gameguy43 3mo

Update postponed to 24th Sept because of rain. Not 100% sure if I can make it on that date, but will try 🙂

nomadscot 3mo

I just arrived in Sofia. 🙂 If anyone is around, let me know. Would be good to connect and talk shop.

dobstotev 3mo

🛬 vdbftrfxzfe just arrived in 🇧🇬 Plovdiv, #bulgaria

hejhejjessie 3mo

🛬 lxbyfrafciyolc just arrived in ⛪️ Sofia, #bulgaria

outandabout 3mo

🛬 lllakyjungvgz just arrived in ⛪️ Sofia, #bulgaria

nthnjns 3mo

🛬 flrgchaar just arrived in ⛪️ Sofia, #bulgaria

raegabrielle 3mo

🛬 vkndwvdmzkrvhp just arrived in 🏂 Bansko, #bulgaria

elicohenator 2mo

🛬 tlrvikfygztokl just arrived in ⛪️ Sofia, #bulgaria

ratomir 2mo

What are the best neighborhoods to live in Sofia as Family?

jroihu 2mo

🛬 bzvxmtxi just arrived in Troyan, #bulgaria

raegabrielle 2mo

Anyone else in Bansko? I’ll be here a few weeks and would love to meet up. I’m working out of Coworking Bansko most days.

gameguy43 2mo

Random but seeking a cheap, used computer display / external monitor in Sofia 🙏

albinalbin 2mo

I like doctors garden/Oborishte.

samuell 2mo

Facebook marketplace should have plenty of them. Bought mine from there and I've been happy with it.

albinalbin 2mo

Hey hey! Anyone has a Sofia-based accountant they’re happy with? 👀

cbilling 2mo

🛬 etmeewczmz just arrived in ⛪️ Sofia, #bulgaria

yavor 2mo

Hey ijdukugecarv I’m super happy with takiev.bg/

gameguy43 2mo

More in the weeds than a nomad would usually look but I’m considering applying for a 5 year residency card. But I’m also considering leaving after ~9 months, spread across 2 years so that I’m in BG for less than 6 months in any given calendar year … which would put me under the threshold for needing to file a tax return. My question is would having a long-term residency mean I need to file a return anyway? Do I need to “relinquish” my residency on the way out or something, to alert them not to expect a tax return?

jacobparis 2mo

Once you have residency, you're a resident until you get residency somewhere else and are officially released from tax obligations

So you'll be beholden to the same tax filing requirements as if you were in bulgaria the whole time

gameguy43 2mo

Ah hmmm good to know. Sounds like it could get sticky.

gameguy43 2mo

So like if I just moved back to the USA, bulgaria might ask for some sort of paper trail of me being now an “official resident” of the USA? Not sure what that would mean, but I guess if I signed a lease or something I could provide that

jacobparis 2mo

If you're a US citizen I'm a little unclear on it because they tax all citizens wherever you are in the world, even if you get tax residency elsewhere

jacobparis 2mo

But generally the process for changing tax residency involves paperwork with both countries so one will accept you as a resident and the other will release you of obligations

jacobparis 2mo

so if you moved back to another country after getting bulgarian tax residency, and you stayed there for over 6 months, they'd be arguing you owe them taxes and that's when your bulgarian tax residency would be challenged

gameguy43 2mo

huh. interesting. that’s sort of the way it works within the EU generally?

gameguy43 2mo

(This is secretly kiiind of how it works within the USA, in terms of moving tax residency between states. Varies state by state, but at least in the states I know, part of the general idea is that you’re a resident of the last state you filed a return in until you’ve fully ‘landed’ in a new state.)

gameguy43 2mo

Seems like maybe I should make contact with a local tax professional. Anyone know one?

gameguy43 2mo

Also I’m curious in the case you’re describing, do the countries actually talk to each other? Or is it more like, if I move to Amsterdam, NL says “hey, you owe us taxes” and I file a return and then BG says “hey, you owe us taxes” and I just say “nah, I live in NL now, here’s the return I filed with NL.”

gameguy43 2mo

That’s the kind of shape this sort of thing takes in the USA, and makes more sense to me than, like, a phone number port-out process where I go to NL and say I want to register as a resident and they say “okay, here’s our ‘transfer of residency’ request form, serve it to Bulgaria and we’ll let you know when they reach out to us saying they’ve relieved you of your residency”

jacobparis 2mo

> Also I’m curious in the case you’re describing, do the countries actually talk to each other? Or is it more like, if I move to Amsterdam, NL says “hey, you owe us taxes” and I file a return and then BG says “hey, you owe us taxes” and I just say “nah, I live in NL now, here’s the return I filed with NL.”
Pretty much, but once you're a tax resident it's not always so easy as to just say you're filing somewhere else. If they think you have sufficient ties they can still require taxes, plus exit fees on any assets you're transferring out of the country

raegabrielle 2mo

🛬 nepqxppmsyrcyj just arrived in ⛪️ Sofia, #bulgaria

albinalbin 2mo

Also, note that having a residency card != being a tax resident. Tax residency is based on you living here (which is enabled by having the residency card), not the card itself.

