Pensioners who get a Bulgarian pension but live outside the EU, in a country that has no social security agreement with Bulgaria, must file a "proof of life" declaration between 1 November and 31 December 2026, the National Social Security Institute (NOI) said. Their pension will be paid in 2027 only if they file it. The declaration is filed once a year.

A consular office or another official body in the pensioner's country of residence must certify the declaration in the same period. The pensioner has to appear there in person. The certified declaration goes to the regional NOI office that pays the pension.

Pensioners can file it in person, through an authorised representative, or by sending the original by post or courier. They can also file it online through Service 52, "Submitting a declaration to keep receiving a pension from the Republic of Bulgaria". The service is on the NOI's single e-services portal. Users need a qualified electronic signature (QES) or an NOI personal identification code (PIC).

The forms are bilingual and come in six languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian and Turkish. They can be downloaded from the "Forms" section of the NOI website.

A few days ago, the NOI said the average insurable income in Bulgaria was €1,056.31 in August and €1,009.78 for the period from 1 September 2025 to 31 August 2026.