If you are retired, chances are you will have a few gray hairs on your head. And if you have a few gray hairs on your head, it is likely that your idea of Bulgaria is one that derives from a past scholastic imprint based on a knowledge of this small country far from current events.
Having closed the communist period, Bulgaria has been a full-fledged EU state since 2007. Indeed not all the effects; yes because at least at the moment in Bulgaria the Euro has not yet been adopted. What does it mean? It means that for us who come from a country, Italy, where life is paid in Euros, when we find ourselves in Bulgaria we realize that everything costs half as much. Homes, services, free time etc. A real blessing for those who are lucky enough to be paid in euros and to pay in Lev.
Italian pensioners could rightfully fall into this group, and to be honest the idea of enjoying their retirement in Bulgaria isn't even such a new idea. Already today there is a large colony of pensioners from the Bel Paese in Bulgaria, we are talking about a few tens of thousands of people.
Who are they and why did they decide to spend their senior years in Bulgaria? We have just mentioned the first reason: the cost of living has been halved. It's difficult to imagine living in a way that isn't comfortable but at least "decent" on 1000 euros a month if you then have to pay bills, maybe even rent, housing costs and medical visits; let's even have dinner at the restaurant every now and then. Well in Bulgaria those 1000 euros per month, due to the halved cost of living, become in practical terms 2000 euros and, you have to admit, that the situation changes radically.
It changes even more if you also manage to stop having to pay taxes in Italy (average IRPEF at 20%) and pay them only in Bulgaria (tax on individuals stuck at 10%) while keeping your social security allowance intact over time which will continue to be paid regularly by INPS even once you become resident in Bulgaria.
By moving to Bulgaria, establishing your residence in this country, and respecting a whole series of conditions it is possible to achieve this result. It is not complicated and we at VR and Partner know how to do it, also because we have already done it with several couples of compatriots who have decided to move here to Bulgaria, helping them to avoid double taxation, stop paying taxes in Italy and enjoy of all the benefits of the new residence.
In short: cost of living halved (1000 euro pension in Bulgaria is worth 2000!), taxes on individuals halved (and other money saved on the hard-earned pension), are already two notable business cards to take into considerationthe Bulgarian option for your pension.
But it doesn't end here. In fact, if the convenience were only economic, there wouldn't be so many Italians who decided to grow old in this country between Europe, Russia and Asia Minor. The truth is that apart from the financial aspects which, of course, certainly play an important role, you go to enjoy your retirement in Bulgaria because you live well in Bulgaria!
Let's go back to the starting point! Don't imagine the classic cold Eastern European country, sad and grey. Having come away from the Soviet yoke, the Bulgarians have brought out their character as a hospitable people who, very importantly, know how to enjoy life. This explains the thousands of venues of all types that can be found in the country's large cities: Sofia, Varna and Burgas above all.
It is no coincidence that we want to focus on the latter. Varna and Burgas are in fact the two main Bulgarian centers on the Black Sea. They are seaside cities with a more temperate and pleasant climate than more inland cities such as Sofia. And it is precisely here that the famous colony of Italian pensioners we were talking about before is concentrated, attracted by the more favorable climate, by the possibility of buying villas overlooking the beach with the same money with which you would buy a studio apartment in the suburbs in Rome.
By the sea 365 a year, with a doubled spending capacity, with retirement it can become truly pleasant!
