The personal number in Bulgaria: what the LNCh opens, and which codes you need with it

Which number do you need in Bulgaria to get anything done? The personal number for foreigners, the LNCh (личен номер на чужденец). It is the Bulgarian counterpart of your Dutch BSN, and you don't get it separately: it comes with your residence certificate, which costs 3.58 euro. The pitfall is that almost every other office waits for it. Without an LNCh you can't choose a GP, you don't get a login code from the tax authority, and your self-employed registration stalls.

How do you get the LNCh?

Within three months of arrival you apply for the residence certificate at the Migration department of the Ministry of Interior in your region. In its leaflets the ministry names the fees for the residence certificate and for the personal number in one breath: you get them together.

You bring: the application form, your passport or identity card, a tenancy agreement or other proof of address, and the payment receipt. If you live on your own means, such as a pension, add proof of health cover and proof of means: at least one minimum wage a month per family member. If you work, a copy of your employment contract or proof that you are self-employed is enough.

Translate, don't legalise. Documents not in Bulgarian are submitted with a translation. The ministry states explicitly that this translation doesn't need to be notarised or legalised. Anyone hiring a sworn translator for their pension award is spending money that isn't needed.

Paper or card?

What	Cost	Processing	Validity
Residence certificate on paper, with LNCh	3.58 euro	once approved	up to 5 years
The same as a card	15.34 euro	standard 30 days, express 3 days	up to 5 years
Permanent residence as a card	15.34 euro	same	10 years
Self-employed: reporting the start to the NRA	none	within 7 days of starting	—

You get the paper certificate as a laminated sheet once approved. If you want a card, you pay extra. The residence certificate is valid for up to five years, or shorter if you ask for that yourself.

What does the LNCh open?

The GP. To choose a GP in the Bulgarian health system, you fill in a choice form, and for that, according to EURES, you first need your LNCh. How that works with an S1 from the CAK is in healthcare in Bulgaria.

The tax authority. The NRA works with a personal identification code, the ПИК, with which you log in to the NRA portal. The NRA identifies you by your name and your LNCh; the counter may refuse a request without those details. The NRA charges no fee for this.

Social insurance. The social insurance institute NSSI also gives insured persons their own code of ten characters. You collect it in person, or have someone with a power of attorney collect it.

Working self-employed. Anyone starting out self-employed reports it with a declaration at the NRA office within seven days of starting. For 2026 the minimum contribution base for the self-employed is 550.66 euro a month up to and including July, and 620.20 euro from August. More on that in working in Bulgaria.

Why the order matters

The LNCh is the first step, not a formality for later. The GP and the NRA ask for it. And anyone coming with a car has an even shorter clock: a car must be registered with the traffic police within one month of acquisition, at the owner's address. Arrange the residence certificate in the first weeks then. How that fits into your whole move is in the step-by-step plan for Bulgaria.

If you stay five years, you apply for permanent residence before your certificate expires: at least three days before the expiry date, and the application is processed within 24 hours.

In Vertrekklaar this is phase 4 of 5 of the journey, step 4.1: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Bulgaria or go straight to step 4.1 in the open plan.