> 9 months, spread across 2 years so that I’m in BG for less than 6 months in any given calendar year
That's not how it works.

> They reside in Bulgaria more than 183 days in any 12-month period
-- taxsummaries.pwc.com/bulgaria/individual/residencebr />
Even without the 183-day rule, you still have your center of life here. So you're 100% a tax resident of Bulgaria (note that you can be a tax resident of multiple places, and you might fulfill the requirements in other countries simultaneously).

Basically, you're a tax resident in Bulgaria during these 9 months regardless of the expiry of your residency card or the calendar specifics. When you move you're not a tax resident anymore and I think you can rest assured that the Bulgarian state won't expect to tax you unless you own property or companies here.

katharine 1mo

Anyone know of any interesting NYE plans in Sofia?

adriaandebolle 1mo

🛬 ildontmhndvsbgbe just arrived in 🇧🇬 Burgas, #bulgaria

mjturt 1mo

🛬 btkawxjx just arrived in 🇧🇬 Varna, #bulgaria

jacobparis 1mo

I think all the coworkings are good, I’ve been to Networking Premium and Puzl

jacobparis 1mo

The city is pretty walkable (though cold in November) but anywhere near the Center is good

mvremmerden 1mo

Thinking about going to Bansko for a few weeks. Does anybody know if the super markets there carry gluten-free options and generally a larger option of healthy food?

adriaandebolle 1mo

🛬 eutzcxixoxklnuel just arrived in 🇧🇬 Plovdiv, #bulgaria

voskovek 1mo

Billa has some gluten free stuff and a section with healthy food products, not particularly a large selection though

mvremmerden 1mo

How about almond milk or fresh vegetables, are they well stocked in these regards?

voskovek 1mo

Yes there’s plenty of that. All sorts of milk alternatives, soy, almond, coconut, oat, hazelnut, malk. And there’s a street market with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables

adriaandebolle 1mo

🛬 fduobyvwhmujeglb just arrived in ⛪️ Sofia, #bulgaria

majariusz 1mo

Is Bulgaria nomad friendly in your opinion? 😎 fly or don't fly, is the question

jacobparis 1mo

Bansko has lots of nomads, Sofia is a comfortable city to work remotely in

albinalbin 1mo

I'd recommend Oborishte/Doctor's Garden which are just east of what's shown in this map.

mvremmerden 1mo

Booked my apartment in Bansko for December, January and February, looking forward to meet as many as possible of you 😉

natalieonghm 1mo

I was staying in a coliving space in Sofia, so it was very easy to meet nomads.

jessw888 1mo

rfbhpdtsgcilgy curious what the name of the coliving is

natalieonghm 1mo

mubnhzcbjr WorkNomads

itsseancollins 30d

gttgpezxnoranu WorkNomads. Worth staying?

itsseancollins 30d

Has anyone stayed at WorkNomads in Sofia for a few months?

natalieonghm 30d

I was there for almost 3 months. Let me know if you have any questions, happy to help :)

gameguy43 29d

Anyone gotten to the bottom of whether visa runs are tenable (or necessary) for EU citizens staying in Bulgaria? I’m getting lots of conflicting info

gameguy43 29d

(I’m here for 9 months for school, and going through immigration to get a residence permit is soooo painful that I’m wondering if I should just advise my peers to rent a car a couple times during the year and drive to the north Macedonia border and back)

gameguy43 29d

This message was deleted.

jacobparis 29d

as an EU citizen you're permitted free travel to all EU member states, regardless of their schengen status, so you aren't required to leave after 90 days

jacobparis 29d

However after you've lived there for longer than some time (I forget if 3 months or 6) you're required to apply for residency and to switch your drivers licence to a bulgarian one

jacobparis 29d

I know several people who have not changed their licence so not sure how much that matters

jacobparis 29d

and pretty sure the punishment for not registering residency is a fine rather than any real problem

jacobparis 29d

over-the-border-and-back visa runs are not possible at all for anyone in Europe, I don't think there's any case where days are measured consecutively in a single entry like that. Those things are southeast asia loopholes

jacobparis 29d

Everyone I know who has gotten bulgarian residency (as EU citizens) has described it as super easy

gameguy43 29d

Hmmm, well Bulgaria isn’t Schengen

jacobparis 29d

They basically just go to immigration in blagoevgrad (I assume sofia has one as well), present a small amount of paperwork including proof of a long term lease, and they're all done within the hour

jacobparis 29d

no but it's EU and EU citizens aren't bound by schengen

gameguy43 29d

It’s 3 months that you’re supposed to apply for residency

gameguy43 29d

Question is if you can reset that clock with a visa run

gameguy43 29d

(Or if you can just ignore it and nothing really bad happens?)

