The social networks are flooded with advertisements and offers for mediation for quick and easy obtaining of Bulgarian citizenship for the Macedonian citizens, but also on the advertising sites, agencies and individuals offer the Macedonian citizens a successful issuance of Bulgarian documents.

The “business” with Bulgarian citizenship, which has been especially active for the past ten years, has not stopped these days, when the quarrels between Skopje and Sofia are becoming more intense. Historical disputes between the two countries, which resulted in a veto on Macedonia’s EU integration, spilled over into mutual accusations in the country – “a thorn in the eye” are again dual citizenship, writes “Sloboden pecat”.

Dozens of websites are visited every day by citizens looking for information on how to easily access documents. Intermediaries, sometimes behind which are agencies, sometimes individuals or groups with good contacts in neighboring Bulgaria, for a price of 600 to 800 euros offer the realization of the European dream to many Macedonian citizens. They promise that the procedure could be completed in two to three years.

Some of the groups that mediate for documents are publicly open and everyone has access to them, some of them are private and to join them you need to be approved as a member. There are also many who issue ads on advertising pages.

From the information that can be obtained from the mediation agencies in obtaining Bulgarian documents, it is known that the procedure takes place in several phases.

Phase 1

Applicants must first submit a birth certificate, birth certificate of parents, birth certificate or death certificate of a grandfather or great-grandfather, who must had been born between 1900 and 1918.

Phase 2

The second phase also requires a medical certificate, a certificate of non-conviction and a passport copy.

Applicants are also required to provide a document proving the Bulgarian origin of the applicant’s predecessor (mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, etc.), as well as a declaration of Bulgarian national consciousness.

The mediating agencies explain that this is an official document, issued by a Bulgarian or foreign authority on the basis of a birth certificate, population register, etc., which contains data on the Bulgarian origin of the person or his predecessors. If there is no such document, then a Certificate of Bulgarian origin is issued, issued by the State Agency for Bulgarians abroad.

The final phase is submitting the documents in Sofiia in person.