were rejected, mostly because of forged documents in naturalization procedures, the use of someone else's identity, or because they were deprived of their right of permanent residence in the country.