jacobparis 29d

I have never heard any of my friends being worried about getting residency handled on time, if you're ok paying a fine if you get caught then it's probably not a big deal

jacobparis 29d

it's not like you're overstaying a visa, it's a regulatory compliance error

gameguy43 29d

Makes sense. Thanks! 🙏

gameguy43 29d

Not sure if I can advise the school to tell EU citizens “just don’t do anything, you’ll probably be fine and in the worst case they’ll charge you a fee for not registering,” butttttt maybe that can be the secret advice :p

jacobparis 29d

yeah so this looks like the rules for students europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/residence/documents-formalities/registering-residence/index_en.htm

gameguy43 29d

In sofia it is a nightmare. 3 visits minimum, each 1+ hours (average about 2). it’ll end up taking me 5+ visits i think because of dumb random issues

gameguy43 29d

Sofia migration office really is a nightmarish place

itsseancollins 29d

Oooo amazing. I'm probably gonna be there dec/jan.

What's the space like? the community etc. Plenty of events, people to socialise with?

itsseancollins 29d

Plus the area. I know it's a student area. But are there plenty of nice restaurants, cafes, bars etc around?

natalieonghm 29d

We found a nice pizza/pasta place. There’s a good Turkish, Indian, Korean, Lebanon place, too. Not too many nice cafes, I usually go to the city for cafes. The bus stop is right next to the coliving space, Less than 2 mins walk, and it’s around 30 mins to the city.

The room is spacious, the coworking space is amazing! The kitchen and gym are simple and all the basic things you need.

The ‘community managers’ host one event each week. Like boardgame, network/connect meetup, movie night, and yoga every Tuesday. To be honest, I don’t sense that the community manager were trying to bond with the colivers. Some people didn’t event know there’s two community managers. We usually just organise meetup, weekend trips to hangout together.

But I see they are making improvements, hopefully it gets better when you are staying there. :)
I had a lovely time in WorkNomads!

natalieonghm 29d

Oh, one more thing! Sometimes, they have private events in the coworking space. Colivers won’t get to use the coworking space, people either work in their room or the office area arranged by WorkNomads team. It happened twice over the last 3 months. Just want to let you know this happen sometimes 😬

itsseancollins 29d

Thank you, thank you, thank you

itsseancollins 29d

Appreciate yoi taking the time to write that

itsseancollins 29d

So are most people open to being social etc?

itsseancollins 29d

The place looks super cool

itsseancollins 29d

I'm just wondering if it's a social place

itsseancollins 29d

I wouldn't really know anyone in the city. So looking to meet plenty of new people!

natalieonghm 29d

Yes, most people like to social. I had 4 groups turnover, I could social and hangout with most of them.

natalieonghm 29d

No problem! Let me know if you have any questions

itsseancollins 29d

Thank you 😊

itsseancollins 29d

So you'd recommend the place then?

itsseancollins 29d

Looks like it 🙌

natalieonghm 29d

Yea, I’d recommend it. We had housekeeping issues previously, it’s solved. They are trying their best to improve and organise the kitchen as well. The coworking space is amazing! I miss working there. Just organise meetup and people would show up :)

I still have 3 friends there and I can connect you all together :)

itsseancollins 29d

Yeah the coworking looks 👌

itsseancollins 29d

Amazing. I'll reach back out to you if I go ahead with it

itsseancollins 29d

Thanks again!

natalieonghm 29d

Anytime ;)

samniddam 18d

Its not wrong, bulgaria and romania are not in schengen for some reason.

samniddam 17d

Does anyone have the Expats whatsapp group, that I could be added to

mvremmerden 13d

What's the best way to get from Sofia to Bansko? My plane arrives at 13:00, but the only buses I can find depart at 19:40?

outandabout 13d

🛬 uduovcmuzmhlf just arrived in ⛪️ Sofia, #bulgaria

jacobparis 13d

I usually just hang out in sofia until the bus arrives or spend the night there and grab a morning bus the next day (the coffee is good there)

but you can get a private transfer for around 80€, I usually call Vladimir Mladenov

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