Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

1 in 2 persons who have obtained Bulgarian citizenship by merit is an athlete, 1 in 10 – a football player

Photo: archive

1 in 2 persons who have obtained Bulgarian citizenship based on special merits and contributions to Bulgaria is an athlete, Justice Minister Atanas Slavov said, in answer to a question by MP Kristina Petkova. She also asked Minister of Sports Dimitar Iliev where each of the athletes with a Bulgarian citizenship by merit has played and where they are playing now, but has not received an answer so far. The answer given by the minister of justice makes it clear that 392 files for acquiring citizenship by merit were opened in the period from the beginning of 2008 until the end of August 2023. The ministry’s citizenship council has approved 52 proposals. The applications for citizenship of 8 athletes were approved in 2022. In 2021, out of 15 foreigners who acquired citizenship by merit, 9 were athletes. 



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

85 folk ensembles to participate in the "Sparks from the Past" festival in Apriltsi

A total of 85 folk ensembles from across the country will participate in the "Sparks from the Past" festival, which will take place in the mountain town of Apriltsi on July 26 and 27. The open-air stage for the performances will be set up at..

published on 7/26/25 5:45 AM

Red heat alert issued for 12 Bulgarian districts, orange code alert in effect for the rest of the country

On Saturday, it will be sunny and even hotter. In the afternoon, clouds will form over the mountainous regions of Western Bulgaria, and by the evening, also in the northwestern areas. Isolated thunderstorms and rain showers are expected in some..

published on 7/25/25 6:25 PM

President: Pogrom on the Constitution will continue to distort political life

The flaws in the Constitution, admitted by the government of the GERB-SDS and PP-DB coalition with the support of the DPS in 2023, were not removed by the Constitutional Court. That is how President Rumen Radev commented on the fact that yesterday the..

published on 7/25/25 5:46 PM